The new year is a great time to reset your fitness goals! Whether you want 1:1 coaching or to train with a friend, Monterey Core Fitness has got you covered.

We offer 30 and 50-minute personal training sessions for women with the expert female staff at our gym at 191 Lighthouse Avenue. No pressure - just progress. Contact us to begin your journey.

Independently owned Heaven on Earth Cleaning, based in the Lighthouse District, is now offering a New Year Special! For a limited time, get 10% off when you book both our carpet cleaning and house cleaning services. Book online or request a quote.

Heaven on Earth Cleaning serves homes and businesses in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Valley, Pacific Grove, Monterey, Seaside, Marina, Castroville, Prunedale, Salinas, and Pebble Beach.

You may know that Taqueria del Mar serves some of the tastiest fish tacos in town at 530 Lighthouse Avenue. But did you also know it's a great place to grab brunch?

Open Mon-Sat, 11:30am-9pm, there are several menu items that are perfect for breakfast or brunch, including egg tortas (omelettes) and a breakfast burrito. They're made fresh to order and available all day for dine-in or take-out.

Poppleon's Winter Clearance Sale is here! Beginning January 2, every item in the store is reduced and custom orders are 15% off.

Visit our showroom at 299 Lighthouse Avenue. New shipments arriving daily.

Be inspired by poetry as you begin the new year! The Rose Books and Obscurities has a beautifully curated collection of poetry books available at 136 Bonifacio Place and online .

We've assembled a wide-ranging group of poets including Edgar Allan Poe, Alfred Tennyson, Philip Levine, Robert Pinsky, Derek Walcott, Pablo Neruda, T. S. Eliot, Thom Gunn, and many more. Come browse the shelves.

Adobes of Monterey: A Plein Air Exhibition is now on display at historic Casa Gutierrez at 590 Calle Principal. The exhibition is free and open to the public Fridays and Saturdays, 11am-3pm.

The exhibition features 12 paintings of adobes houses and gardens in Monterey State Historic Park by members of the Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters Association.

As interest in cannabis products spreads across the nation, so has a unique demand for cannabis delivery. To that end, cannabis shops are shape-shifting operations to accommodate the rapidly changing retail landscape. We get it: As a CBD or THC...

If you pick up a copy of Monterey Bay Parent magazine in January 2026, you'll notice that Downtown Monterey is featured on the cover and in an article on page 23! View the magazine here.

The cover features a photo of Hazel and Chloe Lama, whose parents own and run East Village Cafe and New June boutique.

Found Treasure: Paprika Cafe
by Mark C. Anderson
Edible Monterey Bay, 12/20/25

Recycled Records in Monterey celebrates what is believed to be 50 years in business
by Sloan Campi
Monterey County NOW, 12/18/25

On Target: Birria Bomb [Mission 19 Taqueria]
by Jacqueline Weizel
Monterey County NOW, 12/18/25

After a tumultuous year for the scuba diving community, enthusiasts and leaders regroup
by Sloan Campi
Monterey County NOW, 11/27/25

A spritz at Oystertown proves that beauty can be more than skin deep
by Dave Faries
Monterey County NOW, 11/20/25

New Year, new look! Not only for you but our boutique!

Help us liquidate our overstock so we can bring you more of what you want! Just flash this post and get a free gift!

Offer good through...

The Old Monterey Business Association announces the 2025 Downtown Business Awards! View the list of winners , including Slowfiber, Peter B's, Esteban Restarant, Golden State Theatre, Diego Quevedo of Teeth Whitening Monterey, and more.

Rosebuds' Holiday Sale is here. Enjoy 30% off all holiday items, December 16-23 (excludes vintage). There's still a lot of cute stuff left. Visit us at 535 Foam Street.

The New Monterey Business Association congratulates the winners of our 2025 Lighthouse District Holiday Display Contest!

**Best Holiday Display with Lighting**
InSight Eyewear
490 Lighthouse Ave

Honorable Mention
Carpets & Floors, Inc.
471 Lighthouse Ave

**Best Holiday Display, Minimally Lit**
On The Beach Surf Shop
693 Lighthouse Ave

Honorable Mention
The Leather Company
638 Lighthouse Ave

We encourage everyone to come down and view the creative, amusing, and beautiful holiday displays in the windows of shops and restaurants along Lighthouse Ave.

Freedom Bakery is offering Yule Log Cake for the holidays! This traditional Christmas treat, shaped like a wooden log, is made with our melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chiffon cake rolled with a layer whipped cream, iced with chocolate truffle, and decorated with a bright red frosting poinsettia.

Want to go a step further for a larger gathering? Order our Yule Log Dessert Board for pickup at our Monterey boutique at 305 Webster Street, Tue-Sun, 10am-1pm.

Cypress Boutique now carries all-natural spa products made by Tabetha's Healthy Spa - a small, local business.

Tabetha's products include moisturizing oil, salve, deodorant, bar soap, lip glosses, eye shadows, and more. Everything is made in small batches using natural scents. They make great stocking stuffers! Visit Cypress at 800 Lighthouse Avenue, Suite C.

Play Full Ground is launching new part-time programs on January 26.

There will be part-time options for students in grades 9-12 to participate in art and creativity classes, enjoy independent study time in our comfortable space, or get involved in afterschool art programs.

These options are great for homeschoolers as well as students enrolled in public or private schools. Learn more.

Scoops Ice Cream Parlor, a fun new dessert spot for all ages, has opened at 595 Munras Ave. An independent, family-owned business, they know how to do sweet treats right!

Exclusively serving Marianne's ice cream, they offer everything from simple scoops, milkshakes, and hot chocolate to wildly creative treats featuring clouds of freshly-spun cotton candy and more. It's a great indoor hangout for families, friends, and youth.

It's out with the old and in with the new! Old Capitol Books is hosting our annual holiday sale, featuring 25% off everything in the store the entire month of December. Come check out what we have on the shelves at 482 Alvarado Street. We're open Fri-Sun, 12pm-6pm.

Parker-Lusseau Pastries and Cafe, located at 539 Hartnell Street, has fresh stollen on our shelves from now until Christmas.

This holiday favorite is so popular we recommend placing your order in advance at 831-641-9188. Slice it, toast it, smother it with butter, eat it...repeat!

It's cold outside, and Bobalicious and Bites at 474 Tyler Street has the answer: hot drinks made to order.

We're now offering 8 hot drinks to tempt your taste buds including Tiger Spiced Chai, Hot Matcha, Hot Taro, Dubai Hot Chocolate, Hot Lavender Milk, and more. All with or without dairy.

Johnny Wicks Candle Studio is hosting our 5th annual holiday gift drive for foster children to bring joy, laughter, and a sense of belonging to kids who don't have the opportunity to experience the magic of Christmas like most of us do.

We welcome financial donations here and donations of gifts or gift cards dropped off by appointment at our studio on Franklin Street (call 831-224-0269).

Crepes of Brittany at 211 Alvarado Street is celebrating its 15th anniversary! In December and January, guests can enjoy a free Lemon Sugar Dessert Crepe with the purchase of any crepe when they mention the "Flavors of France" anniversary special.

The Old Monterey Business Association is excited to announce we have hired a new Executive Director, Sabrina Hiltunen! Sabrina has now settled into the OMBA's office at 98 Del Monte Avenue.

Sabrina brings to this position substantial skills in marketing and small business management and a passion for her hometown, Monterey. We warmly welcome her leadership, and look forward to all the possibilities of the new year. Learn more about Sabrina.

Christmas trees can damage your hardwood floor with unsightly scratches, sap stains and water spots !

Follow these handy tips to make sure you don’t have to hire Slaughterbeck Floors to sand and refinish your floor...

International Market and Deli strives to work with ethical companies and distributors to source our delicious food from around the world. We research everything we sell to see exactly where it's coming from and how that company does business.

When you see changes on our shelves, rest assured we're doing our best to stock the finest products at the best prices available. We're a small family business, and we want to support family-owned businesses that manufacture and import quality foods. Visit us at 580 Lighthouse Avenue and browse our store.