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Santa Barbara wasn’t having it Mike’s Way.
Jersey Mike’s, the chain sandwich shop at 1213 State St., has shut its doors.
”The concept, their business plan, wasn’t working downtown,” said Adam Geeb, director of asset management for Sima Corporation, which manages the property.
The company has signed a lease with Taqueria Entity LLC.
”We had a lot of local demand for that space,” Geeb said.
Jose Munoz, real estate broker for the deal, said his client signed a lease that begins May 1, and the restaurant expects to open sometime in July.
Santa Barbara Experiment Continues
The city of Santa Barbara’s “experiment” to boot cars from the 400 and 500 blocks of State Street paid off in terms of large crowds and enthusiasm, but it’s not over yet.
More than 20 pop-up shops are sharing a space at 429 and 430 State St. The pop-ups will be open through the end of May, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the week, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
The stores will feature a variety of handcrafted items.
The stores open at 429 State St. include LUNA Sandals; MANU, an online lifestyle brand; and Aroma Freedom Emotions/Essential Oils/Psychology. At 430 State St. are The Montecito Candle Company, Colibri Handmade Bags & Accessories from Latin America, and Qashi Handmade Chumash Abalone & Pearl Jewelry.
“Pop-ups bring traffic downtown and give businesses a chance to get noticed,” said Aleqwel (a Chumash name which means “maker”) Mendoza. “It’s also a showcase to help entrepreneurs get noticed long term.”
Mendoza is the founder of PopUp Town.
For a full list of Pop-Up businesses, click here.
The Pop-Ups were installed last week when the city kicked off its Santa Barbara Experiment, which brought music, food, games and arts to the downtown.
Hotel Santa Barbara Upgrade
Hotel Santa Barbara has completed the renovation of its 75 guest bathrooms.
The bathrooms include modern features, such as custom-designed vanities, glass paneled showers and tubs, and new tile. Crews also installed energy-efficient lighting and state-of-the-art energy-efficient thermostats.
Local architects Dawn Sherry of Sherry and Associates, Architects Inc. designed the bathrooms in the 94-year-old hotel.
“What began as a dream really turned into a labor of love,” said Tamara Erickson, chief financial officer of Hotel Santa Barbara. “We’ve made many improvements since my family bought this beautiful building in 1975. Hotel Santa Barbara has always been about quality and comfort for our guests, and we are excited to share these new bathrooms with Santa Barbara visitors just in time for the busy summer season.”
Each bathroom also includes the work of local artist Karin Shelton, which can also be purchased in Hotel Santa Barbara’s gift shop, Asher Market.
Drive-In Closes
The West Wind Drive-In has shut down in Goleta.
A relic of the past, the outdoor theater at 907 S. Kellogg Ave. was the last drive in to stay open in the South county.
West Wind still has drive-ins in Glendale, Arizona, Sacramento, Concord, San Jose, Las Vegas and Reno.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
