The saddest recent change in the 1200s of Pacific Avenue (for us Irish, anyway) is also one of the least visible - because it was upstairs. Longtime resident Rosie McCann's Irish pub & restaurant did not survive the long COVID closure, perhaps in part because it was unable to set up an outdoor serving area. Coupled with the closing of The Poet and The Patriot, it's getting harder to find a pint of Guinness downtown.
Across Pacific and to the north of Walnut Avenue, Joe's Pizza and Subs has left its shop next to Pacific Cookie Company, which continues to thrive (hooray!) The other Joe's location remains open, at the corner of Water Street and Branciforte Ave.
Two years ago, the 1200-block business that seemed most likely to disappear was Forever 21. The clothing chain survived bankruptcy, however, and its Santa Cruz store reopened. Following Borders Books, another large chain retailer failure at 1200 Pacific might have started rumors about ghosts or curses.
At the corner of Walnut, right across from Forever 21, local clothing retailer Berdel's also seems to be doing well. The store has grown to absorb the next-door space formerly occupied by Synergy Clothing.
Locations in the Santa Cruz Changes blog can be found on this Google Map.
