My favorite art store! It can feel a little cramped but only because it is full of so many options…read morefor every medium and for any kind of artist. Being a framer myself, i especially enjoy buying yards of their discounted, precut canvas to stretch when I get back home. It is a little out of the ways for me to get to, but it is a NECESSARY stop for me whenever I take my family to Capitola or Santa Cruz.

They took the time and fixed my grandmother's picture so beautifully. The picture remains timeless.read more

Artisans & Agency is one of my favorite shops in downtown Santa Cruz. If I'm downtown, there is no…read moreway I can walk by without stopping inside, regardless of how much time I have! They have plentiful unique gift items, like jewelry, cards, local art, candles, bags, wood pieces, etc. My eyes are always too busy moving around to scan the store for all the cool new items that it's a wonder I've never tripped. The people who work there are also authentically friendly where you can actually ask them a question, and they won't judge you or ignore you! Love this store. Prices can be high, but I also think the quality of the products they carry are also high.

Artisans & agency is truly a treasure trove. With the holiday season quickly approaching, this is…read morethe perfect location to find a one-of-a-kind gift. This boutique is filled with an impressive selection of locally-made goods including pottery, beautifully designed greeting cards for every occasion, locally sourced spices and honey, and bold statement jewelry. I ended up taking home a variety of teas for myself and friends. They're located in central downtown, next to a ton of other great shopping locations. Parking is pretty easy to find since it's a high traffic area. Whether you're a local or passing through, you won't forget this Santa Cruz business.

Retreats in the Redwoods of Corralitos, Big Sur Sleepaway-Write/Edit/Rewrite Camps and Corralitos…read moreCoffee Roasting As Class in itself. We miss her Artisan Coffee Beans at the Sunday Market. Summer Camps upon the Unsalted Shores of Lake Michigan Readerly-Writerly #hipcamp Near Oxbow.

If you want your art world rocked or at least melted a little go take a look at Art du Jour Gallery…read more& Studio. Better yet? Take a fused glass or glass blowing class because it was so much fun, I had to book a second workshop and now ... I think I'm hooked! Fabulous and fun instructors had me feeling comfortable and able to create what previously I had only seen other people make. Art du Jour Gallery and Studio is located at 1013 Cedar Street in downtown Santa Cruz. The cool thing about the location is that it's cozy, feels welcoming and has a relaxed pace. It's really a perfect environment to explore and experiment with glass, metal and paint. Bring a friend ... or two ... or three. We booked my bridal party there and had a blast - Now we all think we're artists! Whoop whoop! For details: WWW.ARTDUJOUR.ORG Phoebe S.

Love this place! The staff were super helpful and had tons of affordable options. I will be getting…read moreall my framing done here from now on.

Staff very friendly and knowledgeable. I came in last minute before Christmas with odd shaped print…read more, they had me in and out in 15-20 min and price was reasonable. This was my first time using them and I'm definitely going back. Thanks

Fabulous friendliness forging fundamental future foraging for fertile freedoms foreverread more

From the owner: Bodies of Light workshop coming September 18-20 with Stefan Lucas Allen. Includes guided meditation…read moreand 3 days of figure drawing and painting instruction. 1 and 3 day passes available online. See all available classes on our website.

We recently had our master bath remodeled by Elite and they did a great job. From the initial…read moredesign with Lori to the work with Craig, Jacob, and his team, it was a very positive experience. clean work, priced competitively. Thanks Elite

Amazing crew. They were great with on site adjustments and completed the work promptly.read more

Great art, music, theater and events. Been going to First Fridays each month for years. Love…read morewandering the studios and talking w/the artists. So many great things to explore (and purchase.) First Fridays and the Art Market days there is food, music, and fun. Also, the Radius Gallery is open W-Sun 12-5pm throughout the month w/amazing rotating exhibits. WOW! Went to see a play again at the Jewel Theater Co last night at the on campus theater at Colligan. What a true gem! So funny and charming shows Recently the Cafe reopened (closed during covid.) So excited to have an easy place to pop in for @sporhaus coffee and @kintsugisc food options. W-Sun 9am-2pm. Convenient to swing by if going to Harvey West or Costco.

We went to Tannery Art Center in Santa Cruz. There are numerous outdoor art exhibits to see…read more There are also studios. There is also a café. This used to be a place where they made leather. Thus the name Tannery Arts. There are some historic leather making equipment on site to also see. There are signs to describe it. There is an exercise facility with a full range of classes to take. Artists and probably others can also live there at the condos. There is also a theater which has live theater shows on Thursday - Sunday nights. There is a calendar of the shows for the season.

This is an art gallery located on UCSC's beautiful campus, specifically in Cowell College right…read morenext to Cowell's cafe and their dining hall. This gallery is school funded and supports local artists with their exhibits. The exhibit changes every quarter and the workers are very knowledgable, especially their curator: Joan Blackmer. Winter quarter, 2014 they held tapestries from India--but their exhibit will change to something else for their Spring, 2014 quarter. Gallery hours: 11am-4pm (Tuesdays-Sundays)

Went to the gallery for first Friday, they had an exhibit set up for climate change that was super…read moreinteresting. At the entryway they had some food and drinks available for free (and an adorable studio kitten). The interns were friendly and knowledgeable as they showed me around the exhibit. I would come here again for another first Friday or exhibit, adorable gallery!

The only great part of the SC Art League (SCAL) is the Open Studios run efficiently and w/out…read morebiases by Ann O. I always wondered why so few artists belonged to SCAL, but I read this article about the favoritism toward Representational work, which explained it. SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL--LOCAL HISTORY "Claude Buck was president of the Santa Cruz Art League in 1953, a tough time in the art world. On one hand, there was a vibrant Bohemian art scene, but it was split between the abstract modernists, and representational art. A trio of Santa Cruz artists who founded the Art League: Margaret Rogers (president Emeritus), Cor de Gavere and Lenora PENNIMAN, wanted it to be a refuge for representational art.... Representational art was seen as something a camera could do, rendering the artist irrelevant. Worse, representational art was considered kitsch, called "calendar art" because their pretty scenes appeared on most calendars, akin to the banal paint-by-numbers fad, with sentimental illustrator art like Norman Rockwell, dismissed as magazine schlock..."

We were so very pleased and totally impressed with the above and beyond service and excellent…read morequality of work at John Hope Electric. We had an issue one evening where our power gradually shorted out throughout the house. We called John Hope Electric and other businesses on an urgent basis early the next morning. Unfortunately, it was a holiday and people were very busy working with skeleton crews and could not help. But the receptionist at JHE was extremely kind and understanding of the urgency and potential danger of our situation and said she would do what she could to try to get one of their workers to squeeze in the job. Within a half hour, she called back and said she had found a worker to come right away. We were so totally relieved she had gone the extra mile to help! Their (friendly) electrician arrived quickly and soon ascertained that we had a melted circuit breaker. The circuit breaker was an older type (at the end of its lifespan, he said), but he had the less common part on hand and quickly replaced it, restoring power to the house. We were so hugely relieved and grateful! We also asked him to check some other wiring, which he kindly did, and made some quick but essential changes. After all this completely fantastic service, the price was also super reasonable. We would definitely give them more than five stars if possible and I wholeheartedly recommend them here and to friends in person! What a fantastic business!

We had sparking wires under our house. I called the company and they sent out an electrician the…read morenext morning. A wonderful young man came to the house and spent several hours hunting for problem and then repairing it. I really appreciate someone coming out so soon I would recommend them .