Business

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously voted against granting a special use permit for a proposed business park at Main Street and Auto Center Drive. Boos Development Group, Inc. was seeking the permit so that it could construct two drive-throughs alongside roughly 20,000 square...

Though they’ve reduced their square-footage from 23,000 to 3,000-square feet, owner Debbie Baker said a blend of longtime repeat customers, word of mouth and new clients continue to pay the bills and keep her showroom floor full of modern appliances and furniture.

WATSONVILLE—Tony’s Auto Service, nestled in a crunch of busy shops and the ebb and flow of Freedom Boulevard traffic, has been a staple auto repair spot in Watsonville for the past 26 years. If it’s new wiper blades, a smog check or full-blown valve job...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture recently announced the recipients of the 2020 Pajaro Valley Chamber Foundation Scholarship. Local high school students Antonio Hueso-Fernandez and Jessica Rodriguez-Reyes were each awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Hueso-Fernandez is a graduating senior at Aptos High School and will...

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...

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...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—For the past few years, local real estate agents have seen a drastic dip in inventory of homes in Santa Cruz County. And with the ongoing pandemic and recent wildfires that destroyed close to 1,000 homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the...

Staff of Life, a Santa Cruz-based natural foods store that launched nearly a half-century ago, will move into the space occupied by Super Max Discount Foods.