Tag archives: business

When Did You Start Your Business in Montecito? “I’ve been here for twenty-six years. I used to work at the café at the Montecito Inn. I can’t remember the name now, it was so long ago. But I came to Montecito and was working there for a while and there was a little flower stand […]

Q. With COVID-19 changing the way we interact as a community, how are you making it work through this difficult time and do you have any tips to share? A. Here at the Summerland Salon & Spa, we’ve worked together as a team to think of innovative ways to stay in touch with our clients. […]

Locally, many Montecito businesses are having to pivot in order to stay in business during the shelter-at-home order. Each week we’ll be featuring one or more businesses and explain what they are doing to stay in front of their customers. If you would like to be featured, send me an email at kelly@montecitojournal.net. Two local […]

I’m hoping you know my wines. I suspect many Montecitans know Marni and I as participating residents. I have been involved in the wine scene as a retailer, restaurateur, and now as a full-time vintner for some 38 years. I am the producer of Margerum and Barden wines and a consultant for many other wineries […]

Friends and neighbors Dottie Allen and Carole Shafran have turned their love of creating beautiful things into a business, opening Reflections in Montecito’s upper village. Located between Wells Fargo and Montecito Village Grocery, the small space showcases the ladies’ love of the sea. The space was originally built out for an area in which to […]

Santa Barbara Fiduciary ­– which is based in Montecito ­– recently marked 11 years in business. Owner Lindsay Leonard says the idea for starting the company arose from her experience helping her grandmother navigate Alzheimer’s; Leonard says she struggled to meet the demands of rapid changes in her grandmother’s health and needs, and wanted to […]

Two longstanding stores in Montecito’s Upper Village have announced their impending closures: jewelry shop and gallery, Oliver & Espig, and stationery store The Stationery Collection. Oliver & Espig was founded 46 years ago by owners Glenn Espig and Ingerid Ekeland, and was located in Santa Barbara’s La Arcada before moving to the Upper Village in […]

Leadership Vacuum Q. Why are there so many stores downtown that are empty? There are other towns like San Luis Obispo and Palm Springs that have made successful efforts. Why isn’t Santa Barbara doing more? – Mathew in Montecito Clearly, there are problems with downtown retail struggling all over the country as online purchasing grows […]

An Upper Village dress shop for over half a century, Giuliana Montecito has a new creative director that is focusing on its past as much as the present. Mandana Mir is a millennial with an old soul, carrying herself with mannerisms reminiscent of English high society. Maybe her background has something to do with it […]

Last week marked the first anniversary in business in Montecito for husband and wife team Brendan Smith and Rachel Greenspan, owners of Bettina in Montecito Country Mart. “It’s been a lot of work, but an overwhelmingly positive experience,” Greenspan told us earlier this week.  Riding on the coattails of the success of their mobile pizza […]

Over the last few years, Coast Village Road has seen the arrival of more than a handful of new eateries, offering Montecito’s lower village an array of exciting dining options, the majority of which are locally owned and operated. In an effort to showcase its burgeoning restaurant scene, the Coast Village Association presents the inaugural […]

Roald Dahl could have invented the Short Story Dispenser. The Dahlian gizmo, that spews out free stories to an on-the-go or bored public at the push of a button, is the machination of Short Édition, a French company based in Grenoble. The publishing company, created in 2011, has more than 9,000 authors, who submit short, […]

Coast Village Road’s Liquor & Wine Grotto owners Jason Herrick and Brian Brunello will mark 10 years of ownership this Saturday, August 3. While the store has been in existence since 1976, Herrick and Brunello have spent the last ten years perfecting the shop, and forming connections with loyal clientele. “We appreciate them more than […]

Longtime Montecito optometrist Cornelius Mietus has announced his relocation to San Roque after 38 years in business on Coast Village Road. “I signed my lease here in late 1980, and I can’t believe how quickly it’s flown by!” Dr. Mietus said during a recent visit to the small optometry shop.  Dr. Mietus has been providing […]

It was a very in-tents occasion when Montecito dynamic duo, Justin and Mindy Mahy, hosted a boffo bash to mark their New Zealand company Kopu Sparkling Water’s high goal challenge at the Santa Barbara Polo Club. Justin’s mother, Pam, and father, Arthur, flew in for the occasion from Auckland on the country’s North Island, for […]

Fitness clothing company lululemon is opening a seasonal pop-up shop in Coast Village Walk, marking the grand opening next week with a trio of fitness events. The pop-up, which will stay at least through the holiday season, is slated to open on Friday, June 28.  The store will offer women’s and men’s athletic clothing and […]

Poppy Marché store owners Jenny Belushi and Heather Whitney Rosenfield opened their third store location in Montecito at the Montecito Country Mart on May 17. Heather’s husband, Jim, the owner of the Montecito Country Mart shopping center, was on hand to help with opening day festivities that also included the launching of the Caffe Luxxe […]

Westmont alumna Megan Alexander ’02, a correspondent with Inside Edition, presented “A Seat at the Table: Why Women Must Pursue Careers of Influence” at the fourth annual Westmont’s Women’s Leadership Luncheon at the Four Seasons Biltmore. Spearheaded by Kirsten Moore, the women’s head basketball coach and director of the Women’s Leadership Initiative at Westmont, the […]