"748 Shirley has been my labor of love, day in and day out, and I will miss her." Heather Fraley, chef and co-owner of The Ten Top, wrote that in the announcement WAVY reported on October 12. The restaurant will close its original location at 748 Shirley Ave at the end of 2026 after more than 15 years.
That makes this holiday season different for Ghent. Most December traditions come back every year, and this one won't. The timing is also a little awkward. Most of the neighborhood's biggest holiday events this year land on Sundays, and The Ten Top's website lists its Shirley Avenue hours as Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. If you want a last meal there, you'll need to plan it on its own day.
What moves to Colley Avenue in January, and what changes
The Ten Top isn't leaving Ghent's orbit. Starting in January 2027, it will partially merge with its Market location at 5115 Colley Ave. Fraley's announcement laid out what the combined shop will offer:
- Classic sandwiches, salads and sides made to order at lunch, for walk-in or call-in orders
- The rotating soup du jour, with its signature housemade croutons and bread
- Weekly grab-and-go specials
- Signature dinners, seasonal special dinners, sides, dips and pizzas, all to go
That last item is the one that matters for your December plans. The Shirley Avenue dinner menu includes entrées like salmon, meatloaf and jambalaya, along with sandwiches such as the McRick ribs sandwich, the country boy banh mi and a crab cake sandwich. In the new year, the announcement describes dinners as a to-go offering at Colley Avenue. So if eating dinner at 748 Shirley Ave is part of your routine, you have until the end of 2026. WAVY reported that the restaurant will keep operating there through year-end before the January move.
The calendar between now and New Year's
From this Thursday through the end of the year, every Ghent event below has a confirmed 2026 date. Look at the day-of-week column. Most of the anchor events are on Sundays, and the restaurant's listed hours skip Sundays.
| Date | Day | What | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 6 | Friday | Two new exhibitions open | Chrysler Museum of Art |
| Nov 18 | Wednesday | Ghent Neighborhood League monthly meeting, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Ghent Neighborhood League |
| Nov 29 | Sunday | Advent Lessons and Carols, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. | Christ & St. Luke's, 560 W. Olney Rd |
| Dec 6 | Sunday | 6th Annual Ghent Holiday Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 730 Spotswood Ave |
| Dec 6 | Sunday | The Virginia Chorale, Sing We Nowell, 4 to 6 p.m. | Christ & St. Luke's |
| Dec 11 | Friday | Ghent Neighborhood League holiday party, 6:30 to 9 p.m. | Ghent Neighborhood League |
| Dec 13 | Sunday | Holiday Market bad-weather date | 730 Spotswood Ave |
| Dec 20 | Sunday | Christmas Lessons and Carols, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. | Christ & St. Luke's |
| Dec 24 | Thursday | Christmas Eve Prelude, 9:30 p.m. | Christ & St. Luke's |
| End of 2026 | The Ten Top's last stretch at 748 Shirley Ave | 748 Shirley Ave |
The Friday and Wednesday dates are the easy ones to pair with dinner on Shirley Avenue, since both fall within the restaurant's listed hours. The Sunday events don't overlap with those hours, so a Shirley Avenue meal will need its own day.
The Chrysler opens new shows the day after this post
The first date on the list arrives almost right away. On Friday, November 6, the Chrysler Museum of Art opens two exhibitions, Arthur Jafa: Love Is the Message, The Message Is Death and Define Yourself! They join Interplay between Figures: Drawing from Life, which opened October 20.
Two shows already on view run past the holidays. Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry from the Dallas Museum of Art stays through January 3, 2027, and Is, Was: Glass and Metal by Christopher Wilmarth runs through April 18, 2027. The Chrysler's visit page says admission is always free. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and on select holidays.
The museum's Tuesday-through-Saturday hours fall within The Ten Top's Monday-through-Saturday schedule. A free museum visit followed by a meal on Shirley Avenue fits easily into any Tuesday through Saturday in November or December. The Chrysler's events calendar has no holiday-specific programs posted yet, so the exhibitions are the reason to go.
December 6 is the day the season stacks
Sunday, December 6, has the most going on of any day in Ghent this season. The Ghent Farmers Market lists its 6th Annual Ghent Holiday Market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event listing puts it at 730 Spotswood Ave, with more than 70 local vendors, live music from Dan Pellegrino, pet photos with Santa, the Lumpia Lane food truck, and hot chocolate and warm specialty drinks from Mane Events. The Ghent Business Association describes the location as in front of Blair Middle School.
The market ends at 4 p.m., the same time The Virginia Chorale begins Sing We Nowell at Christ & St. Luke's, 560 W. Olney Rd. Harpist Barbara Chapman joins the Chorale for Frank Ferko's A Festival of Carols, along with traditional carols and other holiday favorites. Single tickets are $30. Military and group tickets are $20 per person, and student tickets are $10.
To do both in one day:
- Arrive at the market before the afternoon rush. Free parking is available in the two city lots on Spotswood Avenue.
- Eat at the market. The Ten Top's listed hours don't include Sundays, so Lumpia Lane and the Mane Events drinks are the built-in lunch option.
- Buy Chorale tickets ahead of time. The market runs right up to the start of the concert, so you won't have time for the ticket line.
- Note December 13. That's the market's bad-weather date. If the market moves, it no longer lines up with the Chorale.
The Friday that hasn't been announced
One familiar event is missing from the table. The Ghent Business Association describes a holiday tree lighting with entertainment and a visit from Santa, followed by a Holiday Open House weekend with promotions at Ghent businesses. The Sunday Holiday Market closes out that weekend. The association places the tree lighting on a Friday evening at the tree in front of Blair Middle School. Last year, the lighting was Friday, December 5, 2025, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 730 Spotswood Ave.
The association's page doesn't list a 2026 date yet. If it keeps the usual pattern, the lighting would come before the December 6 market, but that's a pattern, not an announcement. Check the Ghent Business Association before planning around it. If it does fall on a Friday evening, it's the most natural pairing on this list for an early dinner on Shirley Avenue, since the restaurant's listed hours run until 9 p.m.
After December, the rhythm shifts
The Christ & St. Luke's series continues through the end of the year. Advent Lessons and Carols on November 29 and Christmas Lessons and Carols on December 20 both run 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. with a free-will offering. The Christmas Eve Prelude begins at 9:30 p.m., ahead of the 10 p.m. Festal Eucharist. The church's season brochure notes that events are free-will offering unless otherwise indicated and that dates and times may change.
Then the calendar keeps going. Constellations closes at the Chrysler on Sunday, January 3, 2027. That same month, The Ten Top's classic sandwiches, soups and to-go dinners pick up at 5115 Colley Ave, with lunch made to order and dinners to go.
For more on Norfolk's neighborhood calendars, see how Ocean View's season outlasts Labor Day or browse our Norfolk neighborhood guide.
The Foundry Group follows changes like The Ten Top's move because they affect what a home here is worth to the people who live in it. If a change in your part of Norfolk has you wondering where your own home stands, start with a free home valuation and we'll walk you through the numbers.
