Rock and Bead Bazar: Gallery and Studio announces our biggest sale yet, January 24-31, 2015, to make room in our store for our new, exciting collection! We are offering 30% off all rock, mineral, and crystal inventory. Come and take a look before it's gone.

The Simply Smashing Clearance Sale continues for our bargain-hunting fashionistas!

Simply Smashing Boutique's New Year Clearance Sale was a success, but the savings aren't quite over yet... Take a gander at our fully loaded $59 Sale Rack (original prices up to $300+) now through Wednesday, January 21, 2014.

And, while you're in the neighborhood, check out our 50% off sale on select clothing and 20% off sale on select jewelry, handbags, hats and scarves!

Happy New Year from Cha-ya Japanese Tea and Things! In celebration of you, our customers, and as a means of clearing out our inventory and making room for new items, we will be having a One Week Only January Sale! January 16 - January 22, 2015, we will be offering 10%-30% off many selected items. We look forward to seeing you!

2014 has marked yet another banner year for craft beer. While year-end industry data won’t be released until spring, mid-year growth of the craft segment showed production up 18% over 2013, with craft brewers producing 10.6 million barrels (according to the Brewer’s Association). This double digit growth is truly impressive, and reflects how inventive craft brewers are, and how committed they are to putting out a quality product. Both quality and innovation are paramount to success in an ever competitive industry – the number of craft brewers has surged from 1,625 in 2010 to 3,040 in 2014! While overall beer sales dipped to -1.9% in 2013, craft beer sales hit a record high 17.2% growth over the previous year. Craft is still just a speck on the map when it comes to market share of the overall beer industry, but has steadily climbed to nearly 8% of all beer sales in 2013 – this number will surely creep up to 10% and well beyond within the next 5 years. So enough with the mind boggling statistics - what will be some new (or should I say, ongoing) craft beer trends for 2015? Here are a few that I think will see some momentum this coming year:

THE CONTINUED RISE OF IPA: STYLE SPINOFFS, “TROPICAL, DANK” HOPS
There’s never been a better time to be a hophead. Almost every craft brewery has a staple session IPA, regular IPA, double IPA, and several seasonal IPA’s. You can find White IPA’s, Black IPA’s, Brown IPA’s, Red IPA’s, Belgian IPA’s, Oatmeal IPA’s, India Pale Lager’s, Imperial India Pale Lager’s, the list goes on and on. No one is tired of hops yet. The “lupulin threshold shift”, coined by Vinnie Cilurzo (considered the pioneer of the west coast style, characterized by heavy dry hop rates) is here in full force: “When a once extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian”, and “the long term exposure to extremely hoppy beers [will create an] excessive or prolonged, habitual dependence on hops.” That’s right. The traditional C-hops that were initially responsible for the style’s popularity (Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, etc) certainly seem pedestrian in 2015. Not to say IPA’s with these hops aren’t great (believe me, they are!), they’ve just been relegated to “traditional” at this point. A growing number of hop heads are craving dank, tropical hops with pungent aromatics that include everything from guava and passion fruit, to diesel fuel and garlic. Some newer varieties lean more towards the tropical end, and some towards the oniony side, but the fact of the matter is – these new varieties are in as high of a demand as ever, and the craft beer consumer will likely remember 2015 as “Year of the Dank” when it comes to IPA.

Note: “Dank” hops have been in for awhile, and many breweries have IPA’s that heavily employ new, experimental varieties. I feel their popularity is going to surge even further this year.

SOUR ALES: EMBRACING WILD YEAST AND BACTERIA...Read More

Clearance Sale at Simply Smashing Boutique now through January 11, 2014. Deep discounts on all clothing - even new arrivals - up to 60% off! Visit us at 241-B E. Campbell Avenue.

Please note: Can not be combined with other offers. Standard Simply Smashing Sale policies apply.

In honor of the 2014 Christmas and New Year's holidays, Purple Pinzz, personalized alterations and costumier design, is now offering $5 off alterations for all party frocks, etc. Get ready for your big night out by making sure your clothes fit you to a T.

Purple Pinzz is conveniently located inside Cat’s Meow at 601 Lighthouse Ave! Please phone Karen, proprietress and seamstress extraordinaire, for more information, 831-521-0234.

Bella's Studio, Old Monterey's sewing, craft, and design studio, now offers Youth Sewist Sessions for young stitchers with some sewing experience. Each 90-minute session is semi-private (limited to two students), with individualized instruction for each student. Sessions can be scheduled after school on weekdays or on Saturdays.

You can purchase a studio punch card for either four or six Youth Sewist Sessions. Four 90-minute sessions cost $100, plus a $45 materials fee for three projects. Six 90-minute sessions cost $140, plus a $45 materials fee for three projects.

The Olive Bar is hosting our big Christmas Sale, December 17-24, 2014. Now through Christmas Eve, we're offering 25% off all Michel Design Works soaps, candles, and lotions; 15% off all oils and balsamics when you buy 12 or more; and 10% off all gift sets. Hurry down to our shop at 232 East Campbell Avenue.

Current Comics at 400 Lighthouse Avenue is pleased to announce our Amazing Holiday Sale taking place Wednesday, December 17, 2014 through Sunday, January 4, 2015.

We'll be offering:
40% of all "Wall" comics (1 week - 1 year old)
20% off all action figures
20% off Magic, Pokemon, and YuGiOh cards
20% off bags, boards, card supplies
20% trade paperbacks and hardcovers
and...
Boxed back issues for only 50 cents!

Please note, this sale does not apply to pre-orders, pull items, or new-this-week comics.

With the start of the new year underway, football season is almost over! With that in mind, Characters Sports Bar & Grill at Monterey Marriott will be altering its weekend hours beginning Saturday, January 3, 2015, when we’ll return to opening at 11am on Saturdays and Sundays, beginning to serve lunch at 11:30am.

But just because the NFL season is almost over, it doesn’t mean the fun ends at Characters! We still have 11 HDTVs and are capable of showing all NBA and NHL games, as well as most MBL games. We also offer free wireless access, Wii Games, Happy Hour on weekdays, and a menu stacked with great appetizers, salads, sandwiches, entrees, and desserts! For more information, please phone us at 831-647-4023.

Pixels Graphic Design, Print & Copy in Monterey now offers t-shirt print and press transfers. Have your photo, logo, or message pressed right on to your clothing! Send in or drop off your photo and/or any message you'd like to add. Either have it ready to press or we can design something awesome for you.

Print & Press Transfers:
Standard (8" x 10.5"): $10 each
Large (10.5" x 16.5"): $15 each

Please allow 2-3 business days from acceptance to completion (more lead time may be needed as we approach Christmas). For more information, please email Pixels or phone us at 831-333-0174.