It’s hard not to fall in love with Healdsburg during holiday season. Shops are buzzing. The town is decorated with lights and other festive elements. Also, wine. This year’s end-of-year happenings are even more exciting, with several new shop openings and a handful of heart-warming philanthropic endeavors. Here, in no particular order, are the things we’re talking about.
There’s no better way to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner than by kick-starting the day with a brisk run. This, of course, is the thinking behind the annual Healdsburg Turkey Trot, a 3.2-mile race around town. The family-friendly event raises money for the Live Like Drew scholarship, a fund in memory of the late Drew Esquivel that helps Healdsburg-area student athletes achieve the dream of attending college. Mill District is a proud sponsor; you might even spot writer Matt Villano wearing a 6-foot-tall wine bottle costume he calls Matty Vino.
One-of-a-kind contemporary jewelry is the star of the show at Falling for Dainty, a new shop next to Roadhouse Winery, just off the Healdsburg Plaza. While the brand has existed online since 2018, the Healdsburg shop is its first brick-and-mortar storefront. Owner Brooke Gabrelian founded the company as a strategy to help her pay for college; she has grown it aggressively since then. Most of the pieces are gold-filled, which means they are waterproof, hypoallergenic, and tarnish resistant. “Dainty” also sells permanent jewelry.
The Healdsburg Plaza will go deep with festive décor during the annual Merry Healdsburg celebration on December 2. Elected officials, shop owners, and other local dignitaries will be on hand to watch as the city lights this year’s Christmas tree and unveils a menorah. The party also is slated to include live music, carriage rides, photos with Santa, and hot chocolate for everyone. The event is quintessentially Healdsburg, and represents the very best of what makes our small town great. See you there!
Adelle is the newest boutique in town, and in a few weeks since its soft opening the store on the corner of North and Center streets is creating quite a buzz. The shop specializes in minimalist, handcrafted leather textiles and home goods such as jewelry, ceramics, glassware, and more. The owner, Adelle Stoll, is no stranger to the Healdsburg shopping scene; she used to run a different boutique next to Healdsburg Bar & Grill, but moved it to Petaluma (and eventually Santa rosa) back in 2011.
