By Abigail Acosta, Special to the Pajaronian
WATSONVILLE—The owners of Corralitos Coffeehouse will be closing their doors in Corralitos on Aug. 22 and moving their operations to downtown Watsonville.
Greg Bobeda and Lacey Dent will take over the location formerly occupied by Second Street Cafe between Main and Rodriguez streets.
The Second Street Cafe first opened in 2008 but recently closed its doors during the economic closures as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and never reopened. Property owner Stella Romo could not pinpoint a direct reason as to why Second Street Cafe went out of business, as there were a multitude of factors to take into account, she said.
Romo said that the maintenance of the cafe was perhaps too overwhelming for the previous owners. The pandemic, Romo said, has also created additional challenges for business owners.
Romo said she was aware of Corralitos Coffeehouse and their search for a new location and one thing led to another.
“It’s exciting for that space,” Romo said. “They’re going to get in there and brighten it up.”
Bobeda and Dent initially announced that they would open a second location in downtown Watsonville last fall, but that lease was canceled due to the pandemic—they were set to move into a vacant building on the ground level of the Civic Plaza adjacent to Subway.
While Bobeda and Dent have not announced when their doors will open in downtown Watsonville, they already have keys to the 2,400-square-foot cafe, which is four times the size of their current location.
Romo said it will take some time for them to open their doors as they secure permits and clean up the shop.
Dent shared through social media that they would be rebranding their name and creating a new logo. She said via Instagram and Facebook that they were never planning on moving their coffeehouse out of Corralitos.
“This was not an easy decision,” Dent wrote.
Dent stated in a recent post that the pandemic has impacted their business. Due to less traffic, school closures and a cutback in their services, they could not maintain their current space in Corralitos. Bobeda and Dent evaluated their future plans and said that a move to Watsonville is necessary to survive and, hopefully, thrive.
The coffeehouse has plans to expand its offerings in its new location. Dent mentioned a larger food menu, beer and wine once permitted, an expansion to their fresh-made pastries and access to their outdoor area.
