The holiday shopping season is here, and the best gift you can give merchants is to shop in Healdsburg.
This commitment doesn’t only keep your disposable dollars in town; it also helps support a vibrant community of local businesses that are in desperate need of cash.
“We need customers,” said Susan Graf, who owns Susan Graf Limited, a women’s clothing boutique on the Plaza. Graf noted that her business has been “way down” since the October wildfires, and attributed the drop to dwindling numbers of tourists and a smaller pool of locals looking to buy. Around Healdsburg, other merchants report the same daunting data.
Before you hit the ATM, consider patronizing those businesses and business owners who have gone above and beyond to help fire victims over the last two months, and the ones that will continue to help those in need over the weeks between now and Christmas.
Graf, for instance, is spearheading an annual coat drive to benefit the Healdsburg Shared Ministries — an effort between now and Dec. 20 to collect slightly-used coats, sneakers and toys for local families.
Graf also was involved in an effort with Gina Parmeter, owner of Gina’s on Healdsburg Avenue, to outfit female fire victims with clothes for work. In a nutshell, the duo (along with the help of another Healdsburg resident, Janet Verlander) created a “free store” for professional women out of Parmeter’s former shop, Gina’s Boutique. Racks were stacked with new and gently-used clothes donated by vendors and locals alike. All the merchandise was free.
All told, Parmeter estimated she has given away more than $20,000 worth of clothing to more than 100 women so far, and said she will continue to give away merchandise for another few weeks.
“We get so many people every day who have lost their homes who are finally picking up the pieces and thinking about what they need to wear,” said Parmeter, who explained that the former space has been available because she is repurposing it for another business. “It’s so daunting to start from scratch with your wardrobe, so we wanted to do whatever we could do to help.”
A similar effort at Healdsburg Running Company revolved around thousands of pairs of donated running shoes.
Owner Skip Brand said the shoes comprised new trainers from suppliers such as New Balance and gently used sneakers from runners all around Northern California. As Brand and his staff collected the footwear, they made it free to anyone — especially those who fell victim to the fires. The response was overwhelming, with entire families coming out to get new kicks.
“Across the board, the people who gave the shoes were just as happy as the people who received them,” he said. “If that’s not an indication of the kind of community we have, I’m not sure what is.”
Other merchants have contributed mightily to fire recovery efforts, too. Christian Sullberg and Ozzy Jimenez, owners of Moustache Baked Goods and Noble Folk Ice Cream & Pie Bar, donated nearly 10,000 desserts to Sonoma Family Meal, a campaign (started by Press-Democrat food writer Heather Irwin) that aims to feed those families who were either displaced by the fires or lost their homes.
Many other Healdsburg merchants helped fire victims as well, with everything from underwear and kitchen utensils, to furniture and cash. The Healdsburg Free Store, spearheaded by Ariel Kelley, also provided relief in the form of clothes, baby items and gift cards (among other items).
Chef Dustin Valette, owner of Valette restaurant, organized efforts among local chefs to feed first responders and evacuees in the immediate aftermath of the fires. Valette also was involved in organizing Rise Up Sonoma, a massive fire relief fundraiser this past weekend at the Sonoma Country Day School.
Finally, at the Hotel Healdsburg and h2Hotel, partner Circe Sher said her family donated 5 percent of all bookings in October and November to the Redwood Credit Union’s North Bay Fire Relief and the Community Foundation of Sonoma County’s Resilience Fund. Looking forward, Sher added that the properties are donating 10 percent of every gift certificate to Pizzando, Spoonbar and The Spa at Hotel Healdsburg to the same relief accounts.
“Healdsburg is an amazing community and we feel very lucky to be able to operate businesses here,” Sher said. “My family is dedicated to helping the town and its residents thrive.”
Matt Villano is a Healdsburg-based writer and editor. His column spotlights good people in the community doing great things.
