Morning Lookout: Final days of Palace Arts in Capitola as well & how are local fitness operations doing

By Tulsi Kamath

Source: Lookout Santa Cruz

Happy Thursday to you all!

Looks like we’ve gotten through most of the morning drizzle and now we’re headed toward a lovely day of mild sunny weather (a high of 73 is predicted in downtown Santa Cruz).

And looking up to our skies today we should be thankful. Three hundred miles north, the small Plumas County town of Greenville is gone after the Dixie Fire overtook it. More on that below along with the day’s other biggest bummer news locally — Palace Arts will cease to exist as a retail business after “one last Christmas season.”

To that and the other headlines we go...

Months after saying goodbye to Santa Cruz, Palace Arts to leave Capitola

Palace Art & Office Supply has vacated its storefront in downtown Santa Cruz.

‘One last Christmas season’: Eight months after the downtown Santa Cruz location closed, the art and office supply store’s Capitola location follows suit marking the end of an era. Palace Art & Office Supply first opened in 1949 after owner Col. Frank Trowbridge purchased the property, formerly known as Palace Stationers. More from Neil Strebig on that here.

➤ PREVIOUS: After 71 years, Palace Art & Office Supply leaves downtown Santa Cruz (Lookout)

➤ THE PANDEMIC BUSINESS STRUGGLE

Speaking of local business struggles...

Operating a fitness business in Santa Cruz has only gotten trickier

Owners Camile Periat and Chris Ellis at Santa Cruz Power Fitness on Water Street.

‘Just people trying to survive’: Small gyms are the name of the game in chain-averse Santa Cruz, but local owners say that even with their close-knit communities, there’s no strong-arming the area’s high cost of living — and that was before the COVID-19 pandemic added to the degree of difficulty. More from Grace Stetson here.

Dixie fire destroys large swath of Greenville: ‘It sounds like a war zone’

The town of Greenville was destroyed in around three hours by California's largest active wildfire.

A town in the path: The Dixie fire, already the eighth largest in California history, devastated the Plumas County town of Greenville on Wednesday afternoon. Social media posts show significant destruction in Greenville’s downtown, with rows of buildings burning as well as cars. The total number of buildings lost is unclear, but fire officials said they were battling the blaze inside the town for hours. Throughout the day, people fled as the fire approached. More from the LA Times here.

Moderna touts its COVID vaccine’s endurance and earnings that beat expectations

Moderna efficacy: Moderna Inc. said its COVID-19 vaccine remained 93% effective six months after the second shot as it reported second-quarter earnings and revenue that beat expectations. A final analysis of the company’s late-stage study, described in a statement on Thursday, suggests the vaccine’s protection remains stable after recipients complete the standard two-dose regimen. The 93% effectiveness level is just short of the shot’s initial efficacy of 94%. More from the Times here.

Should wealthy nations forgo boosters until COVID vaccination improves worldwide? WHO says yes

A hiatus? In the latest emblem of the disease-driven divide between the wanting and the wealthy, the head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday urged mainly well-off, highly vaccinated nations to hold off for now on offering booster shots until all countries — including predominantly poorer ones now ablaze with the virus — can provide more of their people with initial shots. More from the Times here.

➤ ON THE LOCAL FRONT: Good news, bad news from Newel: SC vax rate doubles, but so does Delta count (Lookout)

Meanwhile in Tokyo...

‘Some soul-searching’ ahead after U.S. women’s soccer team takes bronze in Tokyo

Change afoot? The U.S. women’s soccer team defeats Australia 4-3 to win bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, but the game could mark the end of an era for several players. More from the Times.

And with the weekend in sight...

Been missing art in your life? Get reacquainted with First Friday

A piece from the "What Remains" exhibit at Radius Gallery.

Tune in to your surroundings: From the Tannery to the MAH, Midtown to the Westside and Ben Lomond to Felton, Laurel Bushman of Lookout’s Team BOLO has a rundown of what’s on tap for the biggest First Friday in a while. Read about that here and Be On The Lookout for our BOLO Best Bets newsletter later today. If you’re not signed up for the text version of that, here’s where you want to go.

Around the county...

Santa Cruz’s Common Roots Farm blooms (Sentinel)

Watsonville artist commissioned for new mural at Cabrillo College (Pajaronian)

Pop-up effort looks to crush COVID one brewery vaccine clinic at a time (Sentinel)

Have a great Thursday, everyone.

Mark Conley
mark@lookoutlocal.com