The closing of the Forever 21 store at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Soquel Avenue, a consequence of the company's 2021 bankruptcy, is only the latest of many changes that have happened on that corner.
The chain clothing retailer moved into that space 12 years ago, replacing another chain retailer that also went bankrupt - Borders Books. The Forever 21 move-in produced little controversy - much different than when Borders moved in.
Borders was the first retail tenant in the 1200 Pacific Avenue building that arose in 1999, after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged two 2-story unreinforced brick buildings that had occupied the prominent downtown corner since 1910. The news that Borders would be moving in was greeted by a local outcry of protest - why? Because it was thought that the presence of a major chain bookseller would endanger the beloved and locally-owned Bookshop Santa Cruz.
Another local bookshop did close soon after - Plaza Books - but it's not clear how much Borders had to do with that. After a precarious couple of post-earthquake years in one of the temporary Pavilion tents, Bookshop Santa Cruz moved into expanded new quarters in the rebuilt neo-St. George building, where it thrived and remains today. Meanwhile, Borders followed other chain booksellers into bankruptcy.
Those who have been around Santa Cruz since before 1989 will remember the 1910 red brick Trust building and its similar-looking neighbor to the north, both of which were torn down after sustaining earthquake damage. The photo at left (SCPL) was taken shortly after the quake from the Soquel Avenue side.
The similar-looking Pacific Avenue neighbor building is not visible from this angle.
Property owners proved unable or unwilling to renovate the two damaged buildings, while historic preservationists argued against demolition. The argument was settled some years later when a fire gutted the interior, making the remaining structure unsafe. The current building went up in 1999.
Another local history note: visible in this photo, at the right end of the ground-floor retail spaces, is the original Santa Cruz location of now-legendary Pizza My Heart. Now a long-time tenant on Pacific Avenue, the small chain of locally-owned pizza restaurants started in the tiny space on the Capitola Esplanade and remains today.
Santa Cruzans with even longer memories will remember that, before Pizza My Heart, that narrow retail space was home to Chef Tong's Szechuan kitchen. Francis Tong introduced Santa Cruz palates to Szechuan-style cooking.
