Capitola Mall in Capitola, 1977+

Capitola Mall opened in April 1977 with Sears and Mervyn's. In late 1988, the mall nearly doubled in a size and added JC Penney and a food court. Gottschalks was the last department store addition in 1990, replacing a store in downtown Santa Cruz, and closed in July 2009.

After a long respite, I finally enjoyed a trip to Capitola Mall in the seaside community of Capitola, near Santa Cruz. It's been nearly a decade since my last visit and the mall hadn't changed much, except for the infusion of new stores and fading of old ones.

The mall was just about the right size for a short outing and had a nice selection of stores. Some upscale, some moderate, and plenty in between. I managed to pick up a few bargains along the way.

As expected, the corridor heading to the now-defunct Mervyn's was loosing stores. However the newly "dead" corridor ought to turn around when Kohl's opens later this year.

The first photo is of the old Mervyn's and one for the scrapbook. Ultimately changing to Kohl's, we get a last glimpse of the Mervyn's California signage before it becomes a labelscar.

The second photo is the Gottschalks, complete with 80s colors and glass bricks. This store is a step-back in time, in many ways. Almost unbelievable, along with the old-fashioned, take-your-time help inside, Tom Jones was blaring overhead with "It's Not Unusual To Be Loved By You." I tried in haste to get my camera on movie mode with sound to share the experience. Alas, the song ended and I moved on with my 40% off purchases.

The third photo is of the fountain and complementary lighted "skylight" above. The contrast made this photo too dark. However, I believe it to be accurate in what the eye actually saw. This mall was very dark in places, especially in the old wing, where this fountain is located.

The final photo is the main corridor between the old wing and new wing. Yes, kiosks hawking their Dead Sea salt or scrolls, or whatever wares. It was crowded and made the mall look cluttered. I realize mall owners need to capitalize on every square inch, but at some point, people need some wiggle room!

The above image, taken today from Maerich's Web site, shows the mall with 96 potential stores. At this time, 12 space are unoccupied (in red), leaving a 12.5% vacancy rate. Anything to be concerned about at this time? Not so much.

All-in-all, Capitola Mall was pleasant and I do recommend it for a visit. It's quieter and more laid-back than the urban Bay Area and is a nice reminder of what it used to be like.