KATIE D.I.D. BLOG

We had such fun during our long weekend in Santa Cruz, I wanted to show you everything! As we were driving to the beach to catch one more sunset, we passed by a newly gentrified warehouse area in Santa Cruz's West Side that has been turned into a gem of a shopping and food experience! Swift Street Courtyard made it's transformation in '07 with new shops being added just this last month. Tim and I are always interested in how industrial areas can be transformed, so we had to stop in and take a look around.

It seems I have Bakery Radar, because Kelly's French Bakery immediately caught my eye. Everything looked scrumptious! They serve breakfast and lunch, but when we happened upon it, it was almost dinner time. We are looking forward to spending more time here next time we are in Santa Cruz!

It seems that Kelly and Mark Sanchez, owners of Kelly's French Bakery were instrumental in the transformation at Swift Street setting the whole thing in motion when they purchased property in 2000. For more info about their start here, click HERE.

The newest addition to the Swift Street Family is a Charcuterie which opened in February, el Salchichero. There is nothing quite like a local butcher for foodies like us. For all of the scoop be sure to check out their website! Fantastic find, this.

Next up.....Illuminee, Lighting, Design and Decor was the perfect little lighting resource for the designer in me. Fun and modern:

Cameron Marks Boutique was a fun and quirky women's wear and gift boutique. We were there on a Sunday afternoon, so could not open the door. Believe me, I tried. It is on my list for the next trip! It looks like my kind of shopping spree. For more photos of the goodies within, click HERE.

There were plenty of things open for us to explore on a Sunday afternoon however!

Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Tap Room for one. More than friendly, and what a great way to spend the afternoon! And I love their mantra: Think Organic, Drink Organic.

Right across the way was the Bonny Doon Wine Tasting Room:

The Harry Potter floating wine bottles throughout the space were just the start of the imaginative interiors. The Magnum bottles used as a window screen were brilliant!

Wine keg staves were used everywhere, from the water feature to the privacy screening on the booths.

It looked like a bit of wine was left at the bottom of the bottles that made up this chandelier...nice touch!

The Cellar Cafe shares the space with the tasting room and is owned and operated by the Bonney Doon team led by "president for life" Randall Grahm and restaurateur David Kinch. For more on the story, hop on over HERE. Loved the space and the casual fun design. Seasonal menus are our favorite kind....so we will be back soon!