The Best (and worst) Monterey Peninsula Businesses
A business only gets on this list if –
1. I have had direct personal experience with them,
2. They have provided exceptional service reliably – with no bad experiences.
These local businesses prove that there are solid reasons for buying some services and products locally and not over the internet / web. It is notable that several of these excellent businesses are large corporations – both privately and publicly owned.
Food :
Trader Joe’s – Fabulous Team (Pacific Grove and Monterey)
Costco – (Sand City)
Best Carrots – Carmel Farmer’s Market
Restaurants :
Tillie Gorts (Pacific Grove)
La Playa (for lunch) (Carmel)
Passionfish (Pacific Grove)
Papa Chanos (Monterey) 646-9587
China Gourmet (Carmel) 624-3941
Office / Camera Equipment :
Staples (Seaside)
Costco (Sand City)
Batteries, Home
Dollar Store (Seaside, 1816 Fremont)
Gasoline :
Station at Corner of David and Hawthorne (Monterey)
Station at Costco – (Sand City)
Car Repair :
Advantage Auto – (Monterey) 372-4188
Hans Auto Repair – (Sand City) 831-583-9820
Smog Test :
Jack Fox Auto Repair 394-3994
Tires :
Goodyear (Seaside) 899 4900No longer recommended as they refused to take care of a tire defect.
House Cleaning and Property Maintenance :
Compulsive Cleaning and Care-Taking 915-6397
C.K. Services 224-9899
Plumbing:
Middlebrook Plumbing
Electrical Work:
Houston Electrics, 899 5716
Building Materials :
Hayward Lumber (Pacific Grove)
M&S (Monterey)
Hardware :
ACE Hardware (on Pacific Grove’s Forest Hill near Trader Joe’s)
Delivery:
Fed-Ex
Retirement Community:
Canterbury Woods (Pacific Grove) (I’ve had family members and friends live very happily here.)
Jig Saw Puzzles 
I’m Puzzled (Pacific Grove) Update: Sadly this business closed in 2012 so its wonderful owner Mary could retire.
Shoes :
Bike Shops :
None
I do not list medical or financial businesses.
Then other businesses, even those owned by friends, (e.g. Massage, Roofers, Psychologists, Pet stores and services) are absent ONLY because I have not yet needed or used their services.
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Excellent Closed Businesses:
The Thunderbird – Bookstore and Restaurant – May Waldroup (Carmel valley mouth)
Triples Restaurant – Tommy Tucker, (Monterey)
Coco Le Fleur Restaurant – Madame and Paola Berthoin (Carmel Valley)
Bruised Reed – Restaurant (Monterey)
Beau Thai Restaurant – David Walton (Cannery Row)Eureka Federal Savings Bank – Bill Sosic, Manager (Pacific Grove)
San Francisco Federal Savings Bank (Carmel)
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Bad Actors: Businesses I will never again deal with:
Morgan Stanley / Dean Witter (Monterey)
Pebble Beach Company
Bank of America (Do you need to ask?)
Wells Fargo Bank (systematic false charges = theft)
Dr. Charlie Bates (Lost all our family medical records)
Bay Photo Lab (New Monterey)
Home Depot
Jay Leno TV show advertisers (Mean remarks and mean guests! Johnny Carson never once said a mean thing in his decades on the show)
Honda of Monterey (Thankfully closed)
Bad Actors: Monopolies I will never again deal with when there is any alternative:
ATT Phone company
PG$E Electric and Gas
California-American Water Company (Cal-Am)
US Post Office
* Note – While some of these businesses are run by or employ friends, I have not received any remuneration or discounts that are not available to you — for any of these recommendations. And sadly, while there are other likely fabulous businesses – I just have never had personal experience with them.
