WILLIAMSBURG — Tariffs on holiday tree ornaments from China have affected some of the items at the Christmas Mouse, “but we were lucky that lots of our goods, 60-65%, were purchased in the early markets,” the Williamsburg-based chain’s president says.
“People are still in the spirit to buy, especially the closer we’ve been to Christmas,” said Rob Marshall, the president of Christmas Mouse.
Even the products that cost more because of the tariffs — about 98% of the more than 8,000 tree decorations available are from China — are still being bought “if consumers still consider them a fair price,” he said. “And if it’s more expensive than normal, they are still going to buy because a lot of things are more expensive these days.”
Tariffs on almost all imported Christmas decor can be 30% or higher, according to the American Christmas Tree Association. And for items such as holiday lighting, the tariff can be as high as 63% on top of an existing 33% tariff, the association said.
“People are still in the spirit to buy, especially the closer we’ve been to Christmas,” said Rob Marshall, the president of Christmas Mouse, taking a break from working in the warehouse in the flagship Williamsburg store. (Wilford Kale/For The Virginia Gazette)
The first Christmas Mouse, which opened in Williamsburg in 1985 and now operates at 1991 Richmond Road, had about 16,000 different items for sale on Monday afternoon, according to Marshall’s computer. Business, Marshall said, is relatively steady.
“I’m somewhat optimistic and hopeful that good things will be happening soon. We’re hoping prices will stabilize in 2026.”
After 40 years of business, the Christmas Mouse now operates nine stores in three states — Virginia and North and South Carolina. In addition to its flagship store in Williamsburg, there also are stores in Norge and Virginia Beach. Outside of Virginia, there are stores in Duck and Nags Head, North Carolina — on the Outer Banks — and in North Myrtle Beach, South Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head and Pawley’s Island in South Carolina.
Two of the company’s stores ranked high in a recent national survey conducted by MarketBeat, a financial media company, on the top Christmas decoration stores. The survey was conducted using 3,022 shoppers across all 50 states. According to the interviews, customers in many states travel especially to visit stops, either local retailers or national chains, that are holiday favorites.
Christmas Mouse in Williamsburg ranked No. 2 among Virginia’s top “Christmassy” stores, behind The Christmas Sleigh in Middleburg. Marshall said he had not heard “anything about the survey, but I’m going to do some research.”
The Christmas Mouse on Pawley’s Island ranked No. 1 as the most popular Christmas shop for shopping in South Carolina. Pawley’s Island is the newest Christmas Mouse with trees and decorations arranged inside a tobacco barn that was constructed in 1900. “The barn is registered with the South Carolina Historic Preservation Office and provides a charming backdrop for a Christmas store,” Marshall said.
The Christmas Mouse on Richmond Road in Williamsburg is one of nine locations in three states. (Wilford Kale/For The Virginia Gazette)
Christmas Mouse got its start about 1985 when two Williamsburg businessmen, Bob Marshall — Rob’s father — and Bruce Robertson, “noticed that Christmas items would sell year around, mostly to tourists,” Robertson recalled. “Families wanted something to help them remember their vacations.”
Robertson got out of their joint business after nine or 10 years when Marshall’s children became interested in becoming involved with the stores. At that time, many Christmas items in the area were sold only during the holiday season, except for the Christmas Shop in Williamsburg’s Merchants Square and the Christmas store on the Outer Banks in Manteo.
Holiday items line the shelves at the Christmas Mouse on Atlantic Avenue in Virginia Beach earlier this month. (Stephanie Kalis/For The Virginian-Pilot)
“When we learned the old Roses store on Richmond Road wanted out of their lease, Bob and I decided to move forward,” Robertson said.
But where did the name Christmas Mouse come from, anyway?
“I was always intrigued by the ‘Night before Christmas’ story, where ‘not a creature was stirring not even a mouse,’” Robertson explained. “Thus was born a store name!”
The Williamsburg store — along with others in the chain — are now known nationwide for their vast assortment of items, including unique ornaments and themed Christmas trees. Depending upon the store size there may be as many as 30,000 items available, including ornaments, trees, lights and of course, Santa Claus figures.
Wilford Kale, kalehouse@aol.com
