Craft Hour

CultureMap Holiday Pop-up Shop gets crafty with these festive workshops

Get crafty with festive lettering and succulent workshops.

Courtesy photo

CultureMap's Holiday Pop-up Shop, the ultimate holiday shopping experience, returns to Sixty Five Hundred on December 2, and this year, the event is craftier than ever.

In addition to being your one-stop spot to shop select local retailers, we're hosting fun and festive workshops throughout the day. From artful lettering to succulent arrangements, this is your chance to create a gift for someone special (or yourself!) — in between the shopping, sipping, and other Pop-up Shop merriment.

Space is limited, so check out the schedule below, and then snag your spot. Bonus: Your workshop ticket includes access to the main event.

Plant & Sip Holiday Succulent Workshop, 1-1:30 pm, 1:30-2 pm
Create your own unique holiday succulent arrangement with step-by-step instructions from succulent specialists. You'll also learn how to easily and effortlessly incorporate succulent plants into your home decor. Space is limited to 20 attendees for each time slot. $35.

Intro to Brush Pen Holiday Lettering with Viv Jordan, 2-3 pm
Get a fun and informative crash course on how to use a brush pen in this one-hour class. Takeaways include one brush pen, one lettering packet, and a sheet full of holiday lettering ideas to use this season. Space is limited to 20 attendees. $45.

The CultureMap Holiday Pop-up Shop, sponsored by Verizon, Korbel, and Ketel One, runs 12-4 pm on December 2 at Sixty Five Hundred. General admission is $10 in advance, and the event benefits Dallas-based charity The Birthday Party Project. Verizon Up Members can get VIP access from 11 am-12 pm.

families fundraisers holidays

Party Is Over

Party City chain to close 21 stores across Dallas by February

Party City

A chain of stores where the party is always going on is closing down: Party City will close all of its stores and has initiated layoffs, effective immediately. According to CNN, CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employees that Party City has to “commence a winddown process immediately,” and that Friday would be their last day of work for the company.

However, the actual store locations, including those around North Texas, will be open until February 28.

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, Party City is largest party goods retailer in the U.S. — the go-to destination for every type of celebration, with more than 700 company-owned and franchise store locations across North America selling home decor, candles, balloons, wrapping paper, tableware, bulk candy, baking supplies, and more.

A typical Party City store ranges in size from 10,000 to 12,000 square feet and carries approximately 30,000 items. Halloween accounts for as much as one-quarter of yearly sales, but they celebrate all seasonal holidays, from New Year's Eve to the Fourth of July to Father's Day to Super Bowl Sunday, and offer a wide array of merchandise for birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, wedding and bridal showers, and baby showers.

Party and costume merchandise has become more competitive in recent years, with companies like the budget-focused Spirit Halloween expanding beyond its Halloween pop-ups into “Spirit Christmas” stores, as well as competition from Amazon and other online retailers.

In 2023, the chain filed for bankruptcy, then emerged with a plan that included transitioning into a privately held company and canceling nearly $1 billion in debt. At that time, there were approximately 800 U.S. stores.

There are 64 stores in Texas, with 21 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as follows:

Arlington
Burleson
Carrollton
Cedar Hill
Dallas
Denton
Euless
Flower Mound
Fort Worth
Frisco
Hurst
Irving
Lake Worth
Lewisville
Mansfield
McKinney
Mesquite
Richardson
Rockwall
Watauga

Dallas-Fort Worth stores have already started sales between 5 and 50 percent off.

holidays closings