Just a few weeks after Cava leaving its longtime post on Coast Village Road, another community cornerstone is being shown the door by its landlord, as Little Alex’s has been told it needs to vacate the Montecito Country Mart by November 22. Jim Rosenfield, the retail center’s landlord, delivered the news via a letter, with […]
After 24 years of serving up elevated, authentic Mexican food on Coast Village Road, Cava Restaurant & Bar closed its doors on Wednesday, September 15. “It’s certainly sad to see this wonderful chapter close, but we are absolutely making the right call,” said owner Carlos Lopez-Hollis. “There is virtue in decisiveness with a difficult but […]
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This Saturday, September 11, marks the 20th anniversary of Montecito Deli on Coast Village Road. Owner Jeff Rypysc closed escrow on the purchase of the business on the fateful day of September 11, 2001, and since then has been feeding Montecito locals and tourists at the casual deli. Rypysc has always attributed his success to […]
Customers at Montecito’s quaint upper village grocery store may notice a new face behind the meat case: Don Fortin is the store’s new meat manager and butcher. “I have big shoes to fill,” he told us during a recent visit. Fortin was brought on the team to fill the position left by longtime butcher Tony […]
Joey Castanon, the Santa Barbara Bristol Farms store director,and his team are celebrating their one-year anniversary on August 21. With a last-minute pivot to adhere to the updated mask protocols, they are proceeding with in-store special events and freebies, like having their chef make your guacamole order with ingredients you select, 40% off meats from […]
In March, we reported on a plan to install electric bikes and docking stations on Coast Village Road by BCycle Santa Barbara, a private bike share company. Now, the company is seeking three additional docking stations in the area. “In order for us to be successful on Coast Village Road, we realized we needed more […]
Upper Village clothing and accessory boutique Juniper has moved to the Lower Village, next to Sakana in Coast Village Walk. Owner Marie Ferris, who originally hails from the East Coast, moved to Montecito in 2017 to open the store after operating a successful boutique in Del Mar for more than 16 years. Ferris’s well-known Del […]
When Jennifer Blevins opened her first electric bike shop in 2018, she explained, “Everyone thought we were crazy, but they didn’t understand electric bikes yet.” Blevins is the owner, founder, and CEO of Montecito’s new all-electric bike shop, Mad Dogs and Englishmen. The pandemic has driven dramatic growth in unexpected categories, including electric bicycles. According […]
Two months after the closure of Read N’ Post in the Montecito Country Mart, the shopping center’s newest store, Montecito Mercantile, has opened, a sister store to owner Carrie Schei’s beloved Salt House Mercantile on Bainbridge Island. The shop, which is managed and overseen by longtime retailer and merchandiser Kelly Finefrock, has been transformed to […]
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Dax and Milo may be old dogs, but they are wagging their tails for the new trick, er, brand, that has been created with their names front and center. Enter Montecito mom Amanda Tenold, who is as 93108 as they come. She grew up on East Valley, playing tennis at Knowlwood and attending Montecito Union […]
At a hearing on Tuesday, the Santa Barbara City Council considered modifying aesthetic guidelines related to the outdoor dining in the public right-of-way on State Street, and on parklets in other areas of the city, including Coast Village Road. Many in the community were under the impression that the meeting was to consider removal of […]
A new aquarium store has opened in the Upper Village, in the space formerly occupied by Stationery Collection. Aquatic Jewels is owned by longtime aquarium enthusiast Dottie Allen and her business partner Mark Amescua, who opened the shop in late April. “We’ve always wanted to open a shop here in Montecito, and when this space […]
“When life gives you kids” is the catch phrase for a new store in Montecito called Lemondrop, located in the Upper Village. Owned by Montecito mom of four, Ana Rudnicki, the new shop caters to the pre-teen or “tween” set: kids between the ages of 8 and 14. “I know I am not the only […]
When a local Santa Barbara hair stylist envisioned an ideal post-COVID world, he saw back-to-back appointments for flourishing small businesses like his own. The pandemic proved disastrous for small businesses across the globe, many forced to lock their doors for months, missing out on street passersby or walk-ins that expanded clientele. With the brewing return […]
