Business

WATSONVILLE—Battling the pandemic for nearly a year now has spurned a wealth of creative avenues to keep Covid-19 at bay. From crafty outdoor dining patios, equipped with heaters, sun umbrellas and all kinds of tents and landscaping, to attention-getting homemade signage, face shields and...

This past Presidents’ Day on Feb. 18, Juan and Paula Diaz had more reason to celebrate than just the national holiday. The date also marked the 10th anniversary of their family restaurant, Cowboy’s Corner Cafe, located on Main Street in Watsonville.

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—Watsonville’s first retail cannabis outlet, called The Hook, opens Friday. The 3,600-square-foot warehouse is located on a stretch of road on Hangar Way in a quickly growing part of the city that includes the Slough Brewing Collective and Santa Cruz Cider Co. Co-owner Bryce Berryessa...

APTOS—Siding construction is underway on The Hideout restaurant that was largely destroyed by fire in May 2019. Workers from Costa Bella Builders are behind the rebuild of the popular eatery nestled beneath a canopy of redwoods at 9051 Soquel Drive between Rio del Mar and...

It has been 13 years since Jaimi Jansen opened the first location of Santa Cruz Core, an integrated wellness center in downtown Santa Cruz.  At that time, Jansen was just 26 years old and planning to eventually go to medical school. But as the business...

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...

By Abigail Acosta, Special to the Pajaronian WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville is hoping recent additions to its Cannabis Equity Program will spark a time of opportunity for the city’s minority cannabis business owners. First approved by the City Council in 2019, the equity program was put...

A long-standing fitness center—Toadal Fitness—has opened a new location at 25 Penny Lane in Watsonville. With other locations sprinkled around the county including downtown Santa Cruz, Live Oak, Westside Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley, the Watsonville location threw a soft opening Monday. “While the previous...

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...