10/25/2026
Ever worked a closing shift at the Cotton Exchange? You might have a different kind of customer story.
HAUNTED AROUND HERE • STORY NO. 05
THE COTTON EXCHANGE
Today, the brick walkways and courtyards connect familiar downtown shops and restaurants. But the eight buildings have had many earlier lives, housing businesses that included a mill, a printing company, wholesale groceries, and a mariner’s saloon.
In a 2013 WWAY report, haunted-tour operator Lori Erwin described encounters that had become part of the complex’s ghost lore. She recalled seeing a man inside a shop called Doggy By Nature, only for him to disappear shortly afterward. The report also covered stories of drawers found open overnight and supposed ghost sightings at Paddy’s Hollow and the German Cafe.
These are reported experiences, not established explanations for what happened. The buildings’ history, however, is real: the complex was preserved in the 1970s and opened as the Cotton Exchange in 1976.
For anyone who has spent a quiet moment inside an old downtown building, the appeal of the stories is easy to understand. A place that has welcomed so many people gives you plenty to wonder about after the last customer leaves.
🔥 Former shopkeepers, restaurant staff, and downtown regulars: what’s the strangest Cotton Exchange story you’ve heard?
Presented by Island Creek Campground, Wilmington, NC. Follow our page for more Haunted Around Here stories.
