Paradise is throwing open its shop doors this weekend for the second annual Christmas Preview, a two-day holiday shopping celebration bringing together more than 40 local merchants across town. The event runs Friday and Saturday, giving residents and visitors a chance to get a jump on gift shopping before the Black Friday crowds descend.
According to Action News Now, the Christmas Preview aims to support independent shop owners financially before the corporate Black Friday rush. Local businesses taking part are offering everything from bread and oil changes to home decor, hot tea samples and freshly brewed coffee, a mix that reflects just how varied Paradise's rebuilding business community has become. The dates line up with what Paradise Ridge describes as the 2nd Annual Paradise Christmas Preview, inviting people to explore participating businesses throughout Paradise while getting a head start on holiday shopping.
A Weekend Built Around Local Spirit
Organizers hope the Preview becomes a long-lasting tradition on the Ridge, per Action News Now. Event organizers Heidi Lange and Amy Sperske said the event aims to keep Ridge businesses operating and bring the Paradise community together, the outlet reports. Shop owner Kelly Steinmetz, who owns Tinkerlilys, said the event brings back longtime residents and welcomes new people into town.
Join Davis, a shop owner and one of the first business owners to participate, said shopping locally offers unique, one-of-a-kind gifts made on the Ridge that shoppers simply cannot find in big-box stores. Davis also said the Preview showcases Paradise's growth and welcomes the holiday season, according to the same report. Jason Rodrigues, a local contractor, said he chose to help his community rebuild after the Camp Fire, which altered Paradise and surrounding Ridge communities in 2018.
Visitors this year can expect a festive weekend of local shopping, treats, activities, specials, raffle prizes, Santa and plenty of Christmas spirit spread throughout town, per Paradise Ridge's event listing. Last year's edition, held over the weekend of November 7 and 8, included raffle prizes and special discounts at participating locations, according to Action News Now’s earlier coverage.
From Debut Success to Second Run
A local real estate blog, Lora Trenner Sells, describes this year’s event as the Preview’s second run, expanding on a debut that organizers and shoppers both called a clear success. That same blog says last year’s edition drew more than fifty participating shops, a figure it attributes to Action News Now’s reporting at the time.
Rebuilding Business Climate on the Ridge
The Preview’s growth tracks with a broader recovery story on the Ridge. The Paradise Ridge Chamber of Commerce now maintains between 340 and 360 member businesses, more than before the Camp Fire, Business Advocate Mark Thorp told KRCR. Thorp said many businesses are returning post-fire, complemented by new enterprises seeking opportunities, even as challenges such as rising insurance costs and building expenses persist.
Chamber membership has climbed 20% since 2022, KRCR also reported in a separate piece on the town’s recovery. As of April 2025, 39% of Paradise’s pre-2019 housing stock was back in use, with 5,137 habitable homes counted, according to that same KRCR report. Against that backdrop, a weekend built around dozens of independent shops represents another marker of how much of the town has come back since the fire.
