Spirit Christmas Opens Store at Colonie Center
The Christmas-themed retailer opened its first Albany location on the former Christmas Tree Shops site after drawing hundreds of shoppers.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Openings & Closings
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Spirit Christmas opened a Christmas-themed retail store at Colonie Center in Albany on Saturday. The store occupies about two-thirds of the former Christmas Tree Shops space and drew crowds with lines to enter, throughout the store, and at checkout.
Why it matters
The opening fills a space left vacant when Christmas Tree Shops closed its Colonie Center location in July 2023, after the chain went out of business following bankruptcy and a nationwide liquidation. Spirit Christmas had announced plans for a Colonie Center store in 2024, but those plans were scrapped weeks later.
The customer area occupies about two-thirds of the former Christmas Tree Shops space at Colonie Center. Hundreds of shoppers filled the store within about 30 minutes of its Sunday 10 a.m. opening, with at least a dozen people waiting outside beforehand.
The players
Spirit Christmas
A seasonal retailer known for Halloween and Christmas-themed stores that operate temporarily in vacant retail spaces.
Christmas Tree Shops
A discount home-goods chain that went out of business after bankruptcy and a nationwide liquidation, leaving its Colonie Center store vacant.
The details
The store sells an ugly Christmas sweater section, an Elf on the Shelf section, and an Inflatable Land section. The closest Spirit Christmas location had previously been in Poughkeepsie, so the Albany store brings the seasonal retailer much closer to local shoppers.
Timeline
July 2023: Christmas Tree Shops closed its Colonie Center location.
2024: Spirit Christmas announced plans for a Colonie Center store, later scrapped.
Saturday, November 7, 2026: Spirit Christmas opened at Colonie Center.
Sunday, November 8, 2026: The store opened at 10 a.m. to hundreds of shoppers.
Market Landscape
Seasonal pop-up retailers like Spirit Christmas often take over large vacant boxes left behind by failed chains such as Christmas Tree Shops. The Albany opening shows how liquidated retail footprints are being reused for temporary holiday merchandise.
Albany shoppers now have a local Spirit Christmas option for holiday decorations, sweaters, and themed merchandise without driving to Poughkeepsie. The store's popularity at its opening suggests holiday crowds may be heavy in the coming weeks.
The takeaway
Holiday pop-up stores can quickly fill vacant retail space, so shoppers planning seasonal purchases may want to arrive early, as the Albany opening drew lines before doors even opened.
Further reading
For more local store moves, see Openings & Closings coverage across the region.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Times Union.
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