56 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2026 montereycountynow.com/bestof Shopping & Services store to visit for seasonal items, from fresh flowers to baked goods and local pumpkins. BEST INTERNATIONAL MARKET Mi Tierra Mercado y Taqueria 1000 Broadway Ave., Seaside (831) 281-7905 With lines stretching out the door when it first reopened to the public following a years-long remodeling project, passersby may have wondered if the Mexican market and taqueria Mi Tierra wasn’t hosting entertainment of some kind to get people in the door. But you won’t find any clowns or trapeze artists inside the renovated space, just a wide selection of grocery items, an extensive carniceria, one of the best taquerias in Seaside and a brand new bakery with churros and other sweet treats that serve as a carnival for the senses. BEST SEAFOOD MARKET Sea Harvest 598 Foam St., Monterey. (831) 646-0547 100A Crossroads Blvd., Carmel. (831) 626‑3626 7537 Sandholt Road, Moss Landing. (831) 728-7081 Grateful performing seals would happily gobble up fish as reward for their tricks in circus acts, necessitating a large supply. Sea Harvest always has a large supply of fresh, sustainably caught fish, including from Monterey Bay. The helpful staff at the Monterey and Carmel markets will always help you pick out just the right fresh seafood. For dining only, visit Sea Harvest at its restaurant in Moss Landing. BEST SELECTION OF LIQUOR Total Wine & More Sand Dollar Shopping Center, 808 Playa Ave., Sand City (831) 920-0154, totalwine.com Sure, spirits are relegated to the “& More” in the name of this national chain. But if you were to stack cases of the different liquors that line Total Wine & More’s shelves, the performer who is normally so keen to dive from a height into a shallow pool of water would quit and run away from the circus. After all, the Sand City location lists almost 4,500 different liquors, from amaro to Zing Zang brand premade Bloody Mary. And they stock options at all price points, so there is something for all preferences and budgets. Yes, they have wine and beer, too. But this is the place to go for the highproof goods. BEST HARDWARE STORE Pacific Grove Hardware 229 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove (831) 646-9144, acehardware.com Behind the scenes of a circus there is much backbreaking work—setting up tents and maintaining all sorts of equipment. There is a lot of elbow grease going on. That’s why they need hardware stores like Pacific Grove Hardware. Tent pegs, check. Heavyduty wire for the tightrope, check. You need it, they stock it. With friendly customer service and a knowledgeable staff, it’s no wonder readers give Pacific Grove Hardware the prize. BEST LUMBER YARD Hayward Lumber 1140 Sunset Drive, Pacific Grove. (831) 373-1326 490 Front St., Salinas. (831) 754-3300, haywardlumber.com There’s no circus without lumber. A wooden roller coaster at a carnival needs good, strong lumber to support it. Inside the big top, you’ll also need wood for the grandstands and any other structures to support circus performers. Hayward Lumber has all the materials and tools you need to build from the ground up. That larger-thanlife jack-in-the-box you always wanted to create? Get your equipment here. BEST COMPUTER REPAIR What’d You Break 218 Reservation Road, Marina (831) 883-2349 As Britney Spears’ song “Circus” says, “There’s only two types of people in the world, the ones that entertain, and the ones that observe.” Josh Galutira belongs to the latter. But not only does he observe, he assesses, analyzes and repairs all types of electronics, such as cellphones, computers, game consoles and televisions. After all, the show must go on. The shop has won Best Computer Repair for the fourth year in a row. BEST BOOKSTORE - USED Friends of the Marina Library Community Bookstore 330 Reservation Road, F, Marina (831) 747-1850, friendsofthemarinalibrary.org Acrobatics, clowning and juggling are some of the oldest circus acts. But they never get old and are passed down to the next generation. While some books are handed down the same way, others are fun or precious finds at a local second hand store. Friends of the Marina Library’s Friends Community Bookstore is a prime place to find old Best Banker | Clarissa Rowe - Monterey County Bank
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