Downtown Santa Cruz Launches Shop Local Campaign For the Holidays
Community encouraged to shop in Downtown Santa Cruz during historic make-or-break holiday season
Santa Cruz, Calif. – Shop Santa Cruz 2020 launches this week to promote holiday shopping in response to the severe economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shop Santa Cruz 2020 encourages community members to shop for the holidays early and often at their favorite local downtown businesses, both in-person and online. With a variety of stores and restaurants to choose from, shoppers are sure to find a gift for everyone on their list.
“Supporting Downtown Santa Cruz is more important than ever,” said Casey Coonerty Protti, owner of Bookshop Santa Cruz. “Downtown businesses like mine are seeing much slower traffic due to restrictions brought on by the pandemic. My heart goes out to those businesses that have closed. For the sake of local jobs, local tax revenue that funds important services and the hope for a return to a thriving local economy, we need community support this holiday season.”
Downtown shops and restaurants offer a safe environment with social distancing guidelines in place. Shoppers can make purchases in-store, through curbside pickup and online at many locations. New businesses have also continued to launch in Downtown Santa Cruz, in spite of the current economy. The Downtown has welcomed the recent opening of several new businesses including Lululemon, Crazy Crab Restaurant, Free People and Indigo Vintage, as well as the reopening of Planet Fresh.
In addition to purchasing directly from downtown businesses, community members can show support with the purchase of Downtown Dollars which can be purchased at Bookshop Santa Cruz, the Downtown Information Kiosk or Pacific Cookie Company.
“We can each make a big difference in our community this holiday season just by shopping local,” said Jorian Wilkins, Executive Director of the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz. “Many of our downtown businesses are owned and operated by Santa Cruz families, employing Santa Cruz locals. When you spend money downtown, you are keeping your neighbors’ businesses open, supporting their employees and our small town’s resilience, while positioning Santa Cruz to thrive. Don’t know what to gift? You can show your love for Santa Cruz with Downtown Dollars and give it all including retail, dining, movies, salons and so much more.”
In addition to inviting community members for great shopping and dining experiences throughout the holiday season, Shop Santa Cruz 2020 will also feature special promotions, virtual events, giveaways and more. Festivities on tap include:
Reindeer Roundup
A festive scavenger hunt that invites families to come downtown and find gorgeous carved reindeer in participating businesses for a chance to win a prize. Event dates: Nov.27-Dec. 24.
Santa Story Time – A Jolly Virtual Event
This year, Santa will share stories from the North Pole. Children of all ages are invited to log on and visit with Santa. Event dates TBA.
Sidewalk Sales – Holiday Edition
Who doesn’t love a sale? Shoppers will enjoy holiday sidewalk sales throughout the season. Event dates: Oct. 23-24, Nov. 27-28
Shop Santa Cruz 2020 is a project of the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz, in partnership with the City of Santa Cruz Economic Development Department. For a full list of Downtown Santa Cruz businesses, visit downtownsantacruz.com/shopdowntown. The website includes information about business hours for shops and restaurants, online shopping, pickup and delivery options, and gift cards available online.