After nearly three years in the midst of a pandemic, 2023 was a standout year when it came to business growth in Santa Cruz. Downtown Santa Cruz gained 20 new businesses post-pandemic alone, with other business districts like Midtown and the West Side, also enjoying growth. To celebrate, we put together a list of 12 businesses to visit in 2024.

Midtown:

Sampa Brazilian Kitchen – From Sao Paulo to Santa Cruz, these traditional Brazilian dishes are masterfully blended with the coastal vibe of Santa Cruz. Feed your soul with bold, courageous flavors and an authentic experience!

Midtown Creative Studio – A space for local creators to collaborate, create, and connect. Rentable for the hour or by the month for meetings, pop-ups, photoshoots and more!

Terra & Self – You may recognize this skincare shop from Downtown, now located in Midtown, Terra & Self also hosts Build-A-Scrub workshops and other fun events. The unique space that celebrates self-love is also available to rent.

Downtown:

Chubbs Chicken Sandwiches – If you’re a fan of fried chicken sandwiches, this is not-so-secret pop-up is the place to be! With a very speakeasy vibe, they’ve been known to sell out early so get their early (they open at 5pm Tuesday – Saturday and close at 9pm or when they sell out), or better yet, order ahead! (Inside the Santa Cruz Art Center aka: 11th Hour downtown)

Pana Venezuelan Food – If you’ve ever been to an event in Santa Cruz that involves food trucks, chances are you’ve seen the yellow and blue Pana truck there. Now with a physical location in Abbott Square, you won’t need to go chasing the truck when you’re in the mood for an Arepa.

Rock N’ Roll Donut Bar – Whether you classify a donut as a breakfast or dessert, one thing is for certain, you won’t be disappointed with the sweet offerings of Rock N’ Roll Donut Bar. The flavors are out of this world and if you’re feeling generous, big enough to share.

Izzy’s Ices – Get a little taste of Queens, NY along with a side of family history with old school Italian ice from Izzy’s Ices. All homemade as a homage to the owner’s father, Isaac, there are plenty of flavors that will satisfy any palette.

Club Pilates – Whether you’re looking to get your sweat on or get a little more limber, Club Pilates can help you with both! With a small studio feel, they offer a variety of classes every day of the week for any skill level.

Handsome Beauty Bar – Serving both salon professionals and consumers, Handsome Beauty Bar offers eyebrow and eyelash services and more. And, if you’re running short on time, they even do house calls!

Westside:

Toasted – You may recognize the handcrafted jewelry at Toasted from maker’s markets around the area. Or perhaps you have been to a permanent jewelry party hosted by Toasted. Either way, if you like jewelry that enhances your natural beauty, this is a great place to visit.

Madson Wines – Small-batch organic wines sourced from the Santa Cruz Mountains, made with passion for agriculture and viniculture. Every Monday is pizza night at their tasting room!

Margins Wine Cubby – A cozy tasting room with unique wines using grapes sourced from unrepresented regions, vineyards, and varietals.

While our commercial vacancy rates remain low, we’re looking forward to welcoming even more new businesses to Santa Cruz in 2024. What type of businesses would you like to see in the city? Let us know here.