In September, the Troup City Council had an agenda item about one sign on Duval Street. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended a Certificate of Appropriateness to repaint the sign at 116 W. Duval, inside the Historical District, so it would read "The Wuthering Raven."
Holiday in the Country was started to get that kind of business onto that kind of street. On Monday, Nov. 16, from 4 to 8 p.m., the 14th edition fills downtown Troup again. This year the Duval Street storefronts have a new name on them.
A shopping night built to bring downtown back
The Troup Community Development Corporation's announcement in the Jacksonville Progress tells the origin story. Two local business owners, who are sisters, started Holiday in the Country in 2012 to bring new life to downtown Troup. They wanted to start the Christmas shopping season by getting people to stay local and shop small. The festival now belongs to the Troup Community Development Corporation, or TCDC.
That handoff matters because the TCDC does more than throw parties. Its October 19, 2026 agenda included a proposal to spend up to $200,000 in Type B sales tax revenue on street improvements. The City Council's agenda the same day described the proposed work as streets and related improvements serving existing and prospective businesses. The TCDC's project tracker lists years of downtown work. It includes drainage on the 800 block of W. Duval, storm drain work at 109 W. Duval in 2021, and $130,000 approved in July 2024 to repave North Georgia and North Carolina streets. The same agenda that covered street money also listed Holiday in the Country for discussion.
So the group that pays for the pavement and drainage under downtown also runs the one night a year when the most people walk on it. Seen that way, Holiday in the Country is a yearly showcase for a downtown the town keeps investing in.
What the night grew into
The first editions were a shopping night for the stores already downtown. By 2023, KETK reported food trucks and downtown stores staying open late, along with the town's first Christmas tree lighting, held outside the library. TCDC's 2026 vendor call says the 2025 edition had more than 80 vendors, not including downtown businesses and food trucks.
Last year's program, as the Jacksonville Progress described it, included a 6 p.m. tree lighting with honorary tree lighters. Downtown businesses stayed open late with treats and specials. There were free pictures with Santa, free old-fashioned wagon rides through the historic streets, food trucks along the streets, and photo spots with a Fairy Princess, her Snow Bear and a baby kangaroo. Admission and parking were free. TCDC Executive Director Brooke Ranshaw summed up the growth in that same piece:
"To see it grow from a local shopping night into an event that hosts over 80 vendors, food trucks, and even kangaroos, is a testament to the incredible spirit of Troup. We really do have everything to offer."
TCDC points people to the "Holiday in the Country 2026" Facebook page and its own page for updates, vendor maps and other information. It's the place to check for this year's tree-lighting time and the details for Santa photos.
Five venues, plus the storefronts between them
Vendors don't all fit on the sidewalks anymore. TCDC's 2026 vendor call lists five hosting locations. It also points out that many downtown businesses open their doors to vendors too.
| Venue | What to know |
|---|---|
| Troup Farmers Market | Vendor venue |
| Bobby's & Hometown Market, LLC | Vendor venue; Bobby's Coffee is listed with the Troup Chamber at 501 W. Duval, Suite 103 |
| Cameron-J. Jarvis Troup Municipal Library | Vendor venue; the library was the site of the town's first tree lighting in 2023 |
| First Methodist Church Troup | Vendor venue |
| Frosty Pines | Vendor venue |
The event address is 106 E. Duval, which is also Troup City Hall. If you're meeting someone, City Hall is the easiest landmark to give them.
The bookstore that moved to Duval in six months
The festival was built to put shoppers on Duval Street. The newest storefront there this year is a bookstore that went from a side street to Duval in about six months.
The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported on Oct. 21 that owner Kaylei Kinard opened The Wuthering Raven in April. It started in a 500-square-foot space at 400 W. Calvert St. with a curated selection of new fiction. Since then, the business has taken over the former Iron & Ember Coffee Co. space at 116 W. Duval St. and added a café. The café soft-opened Oct. 14 through 17.
The café serves specialty coffee and pastries, including drinks inspired by books and pop culture. A full kitchen menu and more books are expected as the business grows. The name combines two of Kinard's favorite works, Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights" and Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven."
Regular hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The shop is closed Sunday and Monday. Holiday in the Country falls on a Monday, so check the shop's own announcements before planning your evening around a latte there. A weekday morning visit any other week is the sure bet.
A resale stop out on Highway 135
The same Tyler Morning Telegraph roundup covered a second new stop, a few miles outside downtown. Grammy's Fork in the Road Resale Shop, owned by Juanita Miller, held a sneak-peek opening Oct. 3 at 10263 State Highway 135 near Troup. It's a vendor-booth marketplace with antiques, vintage items, collectibles and secondhand goods in a 3,000-square-foot showroom, and shoppers get free snacks and coffee.
Grammy's is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. It's closed Sunday through Wednesday. That makes it a good fit for the weekends between the festival and the parade, when gift lists start getting real.
Planning the evening of Nov. 16
- Arrive at 4 p.m. TCDC urged families to come right at the start to see all five venues, and four hours goes quickly.
- Start at the venues. Hit the Farmers Market, the library, First Methodist, Bobby's & Hometown Market and Frosty Pines before the crowds build. The downtown storefronts that host vendors fill the gaps between them.
- Be downtown at 6 p.m. Last year the tree lighting kicked things off at 6 p.m. Confirm this year's time on the Holiday in the Country 2026 page.
- Eat from the trucks. Food trucks lined the streets last year, on top of the more than 80 vendors.
- Save the shops for later. Write down the storefronts you want to come back to on a Tuesday or a Saturday, when their regular hours apply.
What comes after: the parade on Dec. 10
Holiday in the Country opens the season, and the Troup Christmas Parade closes the stretch three and a half weeks later. The City of Troup has the 2026 parade on Thursday, Dec. 10. The Chamber's entry form sets the start at 6 p.m., with entries lined up by 5 p.m. Completed forms go to P.O. Box 336 or can be dropped off at City Hall, 106 E. Duval. Questions go to the Troup Chamber of Commerce at 903-574-3928. The entry form is posted on the city's website for any business, church or family group that wants to enter a float.
Between Nov. 16 and Dec. 10, the new sign at 116 W. Duval will be lit up for its first holiday season. It's the same block Holiday in the Country was started to bring back.
If watching downtown Troup fill in has you wondering what your own place near Duval Street is worth, or what's for sale within walking distance of the tree lighting, Brittany Sartain would love to talk it through over coffee. Schedule a Free Consultation and she'll bring the local knowledge.
