I don't know what peoples beef about this place is. I like it. Yea it's not up to par with the malls in San Francisco but it doesn't pretend to be. You have your typical stores; Macy's, sears, kohls, and now a new target! No more driving to Watsonville for a target! The target alone should give this place more positive reviews! Anyway the mall here is cool, there are a lot of game stores, a variety of women's clothing stores, and a typical mall food court. Plus during Halloween there is a spirit Halloween store. Being from las Vegas I have had my share of shopping in malls and I like this place read more

This is a old school 1980's-1990's style shopping mall, with all the various strengths and weaknesses associated with that style. Parking? It's an old school shopping mall. There is an ocean of parking. The sheer endless amount of the surface lot occasionally can come in handy as this spot is within walking distance of pleasure point (not while carrying a surfboard though) and new bohemian brewery both of which suffer from a shortage of parking. The front of the mall acts as the capitola bus depot as well, allowing for public transportation options to just about anywhere in the county. It's an indoor shopping center with target, macys, kohl's and um....sear's as anchors. As you imagine not all of these are likely to be open when you visit. The stores inside are currently a mixture more or less half and half of local things and major chains. I'm disinclined to describe them further as the economic environment for retail is rapidly changing so what is open when you come may be very different than what is right this minute. At any given point in time there are about a half dozen vacancies, and the food court is an overpriced (but good) korean restaurant and a subway, however outside the food court there is a starbucks, a five guys, a chili's, a pretzel place (that also serves pizza things), a frutería, and a sweet bakery (cookies, pastries, ice cream and churros) of all things. The retail as it is now, offers a lot of choices-pretty much everything you'll need will be on sale here somewhere. I'm not kidding about the sale pricing. At any given point in time there'll be tons of clearance stuff in this mall. There is a wonderful inside play area for smaller children EDIT-the children's play area has been removed. Still has the indoor fountain-at least for now. I should remove a star....but It's still a decent enough place to get some shopping done. So much for the good news. Now on to the not so nice. This mall is dying. There are less and less people here every day and a mall that doesn't have any people in it, is really creepy. Given the nature of this modern world we live in, pretty much every business inside is unlikely to survive the next five years or so. The bus depot thingy is not always the most pleasant, and if you leave your bicycle outside it has a high risk of being stolen. So I dunno. Right now it's not all that bad a place to shop at all butttt..........it's doomed. And it shows. read more

If ever you have a day where you're just too happy, too full of life, go to the Capitola Mall and you'll be brought down to earth. If you're just having an ok day, keep the razorblades away and cuffs over your wrists. The only logical explanation for this mall is that it was built on an ancient Indian burial ground. I just cannot think of another reason that a place can suck the lifeblood out of you so quickly and so thoroughly. While I lived in Santa Cruz I think I went here three times. I returned because I kept on thinking it couldn't have been as I remembered. It was. Take the 45 minutes to drive to San Jose or order online or go on Pacific. For your mental health, stay away from here at all costs. read more

Not so lovely. Never had a memorable time here... the only stores that were worth going to were Hot Topic and Wet Seal... when I was a freshman in high school over 15 years ago. The only reason why I'd stop here is if I was partying in Santa Cruz and somehow lost my chones (this doesn't bother me) and I was wearing a short dress and it was uber windy and I didn't have time to run home in between engagements... then maybe I'd stop by Capitola Mall and grab some at VS. But let's be honest... I've been known to free-ball it at times (the female version whatever that may be). read more

Not bad for the only mall in the area; however the food court is lack luster with only a Subway and an Asian food restaurant. This place used to be packed 10 years ago now it seems to be losing more stores than it is gaining Sears is the next one closing down. They need to revamp and get this place booming again! read more

This mall has almost nothing in it. But it is definitely the closest and ONLY mall in santa cruz. Every time I have been here it has never been crowded, I guess you never have to wait in line to buy anything though. They have some alright stores though: Victoria's Secret, Vans, Wet Seal, Coach, Kohls, Sears, Journey's, Macy's, Shiek, Hot Topic, Abercrombie, and some more. There is a small food court but I've only been there once. I can't say that this place is dirty but it definitely doesn't have a very nice feel once you walk in. Don't come here if you just want to have a nice place to walk around in, go to downtown Santa Cruz instead, they also have some stores. DON"T TAKE THE PHOTOBOOTH PICTURES HERE. Me and my boyfriend went to take them and the picture was cut in half because the lens was crooked so half of it was covered by the cover!! Sherri's cookies is amazing though. It's right by the entrance across from Starbucks! read more

This mall sucks and it will only get 2 stars. Let me explain. CK's mall reviews are pretty straightforward. Each mall gets 2 stars automatically. CK doesn't give a fuck about the parking or security or any of the other useless things that most people care about. A star apiece is added for the presence of a Cinnabon, Old Navy, and Chik Fil A. This mall doesn't have any of those stores, ergo giving it more than 2 stars would be foolish. Quick tip: The bathrooms are near the food court. You would think that the sign for said bathrooms would be a bit more prominent. read more

Unbelievable. They turned the Xmas Music UP a few notches. Please, can't we just shop in peace? read more

This mall is definitely better than all the negative reviews suggest. No, it's no mall of America, but it still has many of your standard mall stores to include Macy's, Khols, Sears, and Target. I was sad to see that it no longer has an Abercrombie. Also absent were Old Navy, American Eagle, and Hollister. There was a great little bookstore though. read more

Overall.. I am drawn here because going over the hill over the weekend after driving there for work is taxing... Foot traffic is not too bad

Coming to this mall is on par with gargling razor blades. In fairness I don't generally like shopping or malls, but this mall is especially bad. There is seriously nothing in this mall that is worth coming to. There is a small Border's bookstore, but why would anyone come here to buy a book when they can support one of the two amazing local bookstores in downtown Santa Cruz (Bookshop Santa Cruz and The Literary Guillotine)? Come Christmas time you want to be able to go and get all of your shopping done in one place, this is definitely not the place to make that happen. Unless your family wants cheap trinkets from the kiosks scattered throughout the mall you are going to struggle to find anything to buy for them. Your family would probably be happier if you gave them a lump of coal rather than anything from here. The worst part about this mall is the location. I seriously hate 41st St., I will never understand why there is so much traffic on a road that has nothing worth driving to. The parking at the mall isn't bad on a normal day, but during the holidays it becomes a joke, seriously don't even bother. If you need to go to a mall and don't feel like experiencing hell on earth, take a trip over the hill and go to Valley Fair. read more

This place cracks me up. Its split into 4 wings like a mini high school, and a lot of stores are either closed or too crappy to shop in. Its sad when the highlight is target, Macys, or koehls. Also, the food court only has 4 choices. Subway being one of those choices, which I find sad. read more

The saddest, janky-est mall, I have ever been to. This mall is seriously dead and I don't know why I manage to come here and actually find something to buy. I guess I always come here having an emergency and resorting to this place as a last resort. The only store that I come here for is the Victoria's Secret because I always get coupons from there. It is hard to find clothes here because the stores they do have sell really ugly designs and do not fit my style. I wish they had a Nordstrom or Forever 21. The only plus side about this mall is that depending on what you are looking for, certain items go on final clearance sale because no one ever shops here! So I guess you could find some stuff at a really low price. Besides this mall being empty, the food court looks worse! Because this place is so empty, I am almost certain the food sits out there for the whole day waiting to be purchased. I would definitely rather make the drive to go to Valley Fair in San Jose. read more

Post-apocalyptic wasteland. Like many malls, this one has fallen on hard times and has lost most good anchor stores. Sears is still there (with limited selection), as is a tiny proto-Macys. I've got high hopes for the new kids science museum/makerspace/toystore inside, too. But when even your food court is 80% out-of-business it's a bad sign. read more

I was unfortunately taken here by a friend one summer, only to find that it was the one of the worst smallest malls I've even been to. Think Valco before AMC moved in, yes seemingly empty with a few choice shops and a handful of other random ones. The places looks like it hasn't been updated inside since the early 90s, and could really use a renovation. I'd guess that most Santa Cruz people who shop at the few stores that are in here. The choices are limited, unless you like shopping at AE, Aero, or AF. This is a really sad mall, but it only strikes you when you are walking along the mall hallways, not so much while in a store. In a way, I'm glad that I've never been back here since. read more

Do not go to this mall! It could be the most expensive thing you did all year. There is a traffic camera which gives tickets for making *legal* right turns on red into the mall. Here's a local news story about it: http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/21/2118.asp I plan to protest my ticket in court, but given that I am from out of town, I am not certain I will win. If I lose, my grande latte cost $400 for the ticket plus another $1000 or so in increased insurance. $1400 for a cup of coffee is expensive, even by Starbucks standards. read more

This mall sucks!!! I don't understand how is it even still call a mall they don't have anything besides kohl's Macy's & target waist of time. I remember back in the day when it use to have so many good shopping store inside. Well there's nothing and I mean nothing Anymore just the ones I mentioned that are good. So sad. read more

I used to be a UCSC university student and would frequent this place whenever I want to eat at Chili's or I just want to go shopping without going to Salinas/Watsonville or San Jose. This mall is pretty much dead to me. You'll find a few locals and some university students at Wet Seal/Express/Macy's looking for something to wear when partying or bar hopping. Or if you want more casual prep beach wear then Abercrombie, Aeropostale, American Eagle, PacSun, and Zumies are the places to be. Otherwise, this place isn't so great. I would have given this place less stars, but I ALWAYS find hidden gems here the day after black friday. Also if a store at another mall, which also has a store located in Capitola mall, has something you want that is out of stock, you can almost always find it here. Not to mention the Macy's benefit/Mac counters are always helpful and nice. read more

Capitola mall donates space to ASPCA animal adoption rescue so you can meet and adopt a new puppy right here. Vegans and vegetarians can put the Om nom nom nom nomb Chomskys on Falafel from the gyros place near target side of the mall read more

Little mall, but stores were clean, came across few of the mall staff they were friendly an knowledgable of the stores locations, only downfall was some of the rude people waiting for the city busses read more

This mall has a lot of potential, but it needs a good food court. Idk why there are no good options there but it is a real deterrent. There are also a lot of open slots where there aren't any stores. It seems weird that a mall wouldn't be thriving in this area. I'm so confused. ‍ read more

Santa 2018....all business..no spirit. This years Santa needs to go back to school...he is not focusing on the kids like those we have gone to over the past 10 years at this mall.. My children, 11 & 9 have been sad since they saw him today. Santa seemed more interested in making sure my kids went over to see their pictures before they got a chance to tell him what they wanted for Christmas....there wasn't a huge line, we were on time for our reservation, my kids were in great moods, just like all the other kids who were there...he reminded me more of the "Christmas Story" Santa than those we've been fortunate to have in the past...so in about 10 years from now, we'll get to laugh about it..right now...not so much... read more

This mall gives the city Capitola a bad rep. The place look so run down it needs better stores and restaurants before it can be called a mall. The only thing i had a good encounter was the Sorabol where I ordered a chicken teriyaki. The guy lured us in by samples and told us we are grilling fresh teriyaki chicken and do you guys want one? Of course in my mind I wasn't to sure, but after a bite of the smell I was sold. They hook us up with a lot of chicken and noodles (chop chae) and rice. I say hands down the best Sorabol I have encounter at the mall. They are usually really cheap. What I mean cheap is they would pick a piece of chicken with tongs and cut it in to pieces and if your bowl looks full even though it's a small piece of chicken left, they put that small piece back for the next person. That is so CHEAP! Another good thing they had was star bucks. Everyone loves star bucks right? Other than this place it's not great at all read more

Being a student from UCSC, having a getaway to go to a shopping mall is nice every once in awhile, but this mall absolutely is very minscule in comparison to even just mini-malls in other cities. If you absolutely need to get some major shopping done, this would be my last resort to getting my shopping done. If you really want a shopping experience, I suggest you invest the extra time into driving all the way to San Jose and go check out Valley Fair mall or other malls in the area. ie. Great Mall, Eastridge Mall, etc. If you're a student at UCSC and you have no car, the only way that is formidable to getting to Capitola Mall is by riding a metro bus all the way to the metro station and then proceed to hop on one of the 6X-7X routes. Bus rides may vary, sometimes it would take 25 minutes from the metro station, sometimes up to an hour if there is traffic. Not much to this mall, except for the up and coming Target that's arriving here in the future. For all you Target heads, yes, you will be able to drive to Capitola instead of going all the way to Watsonville when Target arrives! read more

Living here all my life, I visit this mall whenever I need to. I've sadly seen many businesses go, but I've seen new ones come in that people seem to enjoy. Parking is never a problem, and it's rarely crowded like malls over the hill, which is nice avoiding headaches and people bumping into you. Stores are certainly limited but they usually have what you need. This mall is certainly not a place to go to "for fun" unless you're in middle or high school, which is what I did. But if I need some basic essentials and am in town, then going here is always a pleasure. Easy to navigate, get in and get out quickly and close to home. read more

Me and two friends shopped today at CB. It was our first time for two of us. I was so impressed with the variety of clothing and how the store was laid out by clothing color schemes. We were helping our friend build a new summer wardrobe. Everything we found was on sale, including jewelry. We received assistance from Anita who could not have been any more patient with us. She was helpful, professional, and friendly. My friend's transaction took a little more time than usual and Anita was so patient and explained what other savings we could acquire. I am so impressed both with the store selections and even more impressed with the sales ladies. I will be returning soon for my personal shopping and I highly recommend this store to ladies who like quality, variety, and good buys. read more

Definitely not your upscale mall, but it's decent enough that you can find whatever you need. Main anchor stores as of April 2016 are Target, Macy's and Kohl's. There is a food court, but there are not that many options available. Seems like there have been more vacancies in recent years, which leaves a hole in the only mall in the Santa Cruz area. Parking shouldn't be too much of an issue. read more

I gave it a 3 because I couldn't give a 2.5. Don't expect much from this place. It's simply a small town mall with a Macy's, Sears, Gottchalks, Mervyn's and a series of other little stores like Hot Topic. Good to just walk around, spend some time, etc. The food court is also small, but does have a certain variety going. Mexican, American, Chinese, Korean, Italian and a couple of dessert shops. Overall, simply a small place, but if you have not been to it, it is at least worth the small walk and time. read more

Thank you for leaving the Christmas tree and other decorations up after Christmas! A lot of people are still Christmas shopping after Christmas, redeeming gift cards or doing exchanges, so leaving the decorations up actually helps keep people 'in the spirit', and increases sales. The decorations in the mall made me want to stay longer, and enjoy it. They were beautiful. read more

1. Terrible pretzel dogs. The dog was undercooked and cold in the center. After bringing this to the Managers attention, rather then replace with a fresh bag he said he'd cook a little longer.... The dogs were so over cooked they were too tough to even bit into. 2. Terrible customer service. I accidentally misplaced my keys and called to inquire. After stating my question I was hung up on without a response. After a couple callbacks the line remained busy... After a few more, the line was switched over to a fax line. Wow... read more

Santa Cruz Apparel is the best store in the mall by a mile. Go visit them, true locals, who support local charities and are also Platinum Sponsors of the Capitola Jr. Guards. They carry all the best Santa Cruz clothing as well as Reef Sandals and a bunch of skateboards. read more

Not the biggest fan of this shopping Mall. Parking is appropriate, but the inside is tacky. Businesses do not last long enough to even notice if you shop at this Mall no more than twice a year. I find myself at Sears and Target here and that is about it. Not upscale in any way. Just not a fan. Sorry Capitola Mall somehow you found yourself stuck in the 80s and have decided to cater to the wrong crowd; who don't spend much money anyways...and that is why you can't attract the affluent willing to spend money for quality products. On my AVOID list for now! read more

Awwww the good old Capitola Mall. Makes me sad. I grew up coming here. It used to be THE place man to come hang with friends and get away from your parents and check out the boys. Lol. The good old days. Now it's rather quiet and sad. They need a better variety of stores in there. I say relocate Kohls elsewhere and put in Nordstroms, get Abercrombie in there and a Hollister, kick out Ulta and put in Sephora, fill up that dang food court with some good food ...anything will almost do in here since it's like empty. Make this a better place for people to come to with better stores and the people will come. Oh and kick Chili's out and put in a BJ's or something. Just my 2-cents. read more

I asked my sister to take my daughter to Zummies, and I have to admit I had sticker shock. My sister didn't ask Lili to try anything on, and I got stuck with a bill and clothes she wouldn't wear. Why? because Liz used her temporary atm card. According to Zummies register it is a a Credit Card. Chris the manager was compassionate and said he would call corporate office and see what he could do for me. Two thumbs up. Chris is a great manager and is a asset to company. -Laura Ann read more

I hate this freaking mall. I just want to shop, dammit! There is literally nothing here. Good luck to those who are not skater punks who still think Hot Topic is cool, or teeny-boppers who worship double A bras and Justin Bieber, or grown men who like to sag their pants down to their ankles. The only thing I like here is Sears, because they have cheap pillows and sheets. And even those suck. I have never felt so miserable being in a mall. The Border's there sucks. The Express there sucks. The Macy's suck. Gamestop seems okay, though. Actually, the one cashier I had at Macy's was nice. I guess I can go there for coffee at Starbucks and chicken stars at Jack in the Box. -__- Also, don't bother bringing your stilts here because kids will come and knock you over. However, the fountain's pretty and the food choice seems halfway decent. I have never used the word "suck" so many times in my life regarding only one topic. I would only go back if all my clothes were burned up and all of downtown Santa Cruz was closed due to a zombie plague. read more

I usually love this mall, so close to my house. As of lately, I hate this mall. The management/owners/kiosks/employees are RUDE, ARROGANT AND DISRESPECTFUL. Let me start with the situation. The Kiosk FLY HIGH. Horrible customer service, horrible employees and horrible owners. I bought a stupid plane --which by the way-- do not support them in their business. Tell your family and tell your friends. Tell your neighbors or tell strangers. DO NOT SUPPORT THEM. I bought a plane almost a month ago for my BF for christmas. Cheaply made---the controller stuck and caused the crashing. We were able to come in the day after christmas and exchange it for another one. YAY. That one, the gears were worn down so thin, it could barely turn or fly and it was just garbage. Ended up buying him a new one, cheaper & better. Anyways, two different employees told me they would be in the Capitola Mall until the end of Jan. (if there were any problems or I needed to exchange). Well i came back the 12th to get a refund, this piece of crap plane could not save its own life. I wanted my 100 dollars back so I could buy a better plane. Well they left. On the 10th. 20 days early. The mall info told me they do this every year and people always complain about this company (then why would they continue doing business with them....) but anyways, I got the leasing manager's name and the Manager of the mall and the Owner of the Fly High company. I called her, she was very rude and yelled at me and fought me over the phone. I got her license number (permit number, which was incorrect) and plan on reporting her to BBB as well as both City of Salinas and City of Capitola. For conducting unethical business. She claims they build their company on good customer service and customer relations-BULLSHIT they do. The employee was rude to me and had an attitude when I wanted to exchange this crap wad. I am going to the Salinas Mall to stand in front of their kiosk to make sure people know and see what they are getting. GARBAGE!!!!!!! I am so fed up with them! Also, Capitola Mall--dont try to get information from them, they act like they are your friends, but they are not. I asked for some information about this company to include in my report and she was very vague with me and brushed me off, same with the Manager. Leasing Manager: Lisa P. Mall Manager: Tim. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. read more

This mall use to be so cute. It's just sad now. I have stopped going, they're no stores and the few stores that are around are always getting robbed. I really hope who ever own it fixes it up. But till then I haven't shopped here in over 3 months and honestly I haven't missed it. read more

Really a sad sad mall!! It's also sad that they still have the old Gottschalks sign up. Like some old ghost.

Drove all the way from Felton with a little one to get pictures with Santa. If Santa is going on an hour break then it should be posted. There was no one in line and they wouldn't take one more picture. Do you know how hard it is to time feedings, diaper changes, and have a newborn awake? Just awful workers too. read more

It has what you need. Overall, the customer service at the majority of these places is close to none, especially at Victoria Secret, Kohls, and Ulta. You feel like you want to get in and then get out. The stores were fairly empty when I went after work and the place feels depressing. There's really no food court, so don't count on anything really worth eating. It has what you need but not a place to go just for fun. read more