Love the quality of the clothing here! Most reasonably priced place on the pier and lots of…read morechoices. They sell skateboards, lotions, neck pillows, relaxation products, stickers, hats, beanies, shirts, sweatshirts and much more. If you are a tourist and need something try this store first. It is the cheapest and best. Customer service is always very personable as well.

This is a great long standing store front! The new owner (daughter of original owner) is doing a…read moregreat job! Prices are typical and set (for Santa Cruz skateboard gear) but she did have some great sales. DEFINITELY the place for any type of sticker you'd like for your car, skateboard, computer etc. Show some Santa Cruz love and shop here first!

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.

Cool happening food hall in downtown Santa Cruz!…read more I love visiting my alma mater city and seeing the new scene- variety of cuisines inhabited the area: handcrafted pizzas, burgers, Puerto Rican, vegan options, Indian food, etc. There's a lot of seating indoor and outdoor, a stage which had a live band performing and a ton of people were dancing and enjoying themselves. It was packed on the 4th of July holiday Friday but we were able to pull together a table with ad hoc chairs for our party of 8.. Fam got pizza, which came out relatively quickly and was pretty good. I went for Belly Goats burgers, which took close to an hour! Wait was pretty long but at least there was entertainment. Cowboy burger with bacon jam and smoked cheddar and garlic fries were tasty and I inhaled them. Good addition for the area but it definitely gets busy - make sure to ask for the wait time at Belly Burgers!

I love Abbott Square market because of its location near downtown and everyone can leave getting a…read morebite. They are excited about. We arrived with friends and were able to sample the different menus from each location. I really like the burger and the fish tacos were seasonal, but a hit!

First - I wanted to update the cool way Santa Cruz came up with to help out the homeless and others…read morein need of community services. The RED " Parking Meters " along the sidewalks in the downtown shopping district. Just to CLARIFY they are not for paying your parking. They are on the walking part of the sidewalk. I thought this is so great! Not sure if these are in other parts of town. It's a terrific way to donate some of your spare change without wondering what the street person will do with the money! Second - Someone else's comment mentioned this shopping area now known as the Pacific Garden Mall was in place well before the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. So I researched the now defunct Santa Cruz Sentinel that wrote an article celebrating the Pacific Garden Mall's 40 year anniversary back in 2009. YIKES~ being a kid that grew up in Santa Cruz I didn't even know it existed until after I returned from the Air Force in the 70's ...but it is certainly a local and tourist magnet these days, guess it has been for quite some time. Go check it out. great shopping and restaurants only a short distance from the beach and boardwalk!

I've lived here all my life, the Pacific Garden Mall has never been good. From overpriced shops,…read morebuildings that have been abandoned and the homeless wandering around screaming. It's just not a good place. I can't even count the amount of times I've been in a position where I could easily get hit. Don't bother coming here after dark, or really don't bother coming down here at all. Nothing good comes out of the Pacific Garden Mall.

Stopped by the West Cliff Holiday Outdoor Market on black friday, and enjoyed browsing the handful…read moreof shops at Lighthouse Point, a beautiful setting with lovely views overlooking the water. The selection was small compared to similar outdoor markets, as was the event as a whole, with vendors selling jewelry, clothing, baskets, animal themed merchandise, and even Groot planters (at the Sassy Succulent Designs tent). Nothing too unique, but it was a carefree and positive atmosphere that beats your typical black friday shopping. Not much of a crowd, not much parking available (tiny lots were packed), not much music, and not much food on site (I only saw one food truck and one kettle corn stand)... Though a couple of the vendor tents were selling tasty desserts and treats to take home, and that alone made up for what seemed to be missing here. I got a cute baby size loaf of banana chocolate chip bread from the sweetest ladies at Lisa's Sweet Treats, and it was super delicious, I regret not getting more. That was the highlight of my visit!

Great outdoors facing the sea kind of farmers market. Super pleasant to walk around and it is…read moremostly composed of vendors selling jewelry, candles, clothes and other items. Super cute and with a boho-chic vibe. During my last visit to Santa Cruz my friends and I enjoyed stopping by and getting some gifts for ourselves while walking around. I particularly like the candles stand the most, very nice smells. Great vibes overall.

All of the wonderful art pieces in this store are from local artists. A great selection and…read moreaffordable prices. Everything from jewelry, soaps, scarves and artwork.

Dazzling array of works by local artists, including phitos, paintings, cards, jewelry, wearable…read moreart, stuffedzanimals, textile art, and so on. Staff is helpful, and the spacecis clean and well organized.

The newly opened space at 123 Locust is yet another amazing addition to the Cedar Street art and…read morefood scene. Located between Art du Jour and The Red Room, Gabriela's Cafe and The Penny Ice Creamery it's like a deelicious loop of art, food and more art. This past First Friday showcased the entire Leeds family body of work- all brilliant, plus surf boards that look and function as art and the large scale figurative work as an opening salvo for Marc and Noah Gould. It's such a welcome addition to this already uber vibrant block of Cedar and Locust.

This antique fair is held the second Sunday of each month, rain or shine. They have a Facebook,…read morecheck it for updates. There's a lot of hidden treasures. There's something for everyone. There's jewelry supplies, jewelry (fine, sterling, vintage and costume), clothing, music, books, rocks, sea specimens, furniture, home decor, shoes, vintage items etc! The vendors are friendly and affordable. Some may be expensive but it honestly depends on what you're looking for. Bring cash! Not everyone uses zelle, venmo, or PayPal. Some vendors do take cards. I easily spend 2+ hours here. I absolutely love scavenging. I highly suggest you bring quarters to feed the meters or have the ParkMobile app downloaded. Wearing sunscreen during the summer is another good idea.

Fun antique and collectible faire, not as extensive as Alameda BUT - no charge to get in YAY! and…read moreway easier to walk the whole thing in a few hours. Couple that with all the great food available in Downtown Santa Cruz and you have a winner of a Sunday afternoon. I have found some really great treasures here: vintage clothing, vintage Pendleton blankets, bar ware from the 1960's, really cool metal Koi fish vase. Hopefully, they return in the summer as their FB page says...