••• Covet has opened at Victoria Court, in Domecíl’s original storefront (and more recently The Knit Shop and Idlewild Floral Co.). Kate McMahon’s designs—”straightforward, elegant, and timeless”—suit the space perfectly. All of the apparel is made in L.A. or hand-knit in Bolivia or here by McMahon.
••• And The Knit Shop moved to the parking lot side of Victoria Court, across from the post office.
••• Thirty-six* acres in the northwest corner of More Mesa have been preserved “from any future development,” according to an invitation to an announcement by the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, county supervisor Laura Capps, and the More Mesa Preservation Coalition this Saturday, to be followed by a community picnic. (*The Land Trust’s email says 36 acres, while MMPC’s say 34.) The More Mesa Open Space is county-owned land, as per this breakdown from the MMPC; the graphic below shows the newly preserved area outlined in red.
More Mesa consists of approximately 330 acres of private and publicly owned land. The largest portion is 265 acres of privately owned land, which includes most of the level mesa and canyons as well as the entire coastal bluff-top. [It remains on the market, currently for $65 million.] The County of Santa Barbara owns an adjacent 54 acres, designated as the More Mesa Open Space, which includes roughly 30 acres on the northwest portion of the mesa (north of the historic railroad cut), along with 20 acres of oak and riparian woodlands and wetlands along Atascadero Creek. The final segment consists of 12 acres of privately owned land at the west end of the mesa near Orchid Drive. This area includes level bluff, oak-covered slopes, riparian habitat along Atascadero Creek, and two major unofficial access trails.
••• This Thursday, October 9, Betsy J. Green (who writes The Great House Detective column for the Independent), will be at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara to discuss “tips and tricks about the best sources of information for house history research in Santa Barbara.” Tickets.
••• From the city: “The City of Santa Barbara and Alliance Bernstein invite community members to attend two public open houses to learn more about the proposed Paseo Nuevo Redevelopment. Attendees can drop in, explore project details, ask questions, and connect directly with City staff and the applicant team. The proposed redevelopment envisions a vibrant, mixed-use space with 233 market-rate housing units, 80 affordable units, over 125,000 square feet of retail, and new public areas.” The open houses are on October 15 and October 16, and the city’s page about the project is here.
••• The State Street Trading Post at 1105 State Street (Anapamu/Figueroa) first put up flyers in early 2023, and then there has been no sign of life till now, when a real sign appeared. The Instagram bio for the “collective of makers and vintage merchants” says to expect an opening later this year.
••• The annual Ojai Studio Artists Tour is this weekend (October 11-13): “This self-guided, three-day event offers an extraordinary opportunity to experience a wide range of original artwork—including painting, sculpture, fiber art, mosaic, collage, jewelry, glass, prints, and mixed media—in the unique and often surprising environments where the art is created. From tucked-away backyard studios to rustic workshops nestled in the hills, each stop on the tour offers a personal connection to Ojai’s thriving artistic community. Tickets for the full weekend are $20.” I’ve enjoyed it in the past and definitely recommend it.
••• The Painted Cabernet on State Street is working on a change to its wine-and-beer license so that it can offer classes for families, too.
••• Phone-repair shop DropSmashFix has left 12 W. Anapamu Street.
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Local Kate McMahon’s timeless and distinct women’s wear is what clothing should be: quality + style at a fair price. Her beautiful sweaters are as stylish today as they were 20 years ago. I have 3 of them, wear them often. They are among my most comfortable favorites and most often complimented. Her store has an appropriate name: ‘COVET’.