MY Museum's online auction is now live and ready for your bids! We can't wait for you to see the incredible items. Whether you are looking for trips, spa services, gift cards to local restaurants, wine, new experiences or family fun adventures, we've got you covered.

And the best part? Every penny raised from the auction goes directly to making this non-profit children's museum in Downtown Old Monterey a better, safer place for the kids of Monterey County and beyond. The online auction closes on Saturday, May 20, at 7pm...will you be the lucky bidder?

Thank you so much to all of our auction donors - this would not be possible without you!

Welcome to Lighthouse District in the News, an occasional post featuring recent news articles on Monterey's Lighthouse District. Please click the links below to read the articles.

Local bookstores hope for a bright future with a new generation of brave, first-time owners [Lighthouse Books]
by Agata Popeda
Monterey County Weekly, 05/04/23

After opening two escape room locations and an arcade, fun is Christina Riddoch’s domain [Escape Room 831]
by Dave Faries
Monterey County Weekly, 05/04/23

Cypress Boutique now carries SunPaxx in our shop located at 800 Lighthouse Avenue, Suite C in Monterey.

SunPaxx fanny packs, big enough to carry all your daily essentials, are the perfect way to go hands-free. Plus, they have a smaller, secondary pocket for all the things you need to grab in a hurry - phone, keys, glasses, or pepper spray.

These locally designed bags, available in three color schemes, are built with durable, water repellant recycled nylon. The quality is amazing!

You know that at Mission 19 Taqueria we make our tortillas from scratch every day, preparing our dough in house and finishing them when you place your order.

Now, we're excited to announce that we're offering tortillas made in house with Flaming Hot Cheetos! You have to come and try them here at 598 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Poppleton's Handcrafted Furniture and Interior Design introduces Oculum, a collection of geometric weaves from American designer Kelly Wearstler inspired by organic forms.

Oculum, a high-design performance textile created for indoor-outdoor lifestyles, features five texturally rich fabric designs in Wearstler’s signature palette of earth tones. They are dimensional, durable, and dynamic.

Please visit Poppleton's at 299 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey for more information.

Shear Addiction Barbershop and Hair Studio, located at 160 Webster Street in Downtown Old Monterey, is happy to announce our newest barber at the shop, the talented Mervyn Tila. Mervyn specializes in fades and beard trimming and shaping.

Please book your appointment through Shear Addiction's website - Mervyn's schedule is now available.

Spa on the Plaza, located at 201 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey, is offering Mother's Day specials. To make an appointment, please phone us at 831-647-9000.

Mother's Day Specials

Better Than Roses
$370 for 170 minutes
Treat the mother in your life to a well-deserved, rejuvenating day! Start with our 30-minute private rose tub followed by an 80-minute rose remedy massage and an invigorating 60-minute antioxidant facial.

A Delightful Surprise
$190 for 80 minutes
Have Mom glowing and feeling renewed with our refreshing 80-minute antioxidant facial with an added jelly mask.

Venture Gallery presents the work of Maria Poroy, our featured artist for May. Her exhibit, entitled Art Squared, includes larger work as well as dramatic abstract paintings on 12x12 wood panels using mixed media and extreme texture.

Known for her use of color and texture, Maria pushes her abstract work a bit further in this exuberant show. The centerpiece of the exhibit, called Connections, is a series of eight canvases with interlinked designs that celebrate color and work well together, allowing the pieces be grouped and displayed in various ways.

Venture Gallery is now open 10am-6pm six days a week and 2pm-6pm on Tuesdays. Maria Poroy's artwork will be featured through May 2023. Venture Gallery is located at 260 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey. Visit our website to shop online for work by our local artists.

Luminata Books and Gifts, located at 631 Cass Street in Downtown Old Monterey, not only offers a wide range of reading material and gift items for all ages, but also offers in-person Tarot readings and more by our specialists, Daniel and Valerie. Please call the shop at 831-333-1110 to schedule an appointment.

Valerie White, a longtime friend of Luminata, has over thirty years of experience as a spiritual counselor providing Tarot, Astrology, Numerology, and Crystal Energy services, and integrates this knowledge into her Tarot readings. For more than ten years, Luminata has had the pleasure of working with Valerie as a life coach, medium, and psychic reader.

Daniel, our newest reader, has been practicing shamanism and the western esoteric tradition, including Tarot, for most of his 46 years. Born in Tennessee and raised all over the country, Daniel's family runs the largest carnival on the west coast, where he cut his teeth in divination as a young boy. His experience with the many different traditions will help to bring into focus the questions you have.

Luminata Books and Gifts is open Tuesday - Friday, 10:30am-6:30pm; Saturday, 11am-6:30pm; and Sunday, 12pm-5pm.

The long wait is over! On The Beach Surf Shop has recently restocked all our OTB logo hoodies, shirts, and hats. Come and get 'em at 693 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey and show your local surf shop pride.

Have you heard about the Monterey Bay Tritons? This Monterey Bay spearfishing group was founded years ago locally. It went dormant during the pandemic, but Bamboo Reef Dive Shop and some of our freedive instructors adopted the club this year and have big plans for its revival.

The Monterey Bay Tritons will be a freedive and spearfishing group focused on underwater hunting, sustainable foraging, and community gatherings. We’ll be holding meetings at Bamboo Reef at 614 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey and hope to provide a space where local divers can meet buddies, take courses, and plan trips.

Please call the shop for more information, 831-372-1685.

Plato's Closet is are now buying and authenticating designer handbags! This means we are buying a wider selection of designer bags and we are paying out based on the opinion of our expert authentication service. This also means that you can feel reassured any designer bag you buy here is authentic.

Most bags can be priced within an hour, but higher end brands might take more time. We are super excited to offer this to the community! The shop is located at 402 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

From the Old Monterey Business Association and The Foolish Times: a huge thank you to the folks who came out for the annual Earth Day community clean-up to help tidy up the downtown and wharf areas on Saturday, April 22. There is nothing finer than meeting people who give their time and have the passion to pitch in!

This year was different than in the past. After separating the recyclables, batteries, and cigarette butts, there was much less trash that went in the dumpster than prior years. Cigarette butts were still the number one thing we eliminated from the streets and sidewalks and, thanks to TerraCycle, they will be recycled.

Stay tuned: The Foolish Times will organize another clean-up event in July combined with a meet up at the Stanton Center. Those who participate in the clean-up will receive the reward of free admission to the Dali Museum.