Evolation Yoga Relocating

In early 2015, we told you about the revival of the Big Yellow House building in Summerland, which included the opening of a top-floor yoga studio, Evolation Yoga, then one of nine studio locations across the country owned by Mark Drost and Zefea Samson. The studio has undergone many changes in three years, including new co-ownership last year and a multitude of evacuations during the Thomas Fire in late 2017 and subsequent mudslides earlier this year.

Last week, studio owners announced plans to close the studio, with final classes offered on Friday, March 16. “This location has become unsustainable to us and our community,” said Drost, who shared plans to open two smaller locations in Carpinteria and Santa Barbara to continue classes and honor class packages that have already been purchased. A new studio location on Carpinteria Avenue is expected to open later this month, with a second location on Milpas Street expected to open in the summer. For updates, visit www.evolationyogasb.com.

No word yet on new tenants for the space. Belden Fine Art & Antiques, which opened early 2017, occupies the lower portion of the historic building, once home to the Big Yellow House restaurant, which closed in 2007. The roughly 4,000-sq-ft store has various rooms filled with antiques, as well as a gallery space to showcase the fine art paintings. Original woodwork, including decorative columns, a fireplace hearth, and built-in cabinetry, remain. 

The iconic house was originally built as a private residence in 1884 by the founder of Summerland: H.L. Williams. The house was purchased in the early 1970s by John and June Young, who painted it the iconic yellow color (with a bright-orange roof), against the wishes of the Summerland community. Mrs. Young passed away in 2003, and her four daughters and stepdaughters sold the building to a buyer who intended to retain yet renovate the restaurant, which eventually closed in 2007. The building went into foreclosure in 2010, and was purchased in 2011 by current owner, local contractor Paul Franz, who aimed to restore the property to accommodate retail tenants. In 2012, renovations on the property were underway, with improvements to structural integrity, façade updates, landscaping, a new parking lot configuration, and ADA accessibility. In 2015, Evolation Yoga opened in the studio space on the second floor, and a restaurant tenant was slated to go downstairs, but those plans fell through.

Revisions to the iconic sign on the property are still in the County permitting process.