Santa Cruz County Shopping

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Shopping in Santa Cruz

In keeping with its bohemian beach vibe, Santa Cruz has everything in the way of unique shopping for all ages.  Charming Downtown Santa Cruz is filled with over 200 mostly locally-owned shops.  Peruse the wares in the enchanting independent bookstore, the hip vintage clothing shops, quaint art galleries, laidback surf shops and stunning hand-crafted jewelry stores.  Other shopping areas in Santa Cruz notable for their charm are Pleasure Point and the Santa Cruz Wharf.  In addition to unique gifts and clothing, these areas have a ton of great surf shops that stock items from local legend Jack O’Neill.   

Capitola

Shopping in Capitola rewards the visitor with both a typical indoors shopping mall experience and a chance to peruse unique locally-owned shops.  The Capitola Mall is where shoppers will find chain stores like Macy’s and Sears, as well as over 100 other shops and restaurants.  Shopping along Capitola’s Esplanade, Village and Warf, visitors will be able to find everything from surf apparel to locally-made handicrafts to Gucci sunglasses to local artists’ oil paintings. 

Soquel

Soquel is the place to go when antique shopping in Santa Cruz County.  Within the 150-year-old Soquel Village lays Antique Row – a string of quaint little antique shops lining Soquel Drive.  Nestled amongst those shops is Center Street Antiques, a 5,000 square foot emporium that is home to 23 independent dealers offering an eclectic mix of high-quality American and European antiques. 

Farmers Markets in Santa Cruz County

Home to some of the best produce in California, it is only fitting that there are so many farmers markets in Santa Cruz County.  There are three weekly farmers markets in Santa Cruz.  The Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market is the largest and offers much more than the typical fruit and vegetable sellers.  Every Wednesday afternoon, the corner of Cedar and Lincoln Streets is filled with live music, organic produce, bakery goods, artists’ booths, a food court and even an oyster bar.  The city also hosts the beach-side Live Oak Farmers Market on Sundays and the Westside Santa Cruz Farmers Market on Saturdays. 

Watsonville, Santa Cruz County’s agricultural center, has a farmers market every Friday that feels like a “mercado.”  The Tuesday afternoon Felton Farmers Market has great organic offerings and is the most family-friendly of the farmers markets in Santa Cruz County.  On Saturday mornings, the Aptos Farmers Market has a huge selection of fresh produce and flowers, while the Scotts Valley Farmers Market hosts the area’s newest farmers.