APTOS — With final detail touches underway in the major overhaul of the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center, several businesses are now open and others are on deck.
Audrey Rhoads, marketing and public relations director with TRC Retail, said she is pleased with the work and excited with the string of businesses that are bringing life to the center.
“It looks so fresh and appealing,” Rhoads said. “Most importantly, it will offer the community conveniences that will make their lives easier. You can pick up a gift at Bubble Lounge, get a coffee or juice, run errands or have a fun night on the town.”
Recently opened at the center are:
• Peet’s Coffee, which offers tea drinks, pastries and other snacks, and roasts their coffee in Alameda.
• Sutter Health Walk-in Care will be staffed by clinicians trained to diagnose and prescribe medication for common ailments.
• Bay Federal Credit Union has relocated its Aptos branch to the spot that was recently vacated by Comerica Bank when it moved into another location within Rancho Del Mar Center.
• Anytime Fitness, a 24-hour health and fitness club headquartered in Minnesota. They operate over 4,000 franchised locations in 50 countries. The gym facilities are open 365 days out of the year.
• Bubble Lounge Boutique, which moved from its downtown Santa Cruz location and reopened a few weeks ago at 30 Rancho Del Mar. They feature women’s yoga and activewear, designer denim, lounge and streetwear, trendy dresses, skincare and body products, accessories and cosmetics.
• Rite Aid is currently celebrating its recent major renovation with a Grand Re-opening at the same location in the center that features a pharmacy and a garden center.
• Century 21 Sandcastle opened its doors at 29 Rancho Del Mar. Realtor Tena Marie said the business offers complete commercial and residential real estate services.
Coming soon will be:
• Clean Juice, which offers organic pressed juices, bowls and smoothies in a variety of flavors.
• Sushi Garden Japanese Restaurant, which already has a Main Street location in Watsonville, will open in August. They will offer sushi, rolls, teriyaki and other menu items, with indoor and outdoor seating.
• Poki Bowl, which offers bowls of rice, vegetables and chips with a choice of raw fish toppings, vegetables and sauces.
• Mountain Mike’s Pizza, which has a long-standing Watsonville location, will offer a host of pizzas, chicken, sandwiches, salads and desserts.
• Atlantis Properties specializes in property management services, which include single-family and townhomes, duplexes, apartments and small commercial properties. The company manages properties in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo and Monterey Counties.
Also, Erik’s Deli Cafe, Aptos Nails, Senior Benefit Insurance Services, Safeway, Ace Hardware, Best Cleaners and Susi’s Flowers are all open.
Justin White CEO of K & D Landscaping of Watsonville said he is excited to get a contract to build up and maintain the landscaping at the center. He said his company, founded in Watsonville by his parents, Kendel and Dawn White in 1986, has installed landscaping which he said is around 70 percent drought tolerant.
“We are focusing more and more on drought-tolerant plants,” White said. “It’s exciting to be a part of shaping the new direction Aptos is taking. We’re going to be at Rio Del Mar with weekly visits making sure the plants are happy and everything is clean and tidy.”
White said K&D performs maintenance on about 50 percent of the shopping centers around Santa Cruz County with a crew of 80 workers. The Pajaro Valley Historical Association and the Westridge Business Park are also on their list.
