Tag archives: Upper Village

Project Progress Highway 101 Widening Project  The long-awaited widening project from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara was discussed at length in 2022, with countless meetings to discuss design, construction, timing, and other details related to the addition of a third lane through Montecito.  The Montecito segment of the project (called 4D) includes widening 1.4 miles of […]

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 […]

One of Santa Ynez’s most popular shops has popped up in Montecito’s Upper Village, located in the space once occupied by George Meta Jewelry near Montecito Village Grocery. Owned by Pearson and Spencer Turnbull, the company, which features its own brand of goods along with other lifestyle and clothing brands, opened in downtown Santa Ynez […]

A few persistent rumors have spread through the Montecito community, thus proving the old adage that a lie can get halfway round the world before the truth can even get its boots on. Here are a couple that we’ve thoroughly debunked: – Rick Caruso is buying the Upper Village and plans to turn it into […]

That look? That’s Marc Gelinas smiling from ear to ear — and he has plenty of windows to check out his pearly whites at his new digs on East Valley Road in the Upper Village. It’s the perfect space to not only promote his flourishing interior design business, but also his budding career as an […]

If you recently moved into the neighborhood and you want to fit right in, these few tips should assist in the transition from city slicker to Montecitan.  Despite almost a half-century of living here under my belt – and summer forays in my youth with my best friend whose grandparents had a second home in […]

For 25 years, Bissell Clinic in Montecito’s Upper Village has been helping Montecito and Santa Barbara residents deal with both chronic and acute pain. The chiropractic and physical therapy clinic provides multidisciplinary care with state-of-the-art equipment, offering patients a broad array of therapies to hone in on their ailments. “After being here this long, people […]

What’s your favorite memory of growing up here? “One of my favorite memories of growing up in Montecito is walking with friends to the Upper Village from Montecito Union School and getting a sandwich from the Village Cheese & Wine Shop. It was just the most incredible sandwich you ever had. Just cheese and meat […]

Montecito may oddly benefit from California’s post-COVID grand reopening. Coast Village Road may be one of the few dining, shopping, and hotel areas that is elegant, energetic, and well designed for the next new normal. You know the Pandemic New Normal – that’s the normal after the Debris Flow New Normal and that other new […]

Don’t even try to tell Mary Sheldon about how COVID-19 is hurting local businesses. After all, the owner of Tecolote Book Shop in Montecito’s Upper Village has been a bookseller for 30 years, the last 20 of which had the misfortune of taking place after the unprecedented rise of online shopping spearheaded by Amazon. Technically, […]

Last week – in the middle of the mess of coronavirus-related closures and several days of seemingly nonstop rain – the inevitable happened: I got a flat tire. The tire pressure light on my Prius had been on for a few days, so I did what any sensible busy person would do and swung by […]

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 […]

Rumors were rampant last Wednesday as federal agents from the Los Angeles Field Division of the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) swarmed the Upper Village to serve an inspection search warrant on the iconic San Ysidro Pharmacy and its popular owner Steve Hoyt. The audit began at roughly 9 am and ended by mid-afternoon. Customers were […]

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 […]

Outside Wendy Foster‘s signature store in Montecito’s upper village, the tables were completely occupied, but I was lucky enough to find a spot under a tree dressed in the colors of the fall season. From my perch, I could appreciate the park’s green lawn, the tables nearby under which a few furry friends had made […]

The Montecito Association is hosting a new event this Saturday, December 15: Holiday Magic in Montecito Village. The first annual event will offer family friendly fun and activities, with upper village merchants offering special treats and shopping incentives.  “We’re excited that we can bring some holiday cheer to our community, and encourage everyone to come […]

More than 1,000 people turned out to the upper village February 24, for a day of shopping, music, food, and reconnecting with business owners whose shops and eateries were closed for multiple weeks in December and January. Organized by a group of volunteers, the day included kid-friendly craft activities, musical acts at multiple stages, food […]

In an effort to boost shopping and dining in Montecito’s upper village, a group of volunteers and neighbors have planned a special shopping, music, and food event at various locations in the upper village on Saturday, February 24, from 2 to 6 pm.  Dubbed “Celebrate Montecito’s Upper Village,” the event will be a family-friendly way […]

While retailers across the country enjoyed a very Merry Christmas, retail in Montecito struggled. From hair salons to gift shops to restaurants, business owners watched helplessly as fire and ash led to mandatory evacuations, intolerable air quality and the absence of holiday tourists, all of which put a damper on holiday parties and decimated local […]