February 2012- Encinitas Station Farmers Coming – Wednesday March 14th, 4pm
The Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association Presents a weekly farmer’s market focusing on local organic farm fresh produce, every Wednesday, rain or shine.
4pm-7pm October through April / 5pm-8pm May through September
Parking Lot B 600 s Vulcan Ave, Corner of E and Vulcan
January 2012 - Encinitas Arts Alive Unveiling – February 4th
This year’s Arts Alive Unveiling is scheduled for Saturday, February 4th, 2 p.m., at 1950 N. Coast Highway (former Cabo Grill, just south of La Costa Avenue) in Leucadia. The 13th year of this six mile art exhibit is dedicated to Encinitas Councilwoman Maggie Houlihan who passed away in September and was a tremendous supporter of the Arts Alive program. Read more . . .
January 2012 - Wellness Week Returns to Downtown Encinitas
Teresa Bell is holding what looks to be a large, spring-loaded needle. She’s holding it out in front of her, squeezing it periodically, which makes a loud popping sound. She’s talking about cement trucks and telephone poles and skinny teenagers. She asks me to hold out my hand. I brace for the impact as she bring the tip to my extended index finger and squeezes. A concentrated surge of pressure hits the pad of my finger. It does not hurt, as I thought it would, but feels like a quick, blunt poke. Read more . . .
December 2011 – DEMA Wins Awards for Holiday Parade Entry
This year’s Holiday Parade theme was “Encinitas 25- Celebrating our Beginning,” celebrating the City’s 25th anniversary of incorporation and DEMA won the following awards:
3rd Place for Best Use of Lights
3rd Place for Best Use of Theme
2nd Place Overall
December 2011 – Ring in the New Year with a Healthier Body and Mind
How many people can count the number of resolutions they’ve made as the New Year dawns on one hand? Not many. For most of us, we have to use all our fingers and toes to keep track of the numerous promises to get in shape, eat healthier, lose weight, quit smoking and cut down on the caffeine.
The number of wellness-based merchants in downtown Encinitas is a reflection of the community’s core character. The importance placed on the well-being of body, mind and soul is one of the reasons people call Encinitas home.
The Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association is committed to supporting the plethora of merchants providing fitness, health and wellness related services located downtown. It’s also excited to maintain Encinitas as a community known for its health conscious, active lifestyle. Read more . . .
December 2011 – Merchants Stay Open Late for Holiday Shoppers
Have you ever raced to your favorite shop in downtown Encinitas after work only to find that the doors were locked and the lights were out? Most small businesses are working hard to serve customers but staying open after traditional working hours is a stretch for some. However, DEMA is celebrating the second year of “L8 Nite Thursdays” which allows supporting local retailers even more convenient. Each Thursday throughout the holiday shopping season, over 40 retail outlets will stay open until at least 8 p.m. “Almost everyone downtown will be open late,” according to Rick Moore, DEMA’s Business Liaison. Read more . . .
November 2011 - Fall Festival Wheels - Test Driving “The Most Likeable Car on the Planet”
It’s Sunday, the day of the Encinitas Fall Festival. The sky is grey and threatening rain, but still, the streets are full of people walking down Highway 101, leafing through the hundreds of tents that shop owners have set up to show off their goods. It smells like kettle corn, grilling sausages and coffee. But mostly it smells like the sea. It’s windy, and getting more so. I hit the street fair at E Street and 101. There are clothing racks on the corner from the thrift store and a woman selling photographs. I walk south past a band of high schoolers jamming some funk music to a crowd of a hundred. The lead singer is loud and good and moving around like Axel Rose. Read more . . .
November 2011- Annual Festival Encourages Local Shopping
Who said shopping for the holidays had to start after Thanksgiving and be stressful and hectic? That was certainly not the coastal vibe as thousands of people visited downtown on Nov. 20 despite the gloomy weather to enjoy the entertainment and shopping opportunities at the Annual Fall Festival.
Sponsored by DEMA, the festival boasted over 450 vendor booths hawking everything from dollar trinkets to handmade puppets and clothing to original photographs from world-famous photographers. Highway 101 was closed between D and J Streets to allow festival-goers easy access to the vendors, shops and entertainment.
“It’s so nice to be able to just walk around and see some of the local art and what’s happening downtown,” said Patricia Neison, who brought her two dogs with her to the event. They were among hundreds of canine companions at the event. That was good for business at the many booths that sold custom-made doggie treats and beds. Read more . . .
November 2011 – The Story of Arts Alive
In the year 2000, Peder Norby, who was at the time executive director of the Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association (DEMA), brought an idea to the 101 Artists’ Colony, that was comfortably cocooned in the Lumberyard Center. The idea was to exhibit paintings along the Coast Highway displayed on the street light standards. There were only 25 paintings in that first year’s exhibit. Artists were chosen and the painting began. Read more . . .
November 2011 - NCHS Toy Drive: Donate and Save!
The NCHS Encinitas Health Center is hosting a Children’s Holiday Party on Saturday, Dec. 17, from 2-4pm. Please help us provide much-needed gifts for their pediatric patients, some who might not be able to celebrate the holidays with family-provided gifts. DEMA and other downtown merchants are hosting donation boxes and offering special deals in exchange for each unwrapped gift. Read more . . .
November 2011 – Homegrown Pumpkins Highlight Downtown Halloween Tradition
The ghouls and goblins, pirates and princesses and more than a few local characters were on hand to celebrate a Safe Trick or Treat in downtown on Halloween night.
October 2011 – The Experience and Emotion of Chocolate is Key to Chuao Chocolatier’s Success
If Roald Dahl has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is what it seems. Even—or, maybe, especially—chocolate factories.
October 2011 – Weekly Meetings Begin to Discuss Construction Impacts on Downtown
In an effort to inform merchants and the public about the impacts of ongoing construction downtown, the Downtown Encinitas Mainstreet Association is holding weekly meetings at the Potato Shack beginning Oct. 18 at 8 am. Changed to Carnation Room at City Hall.
October 2011 – Downtown Coast Hwy 101 Construction to Begin October 28th
The City of Encinitas will be making improvements to the south Coast Hwy 101 in order to comply with the terms of a lawsuit filed against the City for ADA access. Parking will be impacted through mid-January.
September 2011 – Volunteer Helps Make Signature Downtown Event Unique
The final Encinitas Classic Car Cruise Nights signals the end of summer for many locals. The season’s last event, held on September 15, served as a reminder of the tremendous effort that DEMA and its volunteers put into organizing the crowd pleasing nights.
September 2011 – Tasty Culinary Experience Delights Sell Out Crowd
The Taste of MainStreet went off without a hitch after the event was rescheduled one week later due to the county-wide blackout on September 8.
September 2011 – Blackout! Encinitas Goes Dark on the Eve of the 22nd Annual Taste of Mainstreet
At 3:38 p.m. last Thursday, somewhere in the desert between Arizona and California, a power line failed. A hundred miles away, in the midst of a heat wave, all of downtown Encinitas was left without power.
September 2011 – Longtime Downtown Business Makes Move to Solar Power
Between the revving of engines and the whizzing of drills, the sound of money can be heard dropping back into the pockets of the owners of Encinitas Foreign and Domestic.
August 2011 – Eclectic Styles and Venue Put a New Spin on Fashion Extravaganza
On Saturday, August 27, the fusion of styles and character that define Encinitas style will be showcased as the Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association celebrates its annual Lifestyles Fashion Show.
July 2011 – Downtown Encinitas Becomes a Major Destination for Businesses
The number of service and goods merchants that have relocated to downtown Encinitas is growing by leaps and bounds.
July 2011 – Downtown Merchants and Residents Thank Law Enforcement for Increased Patrol
You may have noticed a few more patrol cars cruising around downtown and officers walking the beat in downtown Encinitas.
July 2011 – Downtown Solar Initiative Celebrates First Anniversary
Despite the looming coastal fog that signals “June Gloom,” the sun still powers an ever increasing number of homes and businesses in downtown Encinitas
June 2011 – Classic Car Cruise Nights Kicks Off Expanded Summer Series
In order to expand the event, for the greater benefit of the community and downtown merchants, DEMA has added additional dedicated car club parking in several lots between G and J Street
June 2011 - Film Series Explores the Issue of Water and Pollution
Is access to clean water a human right or is it a commodity to be controlled by a certain few companies?
May 2011 – A Conversation with Frank Dudek
Matt Skenazy sat down with Mr. Dudek recently to talk about DUDEK’s early years and his plans for the future.
April 2011 - Day Tripping
New COASTER Schedule Makes a Day in Downtown Encinitas Even Easier.
