Visited on Monday, April 20, 2026
World Market recently took over the old PetCo at the Hanover Crossing shopping plaza located at 1775 Washington Street in Hanover, which, side note, to me will always be home of the Hanover Mall (RIP). With just 6 other locations throughout New England, in New Hampshire (2), Connecticut (2) and Massachusetts (3 including Hanover), I had never heard of the store.
I actually learned about it on Jacob Cruikshank’s YouTube channel a while back. Jacob and his brother Lucas went to their local World Market to review it and it looked interesting to me. Their store had a large international food section and tons of zany furniture and decor, not to mention the free coffee. Needless to say, when my husband and I drove by the shopping plaza in Hanover to find that the World Market had opened a couple weeks prior, I was all too happy to convince him to pull in.
Right off the bat, we were greeted with free coffee and tea. That’s the easiest way to get me smiling. Anyone else remember when Trader Joe’s used to do free coffee next to the sample stations? Ahh, good times. Speaking of Trader Joe’s, The World Market’s neighbor is the one and only Joe himself, so as you can imagine the parking lot is very busy. It’s a little quieter closer to the World Market, but not by much, especially on a weekend. If you are overwhelmed by busy parking lots, it’s best to venture here after dinner on most days.
Entering the store I noticed the furniture first. There is an abundance of it in the middle of the sales floor, which can make navigating on a scooter difficult, but if you stick to the main paths they are pretty wide. On the wings of the store there is a myriad of unique offerings: candles, beauty items, dishes, linens, cookware and of course the highly anticipated (by me at least) international food section.
I am surprised by the variety of items the store sells. It feels like a rustic looking Home Goods. Specifically for someone who feels overwhelmed in the face of clutter (Hi, it’s me. I’m that person), the store did feel a little “too much” at times due to the quantity of items fit into the space. I felt a little discouraged from looking at every corner of the store because there was just so much, but if you are setting out to have a girl’s day where you sip lattes and browse this might be the perfect fit!
Let’s talk International Food Section. It is my favorite part of the store. It seems to be everyone’s favorite part of the store too because it was the busiest section. There are candies, snacks and even meal components from Italy, the UK, Japan, Australia (they had Vegemite!), India, Korea, France, Scotland, Germany, and more! It was so cool to walk up the aisles looking at popular foods from different cultures. We also saw some older candies from our childhoods, so it was a fun nostalgia trip for me and my husband, too. In the same section they have a HUGE selection of Torani coffee syrups. They have flavors I’ve never seen before! Pineapple, and Bourbon Caramel, and Cherry, oh my! They even have a Pine flavor!
Now, as I mentioned, this section of the store was pretty busy and it also happens to be home to the more narrow aisles of the store. There were times where my husband and I felt pressed up against the wall the make room for other people passing by. I think the fix for this would be to visit the store when it’s quieter. For most stores that’s an hour or two after the store opens or an hour or two before closing.
Next, we made our way to the checkout to buy the $5 candle I picked out. The line was pretty long, but it moved quickly as they had four registers open. The checkout works like a Tj Maxx where you wait until you are called forward. Instead of yelling “NEXT,” the employees wave a red sign that says “Next” on it to let you know that they are ready for you.
Now is the time for my favorite part about the reviews: the rating categories! These are categories I look at and rate for every review.
Sensory and Accessibility Aspects
Noise 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The World Market was somewhat loud when we went. We went on April 20th which was a work/school holiday for many. The music was low enough that it often faded to the background, but the store was quite busy so the din of conversation could be loud at times, especially while waiting in line.
Crowds 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The store is large, so although the checkout line was pretty long the store never felt overly crowded. However, the international food section, where the aisles are more narrow made it harder to squeeze by folks. This made the section feel overcrowded at times. I noticed this same congestion in the beauty aisle.
Smells 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The store is not overwhelmingly scented. It overall smells faintly like a craft store, kind of like potpourri. Near the furniture, I could smell wood moderately, but it was still not overwhelming.
Lighting 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I am really impressed with the lighting of this store. There are overhead LED, cool white lights, but the warm wood accent walls and beige painted walls seem to reflect it back to create a warmer shade. It feels cozy chic instead of warehouse chic.
Temperature 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The store is comfortable. I only found myself starting to get warm in my somewhat light pleather coat while standing in line, likely due to the increase of people in that area.
Spots for Decompressing 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The back right corner of the store near the restrooms was quiet and there are sofas and chairs on display in that area where you can take a rest. The restrooms are single rooms, so they could be a good place to take a breather as well. See below for my restroom rundown!
Accessibility 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
There is an inclined area to allow wheelchairs or scooters to get up onto the sidewalk to enter the store. The main paths of the store are open, but in the international food section and beauty section the aisles are narrower. The corners are a bit tight in the cookware and dishes section as well. The bathrooms are one room, but the door does not have a handicap button and it has a pull handle so someone on a scooter or wheelchair may need a support person to open and hold the door for them.
Restroom Rundown 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The restroom is pretty great. There are two bathrooms and both are unisex, single rooms. Each door has indicators so there’s no need for awkward knocking. The restroom I entered was pretty clean other than a little TP on the ground and some business in the toilet. Accessibility wise, it loses a star because the toilet, soap dispenser and paper towel dispenser are not automatic. There is also no automatic door opener and the bathroom door has a handle, so it could be hard to open for some. However, there are grab bars surrounding the toilet and the toilet is at a moderate height.
General Review-y Aspects
Pricing 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I think it depends on the item. The items are more expensive than what you might find at Target or Walmart, and maybe even Home Goods, but many of the items are unique, so to some it may be worth the price tag!
Atmosphere 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The store is very Home Goods or Hobby Lobby-esque, but it fels cozier. I think that has to do with the wood accents on the walls, and likely the wood display furniture all over the store. The lighting feels warm, adding to the cozy aspect. The store does feel a little disorganized in some areas, but I believe that is due to the wide selection of products.
Customer Service 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The cashier was friendly and did not push the company’s rewards program on me (which I appreciated). Seeing that I only had one small item, she asked if I wanted a bag or not, and when I declined she wrapped my item slightly in my receipt and sent me on my way! I appreciated that she offered instead of bagging it automatically. I also want to compliment the use of the “Next” sign at checkout instead of shouting. It made the check out experience less stressful for me. I gave a 4/5 because there was a lack of employees on the sales floor. We didn’t need assistance, but if we did it may have been hard to find someone to help.
Location/Parking 2/5 ⭐️⭐️
AHHHH! The Trader Joe’s makes this parking lot a mad house. The lot is already pretty small to begin with, so it wasn’t exactly easy to find a parking spot on the day we went (a holiday, April 20). The shopping plaza that houses the World Market is off of a very busy straight away (Rte 53), and right off the Rte 3 highway, so it is a hopping location! The benefit to the location is that after your trip to World Market there’s plenty of places to stop for a bite to eat.
TLDR Ratings
Overall Rating – 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sensory Rating – 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Handicap Accessibility Rating – 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨ Highlight
The perceived warm lighting and cozy feel.
😖 Lowlight
Most popular area (Intl. food) had tight aisles
Recommendations for Visiting
If you’d rather not deal with long checkout lines and some areas feeling crowded, come a couple hours after opening or a couple hours before closing. If you need a minute, grab a free tea sample from up front and sit in the back right corner of the store on a display sofa.
Hey, I’m going to World Market! Want to come?
Yes!
I would return to World Market. Next time I want to peruse that international food aisle more closely to pick some fun snacks!
That’s a wrap on my review to World Market! I had fun looking around at the unique items this store has to offer. If you check out World Market, tag me on Instagram at jess_visits and let me know what you think of the store!
Thank you for your support and see you in my next review! ☺️
-Jess
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