Business

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on May 11 voted unanimously to delay a 25-cent fee for disposable cups at businesses in the unincorporated parts of the county until January 2022. County officials crafted the ordinance to reduce the amount of disposable...

Twin sisters Jennifer DeVault and Erika Conrad made their dreams a reality earlier this year when they bought Cafe Ella from founder and previous owner Ella King.

SANTA CRUZ—Staff of Life, a popular natural foods market in Santa Cruz for more than 50 years, announced Monday that an employee tested positive for Covid-19. “We have made the decision to temporarily close after learning a member of our staff has been diagnosed with...

WATSONVILLE—Rocky Patel said he was largely inspired to open his new restaurant, Mr. Z’s Crepes & Teas, by his two children. “They are boba tea fanatics,” Patel said. “My 15-year-old son especially loves it. I was like, sure, let’s go all-out and do this.” Boba, also...

APTOS—A long line of U.S. military veterans was outside an Aptos cannabis dispensary Monday, waiting their turn for a free monthly package of marijuana. Called the Veterans’ Compassion Program, the service is the overarching mission of the Santa Cruz Veterans Alliance (SCVA). Through it, people...

WATSONVILLE—The long-vacant Gottschalks building in downtown Watsonville will come to life on Oct. 17 for Uncorked in Downtown, an evening of wine, food and fun put on by Pacific Coast Development.  The event, spearhead by Neva Hansen, will feature wines from Anatum Winery, Wargin Wines,...

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...

WATSONVILLE—A huge line of vehicles is almost constant now in front of A&S Metals on West Beach Street. It’s one of few spots the public can cash in its recyclables, which, for some, have been piling up around the house since the novel coronavirus shuts...

When the pandemic first hit, many retail stores across the globe were forced to shut down their brick-and-mortar locations and transitioned to online shopping, using virtual platforms to display and sell items. For Sindy Hernandez, designer and owner of Queen’s Shoes & More in Watsonville,...