Downtown Traverse City Wrap It Up Night Boosts Holiday Giving
Wrap It Up Shopping Night took place on Dec. 5 in downtown Traverse City, offering extended hours, family activities, and donation based gift wrapping to benefit Up North Pride. The event combined merchant promotions and community volunteer efforts, providing a late season boost for local businesses and support for a local nonprofit.
The Downtown Traverse City Association hosted Wrap It Up Shopping Night on Thursday, Dec. 5, creating a relaxed, family focused environment for last minute holiday shopping and community giving. The event ran from 4 to 9 p.m. in downtown Traverse City and featured extended retail hours, special holiday deals from merchants, and two donation based gift wrapping stations with proceeds directed to Up North Pride.
Two wrapping stations were set up at Front Row Center and Mammoth Distilling. Volunteers from Up North Pride and A Day in May Events staffed the stations, collecting donations while assisting shoppers with gift wrapping. Mammoth Distilling also offered free hot cocoa to attendees, adding to the seasonal atmosphere.
The evening included opportunities for families to visit with Santa at the Cass St. Christmas Tree from 5 to 7 p.m. In case of inclement weather the appearances were moved indoors to Front Row Center. The combination of activities aimed to extend foot traffic downtown and encourage residents to find distinctive gifts at local businesses.
“Wrap It Up Night is our way of offering a welcoming, family oriented alternative to typical shopping nights,” said Karen Roofe, DTCA Board President. The statement underlined the association s intent to provide an inclusive event that supports both merchants and community organizations.
For local residents the event had immediate economic and civic effects. Extended hours and promotions provided downtown businesses with additional customer access during a critical sales period, while the donation based wrapping connected consumer spending directly to local nonprofit capacity. Volunteer involvement from Up North Pride and A Day in May Events demonstrated local civic infrastructure at work, channeling goodwill into tangible support for community groups.
As the holiday season concludes, events like Wrap It Up Night illustrate how coordinated local initiatives can concentrate retail activity, volunteerism, and charitable giving in ways that strengthen downtown commerce and nonprofit services. Residents who participated supported merchants and contributed to a local organization that serves the community.
