Santa Cruz Businesses Permanently Closed during COVID19 Pandemic
It’s tricky to find a comprehensive list of all Santa Cruz businesses that have shut in 2020 during the coronavirus/COVID19 pandemic. So I made this map and this list for ya!
This map shows us Santa Cruz small and local businesses …
that have closed their doors
that are for sale
that received over $150k in PPP loans (Q1/Q2 2020)
This map also explores changes in Santa Cruz property ownership
Santa Cruz commercial property for lease or purchase
Santa Cruz development plans
As of July 24, 2020, these businesses have closed their doors during the pandemic:
99 Bottles, Poet & Patriot, Walgreens downtown, Pono (downtown), GNC, Gilda’s, Alderwood, Pier 1, Cremer House, Kind Brewery, Downtown Starbucks, Paradise Beach Grille, Nourish, Salvation Army Family Store, O My Sole, Leah’s Magical Pieces, Agile Monkey, A Brighter World Tie Die, Lyons & Herrin
(Please consult map for details of each local business. Click on the individual business name to access links.)
As of July 24, 2020, Businesses in Transition: These businesses are changing their business models, shifting to online only, undergoing layoffs, or currently in Ch. 11.
Forever 21, Kelly’s French Bakery, Sawyer Land + Sea Supply, 24 Hour Fitness, Hertz, Leom Designs, Judi Wyant Antiques, Buttercup Cakes, Seaside Co. (Beach Boardwalk, Carousel Inn, Sea and Sand Inn, Boardwalk Bowl, Harbor Inn)
“These changes are taking place during the time of COVID19 - they are not necessarily caused by them. ”
Zoom into the map to see changes pending in downtown Santa Cruz, as well as in the Capitola Villlage.
Can You Help? There’s a lot of vacant property throughout town not currently listed for sale/lease. If anyone has any suggestions about how I might best map these, let me know!
All data was aggregated at the end of July 2020, which is a crucial date in future pandemic history due to the expiry dates in the 2020 Cares Act (Forbes).
Key provisions supporting the economy will expire soon :
Moratorium on Renter Eviction (July 25, 2020). Landlords may begin legal evictions.
Moratorium on Foreclosures w. Federal Mortgages (August 31, 2020)
End of expanded Individual Unemployment Benefits (July 26, 2020)
End of student loan forbearance (Sept 30, 2020)
METHODOLOGY
I started simply, mapping business closures that received press coverage or social media attention.
The little Jolly Rogers are the Google Map icon for crisis, which seemed apt and nicely nautical. Anything marked grey is experiencing Transition - moving the business to online only, changing the business model drastically (wholesale v. consumer), undergoing layoffs or currently reorganizing under Ch. 11. I have made a couple of inferences, which I've marked grey and noted in the comments.
Hover over the Jolly Roger icon for links to news coverage or social media posts about the changes in the business. Shown above: Poet & Patriot Irish Pub.
But, not every business closure get press! So I added commercial properties listed online for sale or lease. Now we can see which businesses might need to shutter due to landlord changes. This may become more relevant in the future if, say, a large building has multiple tenant vacancies.
The entire parcel at the corner of Capitola and Soquel is for sale at $6M. “Harbor Center” houses Jeffrey’s Restaurant.
Some business owners have simply placed their businesses for sale online, so I added listings with physical addresses to the map.
HOM Korean kitchen is listed for sale on BizBuySell.com
The recipients of large PPP loans are mapped as well, so it is a bit easier to check out what’s happening in big clusters like downtown or neighborhood shopping plazas.
Here is a sample PPP loan shown on the map for local favorite The Crow’s Nest.
Finally, I added in new or future developments found on the city’s website, so that we might put into context all of these moving parts against the city’s many proposals for future growth.
Each Construction icon and/or blue outlined shape will link to the City of Santa Cruz’s website, where each proposed project is described with lots of other resources. The Pacific Front mixed use development replaces many existing storefronts.
As always, any mistakes or oversights are my own. I appreciate you taking the time to read through this, and if there’s more to be added, I appreciate you letting me know!
Cowell’s/Main Beach
SOURCES
Businesses Closures and Changes are aggregated from social media postings, news coverage, and physical observations. Businesses that appear to still be operating online are marked in gray, as are any items where inferences have been made.
Businesses for sale and Properties for Lease/Sale were drawn from public websites such as LoopNet, BuyBizSell, Point2Homes, CityFeet, Rofo, and realtor listings.
Development plans submitted to the city are published at cityofsantacruz.com.
PPP loan data was published by the Small Business Administration. [see PPP blog post]
Why Do Some Addresses Have Multiple Listings? Some addresses reflect both a retail space for lease and that the building/property itself is for sale. Others reflect that both the business and the property are listed for sale independently. Rather than summarizing what is surely an evolving situation, I’ve simply listed each offer at the same address.
And lest we end on a glum note, let’s recall the excellent quote Abra Allan, interim director of the Downtown Santa Cruz Association gave to the Santa Cruz Sentinel:
“It’s inevitable that there will be some fundamental change to downtown. I don’t know what that looks like. I don’t see that being a ghost town — I don’t see that at all. Our downtown has come back from so many things, and I know that will happen again.”
