••• As M. noted on Instagram, the owner of the Balboa Building has been telling people that the Athleta shop will close when its lease is up, which I understand is at the end of the year. This is a blow to State Street, as other national retailers are sure to take note, and a reminder that the challenging retail landscape makes a return to State Street’s heyday unlikely.
••• The Santa Barbara Uptown Open Studios is this Saturday, July 8, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More info on the ten participating artists can be found here; Tal Avitzur’s garden looks like it’s definitely worth a visit.
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••• Commercial real estate agent Caitlin Hansel reports that JustFoodForDogs will open in the former Advance America space at Goleta’s Fairview Center.
••• The Lofts at the Mill—the mixed-use development with 26 apartments at the corner of Laguna and E. Haley—received final design approval (rendering below).
••• Country musician Charley Crockett plays the Arlington Theatre on October 6.
••• A reader wrote in asking about the wide-scale removal of fruit trees at the big Rancho San Carlos property on East Valley Road. A rep explained that “there are several blocks of trees being removed because they have exceeded their productive life. These lemon and orange trees are among the oldest in the orchard and now have very low yield. We are improving the soil structure and health by grinding the removed trees into chips and incorporating the chips into the soil before replanting the new trees. Although in the short term the young replacement trees won’t be very large, in the coming years they will be beautiful, robust and productive. Rancho San Carlos will continue to be a producing orchard for years to come.”
••• The Highland Adventures zipline park in the Santa Ynez Valley is finally about to open: “Schedules will open next week for those who book our First Flight Club,” which costs $175. No word yet on pricing after that.
••• The Community Environmental Council sent out a press release announcing “the grand opening of the Environmental Hub, a revolutionary 10,000-square-foot collaborative space located at 1219 State Street in downtown Santa Barbara, directly across from the Granada Theatre. The Hub is set to become an epicenter for community activism, education, entrepreneurship, media and art, showcasing a first-of-its-kind concept in Central California. On Thursday, July 6, at 5:30 p.m., a ribbon-cutting and grand opening community celebration will take place as part of Downtown Santa Barbara’s 1st Thursday Art Walk, and will feature the Hub’s inaugural art installation ‘Return of the Western Monarch Butterfly: A Photographic Exhibit and Scientific Roadmap for Protecting this Endangered Species’ by environmental artist Elizabeth Weber.”
••• L.A. home-design store Harbinger—a highlight from my last trip to L.A.—is popping up at the Brass Tack vintage clothing shop in Santa Ynez for the summer.
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Abbot Kinney in Venice Beach is always booming. I wonder if we could attract a similar caliber of retail (Madewell, Everlane, Warby Parker, etc.), then there’d be more demand. South Congress in Austin is also a good example. We can do this!!!
The link for the 10 artists at Santa Barbara Uptown Open Studios didn’t work. Can somebody share?
It should work now.
The architecture for that building on Haley and Laguna is horrendous, it’s almost the shape of a knife plunging into SB’s heart.