How To Arrive
The best way to arrive in Capitola is to be ready to see color.
Not pastel. Not “coastal neutrals.” Not beige-with-a-view.
Color. Actual, unapologetic, mood-lifting color.
Walk down Capitola Avenue and you’re hit with it immediately.
Pink storefronts next to turquoise awnings. Buildings that refuse to whisper when they could shout.
“Some beach towns suggest joy. Capitola insists on it.”
Why April Changes Everything
Spring does something to coastal light.
The fog lifts earlier. Shadows soften. And suddenly, color isn’t just visible—it’s alive.
Window displays you walked past all winter demand attention. Clothing racks glow. Art catches light differently. Even the food looks brighter.
April is when you see what Capitola has been all along.
Not trying to be sophisticated. Trying to make you smile.
The Storefronts: Where Color Became the Point
Rainbow City Limit: The Name Says Everything
In 1976, Babette Fenton opened a shop with “just a dream and a love of Rainbows.”
She called it Rainbow City Limit. Forty-nine years later, it’s still here.
Walk inside and you understand immediately: this is what happens when someone refuses to sell anything neutral.
Wind-powered toys spinning in every color. Kites that look like they’re already flying. Wind chimes in copper, turquoise, purple. Tie-dyed everything. Mood rings. Beach stuff that actually looks like the beach—not the gray-sand version, the California version.
Shelves overflow with toys that make noise and color and movement. The kind of place where adults remember being kids and kids don’t want to leave.
Reviews call it “one of the most magical stores there ever was.” People tell each other, “Make sure to take your inner child in before you leave town.”
Rainbow City Limit doesn’t apologize for being loud. It started with rainbows. It stayed with rainbows.
“Some shops sell products. This one sells permission to play.”
Katalina’s Boutique: Every Beautiful Woman, Every Color
Kathleen French opened Katalina’s in 2023 with a mission most boutiques don’t dare: “We’re the shop for every beautiful woman there is, no matter what size!”
Walk in and you see what that means.
Breezy beach maxis in coral and turquoise. Chic cocktail minis in jewel tones. Sweaters in colors that shouldn’t work together but do. Tops that pop. Dresses that glow.
“Whether you are a baller on a budget or the girl who just slaps her credit card down, we have something for you!”
It’s not just about size. It’s about color as democracy. Everyone gets to be bright.
The racks rotate with seasons but the philosophy doesn’t: flattering fits, soft fabrics, on-trend designs in colors that make getting dressed fun again.
Now they carry kids, young adults, and men’s clothing too. Because why should women have all the fun?
“Clothes that never go out of style. In colors that refuse to fade.”
Xandra Swimwear: Where Each Suit Is Art
Walk into Xandra and the owner will tell you straight: “Each suit in the store is like a piece of art.”
She’s not exaggerating.
One-of-a-kind swimwear pieces hand-selected from all over the world. Whimsical patterns you’ve never seen. Vibrant colors that make you rethink what “swimsuit” means. Hand beading. Fine details. Designer labels you cannot purchase anywhere else in Northern California.
This isn’t the place for basic black. This is where you find:
- Tropical prints that look hand-painted
- Geometric designs in neon and metallic
- Solid jewel tones that photograph like sunset
- Patterns that announce you’re here to have fun
“Our mission is to make women feel confident, feminine and inspirational in what they are wearing.”
The vibe? “Fun, creative, and alluring.” The experience? “Amazing service.”
The ocean is blue. You don’t have to be.
“Swimwear for people who treat the beach like a runway.”
Sweet Asylum: Feminine Elegance in Vivid Color
“The softest cottons in the most vivid colors.”
That’s Sweet Asylum’s promise. And they deliver.
Walk in and you’re surrounded by eyelets, ruffles, brilliant silks, pearls, hammered metals. Dresses, tops, cozy sweaters, sea-inspired jewelry. Everything soft and feminine but never boring.
Because here’s the thing: Sweet Asylum proves that “soft” doesn’t mean “neutral.”
Brilliant silks in fuchsia. Cotton in colors that pop. Leather accessories that add edge. Candles and gifts in ocean blues and sunset oranges.
“A beach-side boutique offering feminine elegance with a splash of leather accessories.”
The aesthetic is specific: romantic but not precious. Comfortable but styled. Colorful but cohesive.
You leave smelling like the beach. Dressed like you have somewhere better to be.
“Soft doesn’t mean quiet. It means touchable joy.”
Art Inspired: Where the Jeweler Is Also the Curator
Alyse Lattanzio is a local jewelry designer. She’s also the owner of Art Inspired. Which means when you walk in, you’re not just shopping—you’re meeting the artist.
“As a jeweler & artist herself, Alyse is often creating work in house, or curating the boutique.”
What does that look like?
Handmade jewelry in metals and stones that catch light. Natural soy candles in colors that smell like memories. Ceramics. Art. Apparel. Gifts.
Everything is “thoughtfully sourced” with “ethically sourced and made with the environment & mother nature in mind.” High quality aesthetic. High craftsmanship.
But what you actually see when you walk in? Color as storytelling.
Turquoise paired with copper. Deep blues next to warm oranges. Jewelry that looks like wearable California—sunsets, oceans, desert, coast.
Independent brands. Local artists. Locally made. Locally owned.
This is what happens when the person curating color is also the person creating it.
“When the artist runs the shop, every display becomes an installation.”
Pueblo Viejo Imports: When Furniture Becomes Color
Most furniture stores sell beige.
Pueblo Viejo Imports sells hacienda.
Walk in and you’re hit with rustic mesquite, tooled leather, hammered copper, decorative pottery, metal art, folk art. Furniture that looks like it belongs in a Spanish villa. In colors that don’t apologize.
Traditional red leather. Orange. Dark brown. Natural cedar. Copper accents that gleam.
Armoires. Vanities. Bookcases. Dining sets. Sofas. All handmade. All heavy. All in colors that make “natural wood” feel like a cop-out.
Their Equipales Collection? Hand-made cedar and leather. Available in “natural unfinished, traditional red, orange, and dark brown leather.”
Their Hacienda Collection? Tooled leather, copper, marble. “Heavy duty metal rails/gliders on all drawers, solid forged iron hinges.”
This is furniture that weighs something. That announces itself. That refuses to blend in.
“Most people buy furniture to fill a room. This is furniture that becomes the room.”
The Strolls: Where Color Escapes the Shops
Walk Capitola Avenue on a Saturday morning.
Rainbow City Limit’s wind chimes catch the breeze—copper, purple, turquoise spinning against blue sky.
Xandra’s window display stops you mid-step: a swimsuit in a pattern so bold you take a photo before you realize you’re doing it.
Sweet Asylum’s eyelet dresses in brilliant silk flutter in the doorway.
Art Inspired’s jewelry glints in morning light—handmade metals catching sun.
Pueblo Viejo’s carved doors stand open, revealing furniture in reds and coppers that glow like embers.
Color doesn’t stay contained here. It leaks out.
Onto sidewalks. Into windows. Across awnings. Up walls.
Shop owners paint their doors on purpose. They choose fabric for impact. They arrange displays for joy, not just sales.
“The whole street is a gallery. You just happen to be able to buy the art.”
The Clothing: Permission to Be Seen
Here’s what Capitola’s boutiques understand that most don’t:
People come to the beach to feel different.
They come from lives that are too gray. Jobs that require “professional” (read: boring). Cities that value blending in.
And then they walk into Katalina’s and see a dress in coral that makes them smile.
Or Xandra and find a swimsuit with hand-beading that costs more than they planned but they buy it anyway because when will they ever wear this if not now?
Or Sweet Asylum where the brilliant silk top in their window has been haunting them for three blocks and fine, they’re going in.
The boutique owners here aren’t selling clothing. They’re selling permission.
Permission to wear turquoise. To try patterns. To buy the bright thing instead of the safe thing.
“Whether you are a baller on a budget or the girl who just slaps her credit card down, we have something for you!”
Size inclusive. Budget flexible. Joy is mandatory.
“The beach doesn’t care what you wore to work. Dress accordingly.”
The Business Owners: Curators of Color
The people running these shops aren’t just merchants.
They’re taste makers.
Kathleen French at Katalina’s decided every beautiful woman deserves color in every size.
The owner at Xandra travels the world hand-selecting suits that look like art.
Sweet Asylum’s buyer chooses “the softest cotton in the most vivid colors” and means it.
Alyse Lattanzio at Art Inspired creates jewelry in-house while curating ethically sourced goods from independent makers.
Pueblo Viejo Imports hacienda furniture in reds and coppers when everyone else is selling gray.
Babette Fenton opened Rainbow City Limit in 1976 with a love of rainbows and never wavered.
These are creative risk takers.
They could play it safe. Sell neutrals. Stock what’s “in.” Follow trends.
Instead they:
- Hand-select one-of-a-kind pieces
- Create in-house
- Import from artisans
- Champion independent brands
- Say “every woman” and mean it
- Believe brilliant silk beats boring cotton
“The people who run these shops don’t follow color trends. They set them.”
For the Visitors Who Need This
This blog is for you if:
- You’ve forgotten what it feels like to wear something bright
- Your closet is 90% black and you’re tired of it
- You think “beachy” means bland
- You want permission to be visible
- You’re over “sophisticated neutrals”
- You believe joy is a valid aesthetic
April is when Capitola shows you: color is not frivolous. Color is the point.
How to Experience Color Like a Local
Morning:
- Start at Rainbow City Limit when they open
- Let the wind chimes set the mood
- Don’t leave without something bright
Midday:
- Try on the thing at Katalina’s you think you can’t pull off
- You can pull it off
- Get the swimsuit at Xandra that costs more than you planned
- You’ll wear it more than the boring one
Afternoon:
- Wander into Sweet Asylum for “the softest cottons in the most vivid colors”
- Stop at Art Inspired and talk to Alyse while she creates
- Walk into Pueblo Viejo and realize furniture doesn’t have to be boring
Evening:
- Eat somewhere with colorful plates
- Watch sunset in your new coral dress
- Realize you smiled more today than you have in months
What Makes Capitola Different
Most beach towns play it safe.
Nautical blues. Sandy beiges. Weathered whites. The kind of palette that makes everything look the same.
Capitola said no.
Not because of a marketing plan. Because the shop owners refuse.
Babette loved rainbows in 1976 and still does.
Kathleen believes every woman deserves color in every size.
Xandra’s owner treats swimsuits like art.
Sweet Asylum proves soft can be vivid.
Alyse creates jewelry while she curates it.
Pueblo Viejo imports hacienda when everyone else sells modern minimalism.
These people are not playing it safe.
And that changes everything.
“Color isn’t decoration here. It’s rebellion. Joyful, unapologetic rebellion.”
The Invitation
Come in April when the light is perfect.
Leave your neutral wardrobe at home.
Walk into Rainbow City Limit and remember what wonder feels like.
Try on the bright thing at Katalina’s.
Get the art-piece swimsuit at Xandra.
Buy the brilliant silk at Sweet Asylum.
Wear Alyse’s handmade jewelry out of the store.
Sit in the red leather chair at Pueblo Viejo and rethink your whole aesthetic.
Let this place remind you: joy is allowed.
Bright is valid.
Color isn’t extra—it’s essential.
Why This Matters Now
The world is asking you to be serious.
Professional. Productive. Optimized. Appropriate.
And here sits Capitola Village.
With shops run by people who said: What if we just… made people smile?
What if every swimsuit looked like art?
What if every woman got to wear color?
What if soft could be vivid?
What if furniture could glow?
What if rainbows never went out of style?
This place doesn’t cure anything. It just reminds you what feeling light feels like.
Plan Your Colorful Visit
Best Time: April through June for perfect light
Must-Visit for Color:
- Rainbow City Limit (Wind toys, tie-dye, rainbows since 1976)
- Katalina’s Boutique (Every woman, every size, every color)
- Xandra Swimwear (One-of-a-kind, hand-beaded, global designers)
- Sweet Asylum (Softest cottons, vivid colors, brilliant silks)
- Art Inspired (Alyse Lattanzio, handmade jewelry, ethically sourced)
- Pueblo Viejo Imports (Hacienda rustic, tooled leather, copper glow)
Bring: A credit card and an open mind
Leave Behind: The belief that neutral is sophisticated
Take Home: Something that makes you visible
Capitola Village. Where color is not decoration. It’s identity.
Travel Blog and Photos Courtesy of Opposite of East