Bearpaw Footwear is opening its first retail location on Friday, Dec. 16, in Citrus Heights, CA.

Aptly named “The Summit,” the store is designed to reflect the brand’s connection with the “Lake Tahoe lifestyle,” and was crafted to look and feel like a rustic ski lodge. Handmade solid wood doors welcome customers into a room featuring wood paneled ceilings, slate floors, wrought iron chandeliers and leather furniture, with a massive stone fireplace anchoring the back wall. The Summit will serve as the inspiration for Bearpaw Village, a collection of restaurants and shops due to open in conjunction with the new Bearpaw retail store.

Currently, the shopping center where the new store is opening plays host to Bearpaw Footwear’s corporate offices and several restaurants. The five-acre parcel is owned by Bearpaw CEO Tom Romeo, who plans to rejuvenate the local economy in the area by making Bearpaw Village a place people want to come to and stay for a while.

“Community involvement is a very important part of this project for us,” said Romeo. “Our business has been very successful in recent years, but the economy has not been kind to everyone. I am viewing the opening of our first retail store as an opportunity to inject vitality into the adjacent businesses by assisting them with renovations and other changes that will bring them into the Bearpaw Village theme. Our vision is that Bearpaw Village will embody the ski chalet vibe and that our store and the surrounding businesses will be places that people come to for relaxation and enjoyment – places people will want to hang out in as if it was their home away from home.”

Bearpaw Village is located at 7034 Sylvan Road, Citrus Heights, CA 95610. The grand opening of The Summit at Bearpaw Village will take place on Friday at 10:00 a.m. and is open to the public. Senator Ted Gaines plans on attending the event, as well as prominent city officials.