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Watsonville
January 7, 2026

Bamboo Giant offering first-ever nighttime walkthrough experience

Located on a busy thoroughfare between Aptos and Watsonville, Bamboo Giant Nursery and Gardens (BGNG) could easily be driven past without a second glance.  But the nursery, tucked into the side of a hill in a rural, forested section of Freedom Boulevard, is actually one...

In the family for six decades

Hilltop Mini Mart, 1007 Salinas Road, has remained family-owned since 1956.

Beer Mule opens in Watsonville

The owners of Beer Mule were hoping for an easy “soft opening” when they announced their first night via Instagram on Saturday.

Santa Cruz REI opens doors Friday

REI Santa Cruz
SANTA CRUZ—With a short welcoming greeting to a small crowd gathered outside Santa Cruz’s new REI store Wednesday evening, manager John Davis opened the doors for the first time, allowing employees’ friends and family a peek before the store opens Friday. An abbreviation of Recreational...

A cafe come true

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.

Small businesses holding steady through pandemic, local fires

Watsonville small businesses
WATSONVILLE—First came the coronavirus in March and then the fires and smoke in August. While the CZU August Lightning Complex fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains is 100% contained, the Covid-19 pandemic continues. What have the dual disasters meant for Watsonville’s local businesses? So far,...

Photo: National 9 Motel in downtown razed

National 9 motel watsonville
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...

Organic produce sales up 9%, tops $2B for the quarter

Total organic fresh produce sales for the first quarter of 2021 saw a continuation of last year’s growth, increasing by 9.3% from the same period in 2020 and topping $2.2 billion for the quarter, according to the Q1 2021 Organic Produce Performance Report released...

Santa Cruz Cider Co. has first soft opening

Hangar Way in Watsonville was already booming with activity by noon this Fourth of July, as Santa Cruz Cider Company held the first soft opening of its new tasting room.
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2026 Santa Cruz County Fair theme contest underway

Organizers at the Santa Cruz County Fair are asking the public for ideas for a theme for the 2026 County Fair. Anyone who has a...