Press

What's bloomin’ Downtown?

Spring 2021

1. Our Hometown Hero <3

Aaron Rodgers is already well known around Chico for his generosity, but we are extra grateful that Aaron through North Valley Community Foundation, was able to take care of rent, utilities, and other bills for over 20 restaurants & retail shops in downtown.  Donating $1M to over 80 different businesses in Butte County, the Aaron Rodgers fund is constantly adding small businesses and restaurants with under 20-employees to their pool of applicants. Check out the full list of businesses!

2. What's Bloomin’ in Downtown Chico Art Walk

We have partnered with Chico Art Center for a fun and colorful kick off to the Spring Season in Downtown Chico.  We are thrilled to have over 35 different local artists that will be filling the storefronts with their beautiful art for the next 5 weeks.

The What's Bloomin' Downtown event began on Saturday, March 20th (the official 2021 first day of Spring) and will continue through Saturday, April 24th.

Like and follow us @downtownchico for updates. Post your photos using #bloominchico to be entered in our weekly giveaway for great prizes.

3. Biking through Bidwell

With spring in full swing, the weather for an afternoon bike ride couldn't be better!  Check out any of Downtown Chico’s many bike shops for bike rentals, accessories or purchases.  Campus Bikes, Pullins Cyclery and Chico Bike & Board offer competitive pricing while North Rim Adventure has the largest variety of bikes and gear!  Enjoy riding through Bidwell Park or follow the Chico bike map through the streets of downtown. Chico Velo also has their own list of awesome rides!

4. Easter Baskets in Downtown Chico

With Easter right around the corner, make sure the Easter Bunny has plenty of goodies to sift through when he makes his early morning visit to your home.  Kat’s Meow is offering the most adorable baskets for the little ones while Sweet Chico Confections has the ultimate basket of joy for those with a major sweet tooth!  All these baskets are made with such care, you simply can't go wrong with purchasing one for every family member.

5. Tis’ the season for outdoor living!

The time for planting those carrots and tomatoes is now!  What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon then walking through The Little Red Hen Nursery looking for fruits and veggies to add to your garden?  While you're at it, stop by The Little Red Hen Home store for indoor plants and the Vintage store for garden trinkets.  There is no better time than now to soak up the sun.

6. Update your wardrobe with spring styles!

Downtown Chico has the best shopping around, with the boutique dotted streets and a surplus of name brands like Free People, Levi’s, Citizens of Humanity and many more.  We are lucky to have an equal mix of locally made brands as well!

• 3Seas
• 5^th Street Clothing Co
• Anika Burke
• For Elyse
• Lulu’s
• Urban Couture

7. New Businesses in Downtown Chico!

New shops are popping up all over downtown and we are welcoming them with open arms!  If you're looking for a superb place to grab a coffee or utilize their workspace overlooking the City Plaza, Stoble is your new spot with its airy and welcoming atmosphere.  It is the only rooftop patio in Downtown Chico, and we cannot wait to check it out!

Liberty Barber Shop might be the new hot spot for a clean shave and nice trim.  Veteran owned and operated, their doors opened just last week, and they are more than ready to meet new clients.

Chico Homes Realty has opened a new office on 3rd St.  Stop by to get a glimpse of what homes they have available.

8. Explore your own creativity.

We love Downtown Chico because we have so many wonderful shops at our disposal that encourage art and creativity!  Wildink Press is a beautiful little letterpress studio that specializes in witty and pretty greeting cards, perfect for sending out to those you adore. Not to mention the sweetest shop owners, Rebekah and Matt! To purchase paper locally, check out Magna Carta.  With stationary and unique gift basket items, this shop on W. 2nd St. has just about everything you need when it comes to posh trinkets.

9. Embracing Art & Perfectionism

Bakers Birkenstock has paired with local artist Cynthia Schildhauer.  Cynthia’s work can be seen in their window through April 24th. 

Channeling all of the best vibes into her work, Cynthia offers many creative workshops focused on being intuitive with yourself and exploring your inner artist!  Her upcoming class is for the perfectionist in all of us and all about embracing mistakes.

Check out her website to see her own work as well as when you can sign up for future workshops.

10. Spring Bounty Giveaway!

We have three exciting giveaways to announce!  All are open to the public and we encourage all lovers of Downtown Chico to participate in support of our special shops.

1. For the sweetest of teeth, Shubert’s will be awarding a 26 lb. chocolate bunny this spring season.  26 lbs. and over 3 ft tall, that is enough chocolate for a whole year! Stop by the shop to enter to win it. They will be drawing a winner Saturday, April 3, 2021.
2. A Beautiful Life Furnishing has partnered with Keller Williams Realty to gift one lucky winner a gorgeous candle apron or table runner worth over $100!  To enter, submit the form HERE and the lucky winner will be announced April 9th.
3. For Elyse has collaborated with Gunner Loveland Photography through the What’s Bloomin’ campaign in giving away a $200 gift card which is an incredible deal for all fashion lovers!  The raffle will continue until April 24th and all you have to do to enter is drop your name in a basket at For Elyse!

11.  Photographers you must meet!

"It's not enough to just own a camera. Everyone owns a camera. To be a photographer, you must understand, appreciate, and harness the power you hold!"

- Mark Denman

With the blooming orchards and the flourishing campus of California State University, Chico, the time for family portraits, graduation celebrations and maternity shoots is underway.  Downtown Chico has several wonderful photographers available to create your dream photos!

• Jason Andrew Photography
• Thomas Del Brase Photography
• Alma Boudoir
• Anna Martinez Photography

12. Kite Day

While COVID19 has cancelled Kite Day for the last two years, spring is the perfect time to get out on a windy day and continue the 30-year old tradition.  Stop by Bird in Hand to select your special kite, they have hundreds to choose from!  Pick up some bubbles and frisbees while you're at it.  Make it a day on the green!
 

13. Spend Spring Exploring Butte County! April 22nd

Spend spring exploring Butte County outside!  And what if we told you that you could win a prize by hiking? Check out Explore Butte County for more information about their #HikeButteCounty pass that enters you into a drawing for free swag.

14. Virtual Chico Velo

It's the 40th annual Wildflower race brought to you by Chico Velo as one of their three virtual ride events this spring!  Check out their site for more details on how to sign up as well as exclusive access to merchandise!  If there is anything this past year has shown us, it's the need to get outside and have some fun.

15. Clean-Up Downtown Chico

April 24th is an exciting day; the clean-up of Chico will take place all day! Working to make our streets as beautiful as possible, volunteers will be taking to the sidewalks for a good spring cleaning. Beginning at 9am until noon, anyone interested is encouraged to check it out – register HERE.

16. Thursday Night Market is back!

We are beyond thrilled to announce that the Thursday Night Market will begin for the season on May 6th!  This is an exciting time for all of downtown and we cannot wait to see all of the many faces that make up our wonderful community. Check out Downtown Chico for vendor & performer applications or follow the Thursday Night Market on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thursdaynightmarket

See you downtown!