Tag archives: business
Persona Pizzeria on State Street has reopened under new ownership, despite statewide stay-at-home orders that have shut down indoor and outdoor dining in the majority of counties in California. “We know it’s not the optimal time to open a new business, but we are super COVID-safe and looking forward to offering the same delicious, freshly […]
An earthquake a century ago shook Santa Barbara but united the city. Can today’s housing and economic crises coalesce to effect similar change? The retail closures of State Street and local housing crisis are familiar topics in the area and have been discussed for years. In 2017 the Santa Barbara chapter of the American Institute […]
A warm, inviting atmosphere greets clients who step into the financial planning office of Hannah Buschbom ’10 in downtown Santa Barbara. This welcoming space has witnessed many empowering conversations, especially with women. As a wealth adviser with multiple certifications, Hannah assists those navigating significant transitions in life. As co-founder of the W Source, an organization […]
Oracle tycoon Larry Ellison, who has owned a number of homes in Santa Barbara for many years, is quitting California to live in Hawaii. Ellison, 76, the world’s 11th richest man, owns 98 percent of Lanai, the state’s sixth largest island at 140 square miles. He bought it in 2012 and employs the majority of […]
As he approaches retirement, Bruce Giffin, one of Santa Barbara’s top developers, ponders his legacy Construction is known for being a tough business. Competition is high, margins are low, cash flow swings in both directions and a shortage of skilled workers makes the industry all the more precarious. As he approaches his 35th anniversary in the […]
Signs that a community is in the throes of an historic transformation are rarely overt and almost never seismic. They’re small yet perceptible shifts that, in aggregate, tell a story of where a town or a city is coming from and where it’s most likely headed. In the case of Montecito those signs – at […]
I am saddened to hear New York’s iconic 21 Club is closing its doors after 90 years in business given the coronavirus pandemic. The five-story midtown Manhattan eatery, with its famous colorful jockey figures decorating the West 52nd Street facade, was a haven for the rich and famous since it opened in 1930 as a […]
Growing up, Mark Szekrenyi ’23 fell in love with Hawaiian sea turtles while snorkeling during family vacations. “Their peaceful majesty created a lasting bond with me,” he says. On his last visit to Hawaii several years ago, he learned just how endangered the creatures were. In the last two decades, the population of green sea […]
Dallas dynamo and former TV anchor Charles Ward, who has been promoting the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club for nearly two decades, is expanding his empire. Charles, who plays President George Washington with my King George III in the village parade each year, has forged a strategic alliance with the international luxury glossy Polo […]
A new home design store has opened in San Ysidro Village; TF Design Montecito softly opened earlier this month. Namesake owner and designer Tina Frey has personally curated the space with a comprehensive collection of her simple and modern resin designs. All pieces are conceived and hand-sculpted by Frey, and handmade by a talented and […]
Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner didn’t have to look very far for a new manager at his 500-acre, 41-cottage, five-star hostelry, the San Ysidro Ranch. Ian Williams, who replaced bonnie Scottish lass Maxine Rutledge as overseer of the historic property where the late President John Kennedy and wife, Jackie, spent their honeymoon, and actor Laurence […]
Hacienda, by Bonita Lifestyle, the latest incarnation of retail shopping therapy in Summerland by Rita Villa, opened its doors mid-November. Located just down the street from the Summerland Beach Café (and in the same row as Garde on the street behind the liquor store), the shop is the culmination of the many years of Rita’s […]
Even movie stars and the rich and famous need to play by the rules, so it should seem simple for the rest of us mere mortals. At a Summerland Architectural Board of Review meeting a few years back, the board approved a 26,000-square-foot house (by virtue of a variance on the 25-acre beachfront property) for […]
Enrico Manlapig, associate professor of economics and business, explores “Decision Analysis and the Common Good” in a live webinar on Thursday, November 19, at 5:30 pm at vimeo.com/474003951. The Westmont Downtown Lecture is sponsored by the Westmont Foundation, which helps build connections between Westmont and the greater Santa Barbara community. The webinar features special guest […]
November 4 was an incredibly important day. Not just because a Joe Biden election victory was so uncertain and the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, but also because it was the day the USA formally ended its participation in the Paris Climate Accords. This marked the end of […]
Jason Feinberg and I had known each other for almost three years before a chance conversation revealed that we were related. You see, Jason’s mother’s cousin is my half-sister-in-law’s father – and you wonder how we didn’t figure it out sooner! There’s no blood between us, which would be obvious to anyone comparing his towering […]
The Montecito Country Mart (MCM), located at 1016 Coast Village Road, is home to 21 boutique shops anchored by the Vons grocery store and Union Bank. MCM owner Jim Rosenfield acquired the mall in 2010, reconstructed its original 1960s façade and added outdoor patios to make it an upscale Montecito shopping destination. “I am so […]
There is a collective myth of how America started out as a haven for religious freedom. While there’s some truth to that, in fact, America started as a business. The first settlers in Jamestown were commercially organized as The Virginia Company, and granted a charter in 1604 to exploit New World resources for the British […]
Though Raoul Textiles can be found across the nation and across the pond, this company is as Santa Barbaran as you can get. “Our family is from here, we all live and work here, and the store is our most personal reflection of our aesthetic and how we live in Santa Barbara,” designer and founder […]
Most people have heard of “next generation” 5G wireless signal, its technical merits, and you may have even perused some research on its effects on humans including in utero. This series presents published 5G information, the status of 5G in our town, and interviews to provide current vetted information with references for the reader. About […]
