Business

WATSONVILLE—Major work is underway at the Valley Public Cemetery to make way for hundreds of garden crypts. The move is part of the Pajaro Valley Public Cemetery District’s needed expansion to create more land for burials, said Bob Tanner, Pajaro Valley Public Cemetery District Board...

George Couch was an ambitious 25-year-old when he came to Watsonville in 1973 and negotiated a deal to purchase a small Anheuser-Busch distributorship. It would not stay small for long. His company Couch Distributing, which he runs with his brother Geoff, has since 1973 delivered...

CASTROVILLE—Six months after moving from its iconic Moss Landing location, Phil’s Fish Market reopened in its new location in the heart of Castroville. The restaurant has gained a large following of loyal customers and an international reputation for its seafood dishes, most notably the cioppino—a...

Ahn and his wife, Soon Ja, recently opened Kong’s Burgers & Café at El Pájaro Community Development Corporation’s Plaza Vigil business incubator in downtown Watsonville.

A single door was propped open, with a long table placed just inside of Santa Cruz Cider Company’s Apple City Tasting Room Monday afternoon.  A sign directed customers to the makeshift pickup window, which the owners have set up during the countywide shelter-in-place order. Natalie Henz,...

A crew from Randazzo Enterprises use an excavator to demolish the National 9 Motel in downtown Watsonville Wednesday to make way for a four-story, 80-room Hilton Home2 Suites hotel. Approved as a La Quinta Inn by the Watsonville City Council in 2016 and revised...

PV Chamber Directory

WATSONVILLE—On Dec. 1, the East Lake Shopping Center in Watsonville welcomed its newest addition. Ferrari Florist, located at 928 East Lake Ave., is now the third store for the 74-year-old business in Santa Cruz County.  Five years ago, Brian and Marilyn Piazza noticed that a...

In 2007 local fashion designer Sindy Hernandez opened Queen’s Shoes & More, a small boutique featuring a mix of her own and other designers’ clothing and accessories.  Hernandez gradually gained a loyal following of customers. And 15 years later, many of them remain, some becoming...

SANTA CRUZ—A recent clash between a Santa Cruz restaurant owner and a mobile hot dog vendor has drawn countywide attention, forcing one restaurant to close its doors and prompting demonstrations that have drawn hundreds of supporters. According to Santa Cruz Police spokeswoman Joyce Blaschke, the...