••• I’m on record as believing in the importance of having a grown-up hat, and while I’m more of a straw guy, I admire the bold style of Grand Central Fashion (sharing space with Santa Barbara Shoe Repair at 334 Anacapa St.). “Our products are very detail-oriented, and the craftsmanship we put into them is really good,” says owner Edgar Alvarez Vargas. “Currently we have a few stores that carry our products in California, Texas, Colorado, New York, and other states. A few weeks ago, we opened our storefront, where we offer hat clean-up, sizing, stretching, refurbishing, and full custom handmade hats. We currently carry straw (handwoven in Ecuador), wool and rabbit fur felt sourced in Bolivia, and beaver fur felt sourced in Ukraine. Other fabrics such as ribbons are also sourced in Europe and Tokyo.”
••• “In 2022, the series of family-friendly Friday evenings at Elings Park was canceled, with a statement that it would return for 2023, but so far there’s no indication of it coming back,” emailed M. “What’s up? We loved the low-key food truck and live music scene.” It turns out that an announcement was imminent. There will also be a concert in September.
Swinging bandleader, trumpeter, and singer Mr. Chris Norton brings his eight-piece Big Band to Elings Park for the first-ever “Music Under the Stars” concert on Saturday, August 12. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and popular local DJ Darla Bea opens the family-friendly, outdoor show with dance music at 5 p.m.
General admission tickets are now on sale, at $29 for adults and free for kids 12 and younger. Parking is limited, costs $20 per car, and must be purchased with event tickets. Ridesharing is encouraged. No dogs, please.
Concertgoers are asked to bring blankets or low-backed chairs for seating, and a large dance floor is available. Food trucks onsite include Sassafras, serving “Elevated Comfort Food” (tri-tip sandwiches, hot chicken nuggets, and grilled cheese, bacon, fried egg sandwiches); and Big Truck Foods (grilled sandwiches, burgers, loaded fries). Beer, wine, and soft drinks are also for sale.
••• The Galerie XX space at 1315 State Street (Victoria/Sola) is for rent.
••• And a block away, the former Beans BBQ space at 1230 State Street is now the Legacy Arts Listening Room, which “impacts community through social innovation driven by creative arts and education. […] The Listening Room Music Series cultivates a platform for artists to express themselves authentically in a live stage recording. […] The tradition of storytelling through song, singer songwriters sharing their music, making new friends.”
••• An update on 1915 Chapala Street: the pastor of the Christian Church of Santa Barbara says that the property changed hands in June and the church has no affiliation with the hotel conversion, despite what’s stated on the public notice. Instead, he says, the entities behind the project are “1915 Chapala St LLC, and owner Arvand Sabetian.” I’m losing track, but this might be the fourth or fifth hotel project here that Sabetian is involved in.
••• Patty Griffin and Todd Snider play the Lobero Theatre on October 20.
••• Up through July 20-ish at Colette Cosentino Atelier + Gallery: Andy Lepe‘s geometric paintings on shaped wood.
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Do you know the status of the corner of Gutierrez at State? It has been fenced-in since well before the pandemic; that green construction fencing is hideous. Seems like a valuable corner going to decay.
Was going to be mixed use eat/drink/lounge but doesn’t look like any progress made which is a shame.
Eric, any update on Seven bar opening or what is going with Azul? Seems like endless delays.