July 14, 2025
Odds & Ends
The Upper Village Is Getting Another Bank Branch
Plus: Swimwear chain confirmed for Coast Village Road; Loveworn has opened a Carpinteria shop; the Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury weighs in; fence proposed around the landmark Moreton Bay fig tree; electronic duo to play the Santa Barbara Bowl; Melissa Chandon paintings at Caldwell Snyder. 11
July 6, 2025
Inside the Huge New Vintage Store on State Street
Plus: More vintage and minimalist leather in the Funk Zone; estate sale pop-ups; Goodwill's donation center on Milpas has closed; real estate agent promoting negotiable fees; Fred Armisen to play the Lobero; new art gallery downtown; more sloppy road signage. 16
June 30, 2025
A Music Festival Is Coming to the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club
Plus: Two new boutiques selling women's apparel; Mācher‘s Linden Square shop opens this week; another development site in the Haley Street Corridor?; the state of the Tesla chargers at the Miramar resort; new local streaming radio station; awkward typography on the San Ysidro Road off-ramp sign; ZZ Top to play the Santa Barbara Bowl; pronouncing "jacaranda." 16
June 24, 2025
Two More Rite Aid Stores Are Closing
Plus: Inside the new 30-room vacation-rental hotel downtown; adjacent Highway 101 on-ramps to be closed for nine months; Queens of the Stone Age concert; Heidi Merrick sample sale; the July 4 celebration at the waterfront; John Waters's Halloween show; the answer to last weekend's "Where in Santa Barbara...?" 5
June 15, 2025
New Tenant for RH’s Former Store on State Street
Plus: Children's club opening in Summerland; Linden Square yoga and Pilates studio debuts next week; Santa Barbara Nissan is no longer; Pete Yorn in concert; another Santa Barbara Bowl show announced; big few weeks for Highway 101 construction; a second Ikat and Pearls shop in Ventura. 7
June 10, 2025
More on the Proposed Apartment Complex Behind the Mission
Plus: Repair of the Butterfly Beach steps; anti-Trump protest on Saturday; new shop and a relocation at Victoria Court; two new shops at The Post; this year's One805 Live! headliner; two more return appearances at the Santa Barbara Bowl; Opera Santa Barbara‘s 2025-26 season; is More Mesa at increased risk of development? 40
June 1, 2025
The Biltmore’s Reopening Has Been Pushed Back
Plus: ChatGPT's roast of Santa Barbara County; new effort to change the way Santa Barbara is run; update on the Electrify America charging station; Kaarem's Victoria Court boutique has closed; Dawes to play the Lobero Theatre; downtown building to be clad in artificial turf; note from a descendant of the proprietor of the Weeping Willow Inn. 10
May 27, 2025
New Adventure Playground in the Santa Ynez Valley
Plus: Three more shops have opened at The Post; new kids' art studio downtown; La Casa de Maria is allowing group events; update on the Manning Park tennis courts; Leslie Lewis Sigler tablescapes at Sullivan Goss; Ensemble Theatre Company's 2025-26 season; answer to last week's "Where in Santa Barbara...?" 1
May 18, 2025
May 11, 2025
Opening Date for the Linden Square Complex in Carpinteria
Plus: A winning makeover on Garden Street; changes to a busy block downtown; Mācher's Santa Ynez shop opens this week; Mad Dogs & Englishmen is returning to Montecito; another outpost of the Well; upper De La Vina Street to be one-way during bridge replacement; "special parties" in the works at the Magic Castle Cabaret; a better look at the Hilton Santa Barbara's proposed expansion. 22
















Recent Comments
Good! — Roger
Chinese Lantern Tree is so invasive and messy, its a bad street tree. Certainly be a beautiful tree in the landscaping, but it has its… — TINA
My parents cut down their Chinese Lantern tree over 30 years ago, and I still marvel at all the shoots the old root system still… — Heidi
Well- why not give the Chumash the Channel and let them operate Sable? Bring out the money making machines! I’m positive they would find a… — Christine!
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The grocery store "compostable" bags are awful and take a very long time to actually degrade. Suggestions: 1. Take your own bags to the Farmer's… — Pat
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La Arcadia or the Parking Lot behind the parking lot — ELo
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