Tag archives: business

Montecito Natural Foods in Montecito Country Mart will vacate its long-held space by the end of June, after being given notice that its lease is not up for renewal. The shop, dedicated to offering health food products, vitamins, beauty products, and more, has been in business nearly 60 years, with the most recent owners, Gabe […]

From candles to Coast Village: Montecito Collective, a small business owned by 25-year-old Virginia Barlow and her partner Daniel Heald, has opened a space at 1250 Coast Village Road next to Warner Group Architects. The business was founded in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and started as a retailer of candles. Two short years later, […]

Another new store has also opened in Montecito in the last month: Wunderkind is the newest tenant of San Ysidro Village, located in the former home of Birgit Klein Interiors, next to Hogue & Co. Founded by Philip Manghisi, Wunderkind has a flagship store in Scottsdale, Arizona, which opened in 2022.  Wunderkind is German word […]

To the Hilton Garden Inn where the Santa Barbara chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners hosted its annual BRAVO Awards lunch celebrating eight women as community, industry, and business leaders. This year’s 109-guest ceremony, titled “Dream Big, Power On,” was the largest since the awards launched nine years ago, and was created […]

The largest golf store in Santa Barbara and Montecito is under new ownership, featuring 25-year-old local resident Alex Bollag at the helm. Golf Max is located next to Harry’s Plaza Café in Loreto Plaza and opened for business last fall.  The location was formerly a golf store called The Golf Klub; owner Tom Noyes announced […]

In November, Montecito residents watched in dismay as carpenters and electricians dismantled two-thirds of the popular outdoor dining parklets at Lucky’s Steakhouse and one half of the parklets serving Tre Lune Ristorante to restore four new parking spaces on Coast Village Road (CVR).  Nearby, the city parklet guillotine fell on Jeannine’s Restaurant & Bakery, which […]

Former Montecito fashion magnate Terry Pillow is fit to be tied! Terry, a former head honcho with Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Coach, and Tommy Bahama, who opened his new bijou bridle leather boutique on Coast Village Road, a tiara’s toss from Tre Lune last month, has a most unusual rug at the entrance to his […]

Montecito’s Aimee Miller recently opened Home Crush on Lillie Avenue, after converting a 1930s ocean-view Bungalow into an interactive design studio with multiple rooms, terraces, and destinations. “We kept the home feeling like a residence, but removed the doors so customers can come in and actually see stuff and how it lives in a room,” […]

The turkey has been put to rest (or maybe it put us to bed), and the holiday season is underway. With so much around our beloved town, it is easy to shop and support local. This is part one of four articles featuring the local stores that make our area so distinct.  This week features […]

On behalf of the entire ownership team, thank you to the community for supporting our application for a new cannabis retail dispensary in the Carpinteria Valley. While we recognize we have some additional hurdles to clear, we are 100% confident that Roots Carpinteria will open for business at 3823 Santa Claus Lane in 2023.  I […]

In 2010, Mark Okrusko, founder of Airtime Watertime, was surfing at Rincon Beach when he was caught in a rip current. He struggled to swim toward the surface, but his efforts amounted to nothing. Rip currents, “powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water,” catch tens of thousands of people in the United States every year. According […]

Blue skies, swaying palm trees, and warm weather make our city the perfect setting for California Dreamin’, but diners can still find hearty winter dishes on the menus of many of Santa Barbara’s best eateries.  Game birds, root vegetables, chestnuts, truffles, and other seasonal ingredients are among the rich cornucopia of flavors awaiting diners. “You […]

This past Monday, Halloween, Here’s the Scoop at Coast Village Plaza closed its doors, just nine months after owners Ellie and Bob Patterson sold the business to a new owner. According to an employee at the shop, the business will be closed until January, when it will reopen as a different concept.  Rumor has it […]

Earlier this year the Las Aves business complex on the corner of E. Cabrillo Blvd, Channel Drive, and Los Patos Way, across from the Andree Clark Bird Refuge, sold to a Los Angeles-based investment group to the tune of over $19M. Now, rumors are swirling that the group, called the Runyon Group, have big plans […]

A new, locally-owned retail store has opened in Coast Village Walk, next to Blenders in the Grass. Montecito mom Emma Morton-Smith owns the new business, which offers an array of modern party décor and gifts from various on-trend brands.  Located in the former location of PLNT PWRD MRKT, Montecito first “meat-less” market, which closed in […]

Montecito’s Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro restaurant, which has been closed since the pandemic, is having a new lease on life. The Charter Oak Restaurant in St. Helena in the heart of the Napa Valley run by chef Christopher Kostow, also of the Michelin 3-starred The Restaurant at Meadowood (TRAM), has just allegedly signed a lease […]

California, which already ranks dead last in Chief Executive’s “Best and Worst States for Business,” just took another giant leap backward. On Labor Day, September 9, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law, a new,deceptively named “Fast Food Recovery Act.” This legislation has nothing to do with fast-food recovery. Instead, once again, the government […]

Mesa Burger owner Chris Chiarappa confirms that his Montecito location on Coast Village Road is permanently closed. “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we are announcing the permanent closure of our Montecito location. We will be forever grateful to all our wonderful guests and the entire Montecito community for their gracious support. We […]

Step inside AMA Sushi, Rosewood Miramar’s new upscale dining room, and experience an homage to Edomae – a centuries-old Japanese culinary tradition that has resurfaced in recent years. Named for women who ventured into the ocean to collect seafood for their village, “ama” means “women of the sea.”  The team at this beachside resort is […]

The newest buzz in the air is the grand opening of the World Headquarters of Silver Air (SA), at 225 State Street, celebrated with a soirée Friday, September 9. The announcement comes at prime time heading into the fourth quarter for global business and wealth management.  On board at the event were its co-founders and […]