Residents of Orinda since 2021, the Ocampo-Perrings family love their hometown and look forward to sharing their love for Christmas while helping local businesses thrive during the holidays at their pop-up store, The Orinda Christmas Shop.
Get ready, Orinda! This holiday season, Theatre Square will transform into The Orinda Christmas Shop, bustling with themed weekends that feature local businesses and allow residents to mingle with their neighbors, shop local and entertain their kids.
Creator Keesa Ocampo said she wanted to bring “some of the joy I feel about Christmas to the community by providing a festive experience and giving our businesses an anchor for the holiday.”
As the CEO and founder of two small businesses, an Emmy Award winner and mother of a two-year-old, she brings her entrepreneurial skills and generous heart to this project.
Ocampo, recalling her childhood holidays in the Philippines, said the celebrations there were big and began early. Her partner, John Perrings, also shares her “ridiculous love for Christmas,” influenced by his grandmother, who always made the holidays special. As they build Christmas memories for their son Kinley, they’re sharing this spirit with Orinda.
The couple moved here during the pandemic in 2021 and witnessed the toll on downtown businesses.
“One shop after the other began to close, and it left such a void in our neighborhood,” Ocampo said.
Conversations with local business owners about low foot traffic inspired her.
“What are we doing as a community to revitalize? We want to retain our small hometown feel, but we also need to support small businesses and build vibrancy downtown,” she added.
Thus, The Orinda Christmas Shop was born.
“My goal,” said Ocampo, “is to bring a small business presence and parent-driven holiday programming to the Theatre Square – something that seals a home-for-the-holidays vibe while drawing more people into the Square.”
Running Nov. 30 – Dec. 23, the shop will feature different themes and vendors each weekend. Festivities kick off with a Grand Opening tree lighting ceremony with the fire department, mayor and the Orinda Chamber of Commerce. The first weekend honors seniors with special discounts and a Holly Jolly social.
The following weekend pays tribute to First Responders with free hot chocolate, fire engine tours and kids’ crafts. Christmas carolers will serenade shoppers. The third weekend features “A Merry Swiftmas Holiday Crafting Par-tay” for Taylor Swift fans, and local librarians from The StoryTime Band will host Musical Storytime, a lively version of story hour.
Santa Claus will visit on Dec. 21 for photos and wish lists. Other offerings include adult and child yoga classes from Valorie of Yoga Village, tarot readings and Katie’s Gift Wrapping Corner – run by Perrings’ sister Katie, who was always tasked with wrapping presents by their grandmother. The grand finale is an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party with a hot chocolate and cider bar.
Each weekend will feature eight to 10 different vendors, many representing women-owned businesses. Ocampo noted that as brick-and-mortar businesses closed during the pandemic, many of these businesses opened online “with a focus on sustainability, positive impact and brand-storytelling.”
“This project has allowed me to meet empowered women who started small businesses out of passion or necessity,” said Ocampo. “There’s one who started making sustainable clothes for her son because she couldn’t find any, and another who opened a yoga studio after it changed her life.”
Ocampo’s holiday wish?
“I just want people to come. Come to Theatre Square!” said Ocampo. “If we don’t bring ourselves downtown first, no one is going to do it for us. We’re providing something that is experience-based rather than flat retail, and I hope there will be a ripple effect.”
For the full schedule and to sign-up for activities, follow @TheOrindaChristmasShop on Instagram.
