Business

WATSONVILLE—Since the outbreak of Covid-19, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County has been distributing almost twice as much food to local families than usual. As such, the organization’s parking lot is now full of distribution and refrigeration trucks, forklifts and storage containers. Staff, volunteers...

A new ice cream shop has opened in Watsonville that offers a high-end brand of ice cream popular in Mexico.

The Pajaro Valley is best known for its agriculture but its craft brew scene is also starting to demand some attention. This short but strong list of breweries and taprooms around the Watsonville area are key stops on anyone’s tour through California’s bountiful brew...

WATSONVILLE — The new Hampton Inn & Suites on Lee Road is slated for an early March opening. Owner Juggy Tut said he is excited about the doors finally swinging open at the 112-room, four-story inn that has largely been constructed during the pandemic. “We’re looking...

WATSONVILLE—The city of Watsonville is expected to resume negotiations with the Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) Council for the sale of the Porter Building after no affordable housing developers showed serious interest in the historic landmark. Watsonville and PVA earlier this year had begun early discussions...

A little more than two years after the former Kmart store on Freedom Boulevard closed its doors, the space will soon have a new tenant.  Vallarta Supermarket, which has more than 50 locations throughout California—the most recent one in Salinas—will occupy half of the 100,000-square-foot...

APTOS—As a young man, Bapcha Murty moved from his native Chennai, India to attend UC Los Angeles and become an engineer. He went on to a career in the Silicon Valley tech industry that spanned more than two decades in several companies. But when Murty...

WATSONVILLE—As the second day of Santa Cruz County’s shelter-in-place order dawned Wednesday morning, Watsonville Yoga, Dance and Healing Arts owner Phoenix Artemisia was busy setting up for class—just not as she normally does. Artemisia’s mat was unrolled on the ground of her studio on Main...

WATSONVILLE—The County of Santa Cruz announced Wednesday it has closed escrow on the purchase of the former West Marine building at 500 Westridge Drive in Watsonville.  In a press release, the County called the purchase “a major step forward in  improving the delivery of services...

In 2019, a new kind of restaurant settled into The Hangar complex near Watsonville Municipal Airport. Mr. Z’s Crepes and Teas, created by owner Rocky Patel, offers a wide selection of offerings: Fresh savory and sweet crepes, bubble teas, waffles, acai bowls, coffee drinks...