Business

WATSONVILLE—With the Covid-19 pandemic—and the restrictions on businesses that have come with it—sticking around for the foreseeable future, the City of Watsonville is hoping a new program will allow restaurants and shops to better handle the hurdles currently in front of them. The Parklet Program...

WATSONVILLE—The family that owns Chevrolet Watsonville has purchased two new neighboring dealerships, giving it the lion’s share of the sales on Auto Center Drive. The Cooper family closed the deal on Wednesday for Monterey Bay Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and Mid Bay Ford Lincoln. The family...

WATSONVILLE—Scores of restaurants around Watsonville have been hit hard by the outbreak of COVID-19. With shelter-in-place orders in effect, residents are asked to stay inside and limit their time near crowds. This includes going to sit-down restaurants, coffee shops, breweries and the like. As such,...

WATSONVILLE—A new program has launched at Envision Fitness & Nutrition in downtown Watsonville, aiming to support youth by teaching them about health, wellness, stress management and more. Envision opened in 2020, during the height of the pandemic. They began with virtual health and fitness classes,...

In the past three years, Little Trends Boutique has gone from a small online operation, where its co-owners would load up their kids in their cars and deliver clothing orders to customers, to a rapidly growing business with multiple employees and seasonal family-friendly events...

When Phoenix Artemisia decided to open a yoga studio in Watsonville in 2016, no other location around the city grabbed her attention more than downtown. That was despite some pushback from friends, who had concerns about her safety and that of her clients.  Artemisia, ever the...

SANTA CRUZ—Far West Fungi mushroom farm of Moss Landing is branching out. They recently opened their first-ever store in downtown Santa Cruz.  In the works for the past two years, the new spot will feature about 16 varieties of fresh mushrooms, dozens of dried mushrooms,...

Owner Jim van Lanen said the move comes as an adjustment to the market, especially in that “more people and buying goods online.”

WATSONVILLE—The Covid-19 pandemic has hit businesses hard, from the largest of companies to the smallest mom-and-pop shops. Rules continue to change as cases flatten and then spike, leaving business owners dealing with back-and-forth openings and closures. But for those who made their living off of...