Ocean Avenue is the spine of the village. Carmel’s first bakery, the Carmel Bakery, opened in 1899 as the first bakery on the street, and the Pine Inn, which opened in 1903, still stands near it. In 1923 Edward Kuster built the Theatre of the Golden Bough there, and the courtyard beside it is often called Carmel’s first shopping center.
In 1932 the city developed Devendorf Park on the block of Ocean Avenue and Junípero Street, and the park is where the town gathers for outdoor events.
Because Carmel has no chain restaurants, billboards or parking meters, the street feels more like a village high street than a commercial strip.