••• Dylan Star will close its Funk Zone boutique in early 2026, and the brand will morph into an online national delivery service, Dylan Delivered. Owner Erica Brown explains the rationale in the press release: “My favorite part of owning a clothing store is the smile of delight when a customer finds the perfect outfit or accessory. Unfortunately, the challenge with a physical store is that we are limited to the inventory we have on hand. Now, instead of shopping for everyone, when I go to L.A. and elsewhere, I have my specific Dylan Delivered clients in mind. I know their sizes and preferences, and with each delivery box, my understanding of their needs grows. It’s personal shopping, delivered directly to their doorstep.”
••• Debbie commented that the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara is saying it won’t reopen till 2026, and that when she asked about holding an event there in April, she was told “an April opening is not guaranteed.”
••• Only half of the new terrace at Coast Village Walk strip mall is for outdoor dining at Sakana. The rest is being marketed as ideal for a nursery, outdoor furniture, farmers’ market cart, or retail kiosk. Small wonder, I suppose, that any available space in affluent Montecito is getting monetized.
••• Bummed about the end of the Music Academy of the West’s summer season? “The Music Academy of the West proudly announces the 2025-2026 Mariposa Concert Series, a collection of intimate musical experiences held in Hahn Hall on the Academy’s Miraflores campus in Montecito.” The fun starts in October and ends in April.
••• One of my very favorite films of all time, Wong Kar Wei’s In the Mood for Love, will be shown at the Riviera Theatre on August 22 and beyond. If you’ve never seen it, the big screen is ideal.
••• Leone Salon has moved from The Post to 111 Santa Barbara Street #C in the Funk Zone, with a grand opening party on August 22 (5-7 p.m.).
••• I finally made it out to the model homes at the Santa Barbara Polo Residences, and I think waiting was a good idea—the project has come a long way since I poked my camera over the fence. The model homes look great, like the developers actually put some thought (and money) into materials. The best ones, of course, are along the polo fields; the townhouses aren’t ready for viewing yet. (P.S. I put 120 Polo Way into Google Maps, just to make sure I didn’t get caught in the one-way Via Real work, but Google thinks it’s somewhere above Carpinteria High School.)
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Sadly, the Biltmore is in the clutches of an unhinged billionaire.
I don’t think he is unhinged, in the sense of the Tech Bros. He just doesn’t give a you-know-what.
I had the pleasure of a verbal accosting by Mr Warner- pushy and a tiny bit snobby, he actually enjoyed me engaging him…and once we got chatting, I found him rather funny. I would not want to work for him, along with him perhaps
He ruined so many local families’ livelihoods with his COVID era actions w/the Biltmore. Shameful. Not to mention how he imprisoned his partner, causing her to flee to LA to get out of his clutches. He’s a terrible person undeserving of the fortune he acquired on others’ backs.
The Great Beanie Baby Bubble is an interesting book about Warner. Let’s just say he’s not a nice fellow.
He certainly has ruined the allure and beauty of the Biltmore and now I am waiting for the same to happy at Sandpiper Golf course! Play there as often as I can and just have that feeling it will suffer that same S-L-O-W makeover……and the price will skyrocket…..
Whatever we think of Ty Warner, the fact is he owns the Biltmore property and therefore has the right to reopen the hotel, it, close it and sell it, or just let it sit empty.
Wow Dylan Star!! I always had a great shopping experience there, the owner is so genuine and kind, but I get it—brick and mortar retail is so hard. Wishing her success with Dylan Delivered!!!
Thank you so much!!
Regarding Ospi restaurant, it is owned by a restaurant group that is called Memento Mori Hospitality, which translates to remember you will die hospitality.