Covid-19

Alta Bakery and Cafe is happy to announce our December drink of the month, a gingerbread latte with notes of ginger root, molasses, orange, cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon, all served with your choice of milk. Come and try it this month - we're located at 502 Munras Ave.

Not sure what to do for the office holiday party this year? How about a private Paint & Sip Party via Zoom! Hosted by Sovino Wine Bar and Merchant and featuring art teacher Bunny Paivine, you'll receive an easy-to-follow painting class online and create a lovely image to keep. It's a lot of fun to do, and the online class is perfect for our physically-distanced time. Please e-mail Sovino for pricing and further details.

Give the gift of fitness this holiday season! During our She Trains 8-week virtual training program (Jan. 18 - Mar. 14), each participant will prepare and train virtually for the 11th Annual She Is Beautiful 5K/10K , March 15-21, with the support and camaraderie of our Fleet Feet running community. Fee is $70 (does not include race registration fee). Register online here.

Following service on Nov. 29, Cult Taco, located at 481 Alvarado Street, will be taking a pause this winter. As with so many downtown Monterey businesses, we've been crippled by the impacts of Covid-19.

We don’t know what the future has in store, but we remain hopeful to bring a re-imagined dining experience to Alvarado Street in 2021. Until then, we hope you will join us at Cultura Comida y Bebida in Carmel - where some of your Cult Taco favorites will be made available in the interim.

Let's plan for sea level rise in Monterey! The City of Monterey is hosting a community meeting online to discuss the Transportation Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan on Monday, December 8 at 7pm during the regular Planning Commission Meeting.

The program will include: a summary of previous sea level rise studies and outreach efforts, an introduction to the three adaptation strategies, and the gathering of community input. All Monterey residents are welcome to view the meeting in real time and give their comments.

Franklin Street Collaborative, located at 201 W. Franklin Street, is proud to host a Women's Marketplace throughout the month of December, sharing the talent and work of 20 local women designers and artists. It's perfect for holiday shopping! View the list of featured businesses here.

Bella's Studio is offering handmade gifts this holiday season. For the sewist in your life, we offer colorful totes full of sewing necessities, treasures, and inspiration; sewing themed notecards; adorable pincushon chickens; and the Eversewn Sewing Starter Kit. For the cooks on your list, we have vintage-inspired aprons and matching dish towels handmade by Bella.

Bella's Studio is located at 140 W. Franklin Street, Suite 309. Please call 831-920-2272 to arrange for curbside pick-up or one-on-one shopping at the studio. Cash and checks only.

Union Yoga is excited to invite you to our Annual Thanksgiving Family-Style Yoga Class by Donation with proceeds going to the Food Bank for Monterey County. Class will be held outdoors in the beautiful gardens of Cooper-Molera Adobe on Thursday,...

Shelley Bennett Skincare is celebrating Small Business Saturday on November 28. Our retail shop will be open 12pm-2pm that day and offering 15% off your purchase of $50 or more - please visit us at 588 Houston Street in Downtown...

This holiday season, Downtown Old Monterey invites you to Shop Small and support locally-owned businesses. Your gifts warm the hearts of loved ones near and far and those purchases help our community weather tough times, keeping small businesses open. Need inspiration? View the Old Monterey Holiday Gift Ideas Gallery .

The denizens of Old Monterey are selling gifts in-store, online, and over the phone. Many spots offer curbside pick-up or shipping (for a list, see our Shelter-in-Place Mall ).

Small Business Saturday is traditionally celebrated on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. But for the remainder of this year, let's make every day Small. Small pleasures. Small triumphs. Small steps forward together. Shop Small in Downtown Old Monterey.

Some of you may fondly remember pre-pandemic days when local jazz musician Stu Reynolds coordinated a Sunday jazz music series at East Village Coffee. Well, Stu and his friends are taking their shows online!

The Stu Reynolds Saxtet, together with guest composer and pianist Biff Smith, will be live-streaming a performance on YouTube this Sunday, Nov. 22, 1pm-3pm. Simply click here to join in at the appointed time. This is a free concert, but donations will be gratefully accepted .

Gasper's Jewelers, located at 447 Alvarado Street, offers beautiful and elegant holiday gifts. Owner Gasper Spadaro is now taking phone orders for his top-selling Everlasting Hand-Dipped 24k Gold Roses as well as custom made jewelry. Please phone him at 831-594-2773 to discuss your order and place your deposit.

Monterey Public Library Friends and Foundation is holding a Used Book Grab Bag Sale on Saturday, Nov. 21, 11am-2pm, on the back patio of Monterey Public Library, located at 625 Pacific Street (weather permitting). All funds raised will be used to purchase and catalog new library materials.

Consider yourself a relatively good knitter, crocheter, or sewist? If you buy fabric, a pattern, or yarn at Slowfiber at full price, finish the project within 3 weeks, and return it for display at the shop for a few months, you can receive a 25%-50% discount on your next purchase of fabric, pattern, or yarn.

You'll retain ownership of the item (of course!) but Slowfiber gets to showcase its wares together with your skills in the store for a few months. Slowfiber is located at 517B Hartnell Street. For more information, call 831-901-3168.