For about twenty years, Corkscrew Wine Shoppe & Bar was a fixture at Birkdale Village. The original shop closed at the end of 2022. Now it is coming back on Gilead Road, in The Holbrook at Town Center, a short way from the Veterans Park lawn where the town lights its tree.
That move fits a wider pattern this season. Huntersville's holiday calendar has two centers. Birkdale Village goes first, in late November. The town's own weekend follows at Veterans Park on the first Friday and Saturday of December. This year the downtown half has new storefronts around it, and the town has spent 2026 putting public money and land toward making those blocks a lasting gathering place.
The Holbrook's Retail Took Longer Than Its Homes
The Holbrook opened in April 2025. It is a North State Development project with Capital Partners, Richardson Properties and Pinnacle Bank, and it mixes apartments, townhomes and single-family rentals with a small retail strip on Gilead Road. The homes filled first. B+Co Hair Salon opened in the retail space about a year ago. As Lake Norman Publications reported on Oct. 23, the food and drink tenants arrived "more than 18 months after the development opened."
Cocotte came first. The artisan French bakery and gourmet market, which also has a Cornelius location, soft-opened at 111 Gilead Road on Monday, Oct. 12. It serves handcrafted croissants, baguettes, fresh breads, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and lattes. Opening hours were Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is closed Tuesdays.
Corkscrew is the second. The Lake Norman Publications report describes the new location with 30 to 40 wines by the glass, hundreds of retail bottles, craft beer, handcrafted cocktails, an upscale bourbon list and small plates such as charcuterie boards and flatbreads. The Holbrook scheduled a retail grand opening for Saturday, Nov. 7, to celebrate B+Co, Cocotte, Corkscrew and local vendors.
Across Gilead Road, a Late-Night Option
The other change downtown is happening at an established spot. 760 Craft Works, the taproom across the street from The Holbrook, announced a craft cocktail program for late October. It also announced Night Swim, a 21-and-older evening on Friday and Saturday nights from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Night Swim adds dim lighting, vinyl listening sessions, signature cocktails, and tinned fish and caviar service to the taproom's usual house-brewed beers, wine, THC beverages and non-alcoholic options. General Manager Layton Cross and co-owner and Head of Brand Alyssa Ramsey came up with the concept. During regular hours, 760 stays a family-friendly taproom.
Here is what is on that stretch of Gilead Road, with hours as Lake Norman Publications and The Holbrook reported them.
| Spot | Location | What it adds | Hours as reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cocotte | 111 Gilead Road, The Holbrook | French bakery and gourmet market | Mon., Wed.–Sun., 8 a.m.–3 p.m. at soft opening |
| Corkscrew Wine Shoppe & Bar | The Holbrook | Wine by the glass, retail bottles, bourbon, small plates | Featured in the Nov. 7 grand opening |
| 760 Craft Works | Across Gilead Road from The Holbrook | Taproom, new cocktail program | Regular hours family-friendly |
| Night Swim at 760 | Same | 21+ listening-bar evenings | Fri.–Sat., 8:30–11:30 p.m. |
| B+Co Hair Salon | The Holbrook | Salon, open about a year | Not reported |
The Town's Weekend Lands on the Same Blocks
Huntersville Parks & Recreation runs two back-to-back events at Veterans Park, 201 Huntersville-Concord Road, according to its Eventbrite listing.
- Town Tree Lighting, Friday, Dec. 4, 6 to 8 p.m. The tree is lit at 6:30, and the event is free.
- Holidays in Huntersville, Saturday, Dec. 5, 3 to 8 p.m. The Lake Norman Visitors Guide listing describes free children's rides, ice sculptures, local performances, carolers, face painting, balloon artists, holiday characters, Santa visits, more than 50 vendors, food trucks and beverage vendors.
Saturday's logistics tie the festival to the new storefronts. The same listing names the Town Center garage as event parking, along with:
- Huntersville Elementary
- The Downtown Greenway Trailhead
- The Arts & Cultural Center
- Accessible parking at Town Hall
Main Street and Maxwell Street close from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 5. That window starts four hours before the festival and ends ninety minutes after it. Anyone planning a Saturday stop at Cocotte, which closes at 3 p.m. on its reported schedule, will be getting there while the streets are already closed.
Birkdale Goes First, So the Two Calendars Don't Collide
Birkdale Village opens its season two weeks ahead of the town's weekend, and its programming runs through the holidays:
- The Lighting of Birkdale Village, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2 to 7 p.m. The parade starts at 4:30 p.m. and loops Birkdale Commons Parkway. The tree-lighting ceremony begins at 6 p.m., hosted by Maney & LauRen of Kiss 95.1.
- Birkdale on Ice, Nov. 21 through Jan. 10. The outdoor rink is back for its second year. Tickets are $18 for a 75-minute session, and reservations are recommended.
- Santa at Birkdale Village, Nov. 22 through Dec. 24, Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the cottage between Anthropologie and Lululemon.
Because of that spacing, Nov. 21 and Dec. 4 and 5 are separate outings, and the Birkdale rink and Santa cottage stay open on either side of the downtown weekend. One of Huntersville's other holiday-season landmarks is off the calendar this year. Mecklenburg County lists Historic Latta Place as closed for construction, with reopening anticipated in 2027.
What the Town Has Put Behind Downtown in 2026
The new storefronts are the visible part. Town Hall has spent the year backing the same blocks with land deals and design contracts.
The old Town Hall is becoming a food and retail building. In January 2026, Lake Norman Publications reported on a $1.44 million proposal for the former Town Hall. Roughly 75% of the building would go to food or beverage use, and seven-year deed restrictions would limit it to retail, restaurant or other nonresidential uses. The Town Board approved the purchase agreement 6–0 on April 21, 2026. According to WSOC, the buyer is Town Hall Partners LLC, the plan is an experience-focused food, drink and shopping destination, and construction is expected to begin in 2027.
A parking deck is in design. On Oct. 6, 2026, the board approved a $907,200 preliminary-design contract with Shelco and set aside $1 million from the General Fund for design and site preparation, Lake Norman Publications reported. The public garage would rise over the Town Hall parking lot and serve Town Hall, Veterans Park and downtown businesses. The $907,200 pays for design work only. It is not the cost of building the deck.
Two more independents plan to open next to The Holbrook. Dumpling Girls, the food truck, plans a restaurant there. Pint and Page, a combined bookstore and biergarten-café, plans to open beside it. A Dec. 2025 Lake Norman Publications roundup reported that the Town Board had rezoned both properties to allow those uses.
Put together, this year's tree lighting and Saturday festival take place among new tenants at The Holbrook, a former Town Hall under contract to become a food hall-style destination, and a garage that will one day serve Veterans Park.
If you live in Huntersville and are wondering how the downtown changes on Gilead Road and around Veterans Park might affect what nearby homes are worth, LUXE Realty Group follows these projects block by block, and Nancy is glad to talk through what they mean for your street. Start Your Lake Life: Schedule a Consultation.
