The Essential Shops: What You Can Buy in Town

You can run a full Saturday of errands in Boulder Creek and get further than most towns this size let you. Hardware and lumber, two full grocery stores, an independent pharmacy that delivers across the valley for free, a full-service vet, and more gift and specialty shops than a drive-through suggests, nearly all inside about a mile of Highway 9.

What follows is a needs-based tour, sorted by the errand rather than the address. Hours shift with the seasons and with who's staffing up here, so check before you make a special trip. For everything in town beyond the essentials, the full directory is the master list.

Hardware, lumber, and the endless mountain-house fix

Two related stores split the work. Scarborough Home & Garden at 13110 Highway 9 takes the home-and-garden side: pet food, gardening supplies, canning gear, cleaning supplies, and the everyday household stuff. It's open seven days, Monday through Saturday 8 to 5 and Sunday 9 to 5.

For building projects, Scarborough Building Supply runs the yard at 12990 Highway 9 and stocks the building standards: lumber, paint, tools, and hardware. It's open weekdays 7:30 to 6 with shorter weekend hours. Between the two, most repair-and-project runs never need to leave the valley.

In practice: last week I ran out of chicken feed, drove into town, and picked up a bag of King 16% Layer Crumble, the ladies' favorite, before the hens noticed anything was awry. Then down the way to the hardware store for a jug of strong, industrial strength vinegar for a safe weed spray along the front of the house, part fire safety, part weed suppression. Two errands, twenty minutes, zero trips over the hill.

Groceries: two real markets, different personalities

Boulder Creek keeps two full grocery stores a couple of blocks apart, which is its own kind of small-town luxury.

Johnnie's Super Market at 13225 Highway 9 has anchored the north end of downtown since 1938, and it's a complete market: produce sourced locally where possible, a meat and seafood counter, a deli making sandwiches daily, a bakery case, and a deep wine, spirits, and beer selection. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Wild Roots Market at 13159 Central Avenue is the natural-foods counterpart, locally owned since 1991, with organic produce, a deli and kitchen, and baked goods from its Sunflour Bakehouse. It's open daily 9 to 9. There's a second Wild Roots down the valley in Felton, but the Boulder Creek store is its own full market.

Between them, the grocery question in town isn't "can I get it here" so much as "which store carries my version of it."

Pharmacy: independent, and it delivers

Boulder Creek Pharmacy at 13081 Central Avenue has served the town for over 40 years as a locally owned, family-operated pharmacy, and it covers more ground than newcomers expect. Prescriptions get filled quickly and by a friendly neighbor, and it offers free delivery throughout the San Lorenzo Valley, which counts for a lot when a car is in the shop or a storm has the roads a mess, though popping down into town is half the point of living here. The shelves go far beyond medications: toiletries, cleaning supplies, local gifts like Boulder Creek swag, local candles, and huckleberry candy and syrup, plus a real baby section. When our baby needed gas relief drops urgently, we were home with them in fifteen minutes, with relief shortly after. Try that with a drive down the valley. It's also, for what it's worth, our baby's favorite shop in town, with the toy shelf to thank, edged out only by the kitten rescue.

Hours are Monday through Friday 9 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 4, closed Sunday. The phone is 831-338-2144.

Pets and gardens

There's no standalone pet store in town, but Boulder Creek Veterinary Clinic at 12870 Highway 9 covers the animal side thoroughly: a full-service clinic with surgery, dental, boarding, exotic pet care, and an online pharmacy, open six days a week including two evenings. The phone is 831-338-7205.

For pet food and garden needs, Scarborough Home & Garden carries pet food, gardening, and outdoor supplies, and Good Vibes, covered below, leans into houseplants.

Gifts, style, and the specialty row

Downtown's specialty shops cluster along a few blocks of Highway 9, and they run more varied than a first drive-through suggests.

• Air & Fire, the "mystical bazaar" at 13150 Highway 9, stocks handmade soaps, candles, incense, crystals, jewelry, tarot decks, books, and local art, and hosts classes and readings. It's open daily with seasonal hours posted on its site.
• SWAG at 13026 Highway 9 mixes vinyl, vintage apparel, and local art and jewelry inside an 1893 building built for Boulder Creek's Woman's Christian Temperance Union and early public reading room. In an August 4, 2026 update, owner Jeff Brough said he was semi-retiring, reducing his shop involvement and footprint, and redirecting attention toward on-site music events. A proposed transfer of most floor space to a longtime vendor was still preliminary. The shop remained open during the transition, so call before a special trip. SWAG also carries select items from Stumptown Supply, a Boulder Creek-born online brand making apparel and gifts around San Lorenzo Valley history.
• Ginia's Gems at 13133 Highway 9 sells handmade memory-wire jewelry with semi-precious stones plus herbal remedies and local honey. Call ahead for current hours.
• Boulder Creek Antiques at Mac's Place, at 13164 Highway 9, deals in furniture, collectibles, and vintage finds, and it's open daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m..
• Wild Lilith, an independent boutique at 13120 Highway 9, keeps limited weekday hours, per that same listing.
• Good Vibes at 13124 Highway 9 is a newer shop carrying plants, clothing, and locally made goods.

And in a genuine small-town plot twist, there's a shoe store: Beck's Shoes runs a discount showroom at 12550 Highway 9 at the south end of town, open Thursday through Sunday, 10 to 6, selling premium work, outdoor, and casual footwear at reduced prices, in-store only.

Secondhand and vintage: the hunt side of the street

Boulder Creek's secondhand shopping starts at one door. Springygirl at 13130 Central Avenue is the town's secondhand boutique: gently used women's clothing and accessories, hand-picked piece by piece. It's open Friday through Sunday, noon to 5, and since everything in the room is one of a kind, the shop is different every few weeks. Phone 831-704-2994. The vintage overlap is already on this list: SWAG for vintage apparel and vinyl, and Mac's Place for furniture, collectibles, and vintage finds. What the town doesn't have is a thrift store; the nearest is The Abbot's Thrift at 6164 Highway 9 in downtown Felton, open Monday through Saturday 9 to 7 and Sunday noon to 5.

Herrick Games and Hobbies at 13111 Pine Street covers the tabletop people on your list: Warhammer and the wider Games Workshop range, board games, and a deep paint wall. The shop takes special orders and hosts painting classes.

Gifts made in the building

Three doors in town sell art made here. Viscosity Art Glass at 13158 Central Avenue sells blown glass out of the working studio, Fridays 1 to 3 and Saturdays 1 to 5. Lille Aeske Arthouse at 13160 Highway 9 hangs a rotating monthly show with work for sale during weekend gallery hours. And Hennig Studios at 211 Grove Street opens its ceramics gallery the first Sunday of each month, noon to 5, and by appointment at 831-338-2098. First Friday evenings put all of it out together, 5 to 8 p.m. downtown.

Cannabis, for adults 21 and over

Boulder Creek also has a licensed adult-use dispensary. Creekside Wellness at 12603 Highway 9 has operated since 2018 under state license C10-0000008-LIC, open Monday through Saturday 10 to 7 and Sunday noon to 6. It's a 21-and-over business, ID required.

What this list is, and isn't

This is the errand-running core: the places that keep a household fed, medicated, repaired, and now and then gift-wrapped without a drive down the valley. It's a working list, not the whole town.

Boulder Creek's cafes, restaurants, and bars get their own guide in where to eat in Boulder Creek, services from plumbers to salons live in the directory, and if you've just moved here, the new resident quick-start guide puts these stops in week-one order. For utilities, permits, and county contacts in one place, see the Residents guide.

Missed a shop, or spotted a detail that's changed? The directory page is the place to tell us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a hardware store in Boulder Creek?

Yes, two related ones. Scarborough Home & Garden at 13110 Highway 9 covers home, garden, pet, and household goods, open seven days a week, and Scarborough Building Supply at 12990 Highway 9 handles lumber, building supplies, paint, and tools.

Does Boulder Creek have a real grocery store?

It has two. Johnnie's Super Market, a full-line independent grocery in business since 1938, and Wild Roots Market, a natural-foods grocery with a deli and bakery, sit within a few blocks of each other downtown, both open daily.

Is there a pharmacy in town?

Yes. Boulder Creek Pharmacy at 13081 Central Avenue is independent and family-operated, open weekdays and Saturdays, with free prescription delivery throughout the San Lorenzo Valley.

Where can I buy gifts locally?

The downtown blocks hold most of it: Air & Fire for candles and artisan goods, SWAG for vinyl and vintage, Ginia's Gems for handmade jewelry, Mac's Place for antiques, Wild Lilith and Good Vibes for boutique goods, Springygirl for secondhand fashion, and Herrick Games and Hobbies for games and miniatures. Hours vary by shop, so check before a special trip.

Is there a thrift store in Boulder Creek?

Not in town, currently. Springygirl on Central Avenue is a secondhand boutique rather than a thrift store, and SWAG and Mac's Place cover vintage. The nearest true thrift is The Abbot's Thrift in downtown Felton, open seven days a week.

Where can I buy local art?

From the people who made it: Viscosity Art Glass on Central Avenue, Lille Aeske Arthouse on Highway 9 during weekend gallery hours, and Hennig Studios on Grove Street on first Sundays. First Friday, the monthly evening art walk, is the easiest single window onto all three.

What will I still need to drive down the valley for?

Big-box selection, mostly. The town covers hardware, groceries, pharmacy, shoes, gifts, and pet care through the vet, but department-store shopping and specialty chains mean a run to Scotts Valley or Santa Cruz. The full local list lives in our directory.