Social district draws business, could expand
By Emma Dill, posted Jan 14, 2026 on wilmingtonbiz.com
For Alex White, owner of North Fourth Street’s Pizzeria Don Luca, Wilmington's first social district has been a boon for business.
“Each Saturday we see new faces that we've never seen,” he said. “It’s done wonders for our business, as far as people finding out where we are.”
Social districts allow people to buy an alcoholic drink at a participating establishment (not bring one from home) and consume it anywhere within a designated area. In September, the Wilmington City Council approved a social district in the Brooklyn Arts District in a 5-2 vote. The district currently runs from noon to 5 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays of each month.
Pizzeria Don Luca is located at the far north end of the social district, which spans 10 blocks along North Fourth Street and one block of Red Cross Street, providing access to The Eagle’s Dare.
On social district Saturdays, White said, he schedules additional staff and preps more ingredients to accommodate an uptick in customers. He estimates Don Luca’s sales during social district Saturdays are about 70% higher than Saturdays without the social district.
Tara English, owner of Brooklyn Café, said the first few social district Saturdays have gone smoothly. Over the last year, English has spearheaded efforts to establish a social district in the area alongside Goat & Compass owner Scott Wagner.
“People had some concerns about parking and litter or overall nuisance,” she said, “but we’ve had zero issues.”
English said the purpose of a social district is to bring people into the district to support local businesses, including establishments that serve alcohol and those, like Don Luca, that don’t.
At the end of an initial six-month trial period, Brooklyn Arts District business owners plan to ask the city to make the social district a weekly occurrence, English said.
That would require approval from the city’s Social District Advisory Committee and the Wilmington City Council. Business owners would face a council with a different make-up than the governing body that approved the initial social district in September. Since then, three new members have joined the seven-person council.
In an email, newly elected council member Cassidy Santaguida stated that she thinks social districts have the potential to generate increased revenue for businesses and bring together the community, but they must be well-managed, follow city standards and “not be detrimental to residents or other businesses in and around the district.”
Chakema Clinton-Quintana, another newly elected council member, said she supports the idea of a social district but has concerns about potential issues that could stem from the districts, including public intoxication, littering and impacts to residents.
Clinton-Quintana said she expects to see other Wilmington business districts apply to become social districts in the future.
“In my pulse check with some community members and leaders, I think that others do want to see (a social district),” she said, “but they want to see it not just in the Brooklyn Arts District; they want to see it overall in downtown Wilmington.”
As of Dec. 8, the city of Wilmington hadn’t received any additional applications for social districts, according to Amy Willis, the city’s communications manager.
English said since the district’s approval, at least two local towns and another downtown business district have approached organizers in the Brooklyn Arts District to learn more about the social district. She declined to provide specifics, citing the early nature of their discussions.
White, the owner of Pizzeria Don Luca, plans to advocate for a weekly social district, a move that could help eliminate confusion around its current schedule, he said.
“We’re excited to work with the new council members,” White said, “and hopefully show them that this is a benefit to Wilmington, not a detriment.”
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