The Essential Shops: What You Can Actually 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.

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 opens at 8 a.m. every day, running to 9 p.m. most nights and 10 on Friday and Saturday.

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. Beyond prescriptions and over-the-counter basics, it handles medication synchronization and multi-dose packaging, and it offers free delivery throughout the San Lorenzo Valley, which counts for a lot on this side of the hill when a car is in the shop or a storm has the roads a mess.

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 restored mid-century stereos, vinyl, vintage apparel, and local art and jewelry inside an 1893 building the shop describes as the first US building owned and operated by women. The business association lists it open Tuesday through Saturday afternoons. SWAG also carries select items from Stumptown Supply, a Boulder Creek-born online brand making apparel and gifts around San Lorenzo Valley history, so you can see the goods in person even though the brand itself has no storefront.
• 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 the business association's current listing shows it open daily in the afternoon range.
• 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.

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 trip over the hill. 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 of Highway 9 hold most of it: Air & Fire for candles, crystals, and artisan goods, SWAG for vinyl, vintage, and local art, Ginia's Gems for handmade jewelry, Boulder Creek Antiques for vintage finds, and Wild Lilith and Good Vibes for boutique goods and plants. Hours vary by shop, so check before a special trip.

What will I still need to drive down the hill 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.