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For the past three years, David Lee has made the drive from Thousand Oaks to downtown Santa Barbara. That’s 56 miles one way, 112 round-trip, and about 50,000 miles a year on his car.

The reason? A labor of love — as a franchisee owner of Creamistry, 935 State St.

However, Lee has decided that it’s not worth it anymore.

Lee was busy clearing his shop on Thursday, a week after he officially closed his doors to the liquid nitrogen-injected ice cream parlor.

“We had an amazing experience,” he said. “We learned a lot.”

Lee said he loved the Santa Barbara community but that the shop was no longer financially viable. It had always been a struggle, launching during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the conditions on State Street didn’t help either.

Right before a Noozhawk interview, he used bleach to clean the walkway in front of his store. The overhang provided a sleeping area for people.

Still, he said that if given the chance, he would consider opening another business on State Street down the road. Right now, he has his eyes set on something closer to his home.

“I have other plans right now,” he said.

Creamistry regularly drew a crowd. Its unique liquid nitrogen ingredient instead of ice created a cool fog that permeated throughout the store. The ice cream felt lighter and the texture smoother.

Lee said he will miss his employees and the Santa Barbara community.

“Everything was great,” he said. “We were so fortunate that we had so many great employees working here.”

He said he didn’t know whether another business would be moving into the space.

“We thank everyone for supporting us the past few years,” Lee said.

Draughtsmen Aleworks Opening in Solvang

Draughtsmen Aleworks will open a new tap room in Solvang.

The opening is set for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at 1631 Mission St.

“We could not be happier about opening in Solvang,” Scott Stefan, Draughtsmen’s co-founder, said in a news release. “We have been selling our beer, wine and cider in the valley for a number of years, and we have been listening when that community visited Goleta and asked us repeatedly when are we opening in the valley.”

It’s the third tap room for the company, which makes beer, wine, cider and hopped teas.

“We were attracted to the valley for a variety of reasons,” Stefan said.

The plan is to collaborate with next-door neighbors Coast Range and Vaquero Bar for a menu that will include handmade soft pretzels with a melted dipping cheese, fried pickles, bratwurst with freshly made sauerkraut, a hearty salad and a banana pudding dessert, according to a news release.

Hayes Celebrates 30 Years

Hayes Commercial Group is celebrating 30 years as brokerage.

Steve Hayes started the company in 1993 with John Blair. In 1997, Blair left to pursue a different business, and Hayes teamed up with Francois DeJohn.

The two have completed transactions totaling $3 billion and have grown from a two-man “boutique” shop to a full-spectrum firm with 14 brokers and four staff, according to a news release.

“We share ideas and expertise across our whole firm, which has many benefits,” Hayes said. “It gives our team members a broader awareness of the market and strategy; engenders team-building with better morale and loyalty; adds an element of variety that makes the work even more engaging; and most importantly, gives our clients access to a deeper pool of expertise.”

The firm has completed some of the largest commercial transactions ever signed on the South Coast, including the $61 million sale of the 165,000-square-foot AppFolio office campus on Castilian Drive in Goleta, the $50.6 million sale of the 195,000-square-foot flex campus at Storke Road and Bollay Drive in Goleta, and the $44 million sale of the 120,000-square-foot Procore office campus on the Carpinteria bluffs.

“I’m a people person, and for me this business has always been more about people than properties,” Hayes said in a news release. “When I look back over these three decades, rather than feeling nostalgic, I’m excited about the team I get to work with and the clients that we serve. And to have had a hand in building this team from the ground up is the icing on the cake.”

Pizza Business Closed

Pizza Online Company and Woody’s Boba Drinks in Goleta have closed.

The website has a sign above the fold that states, “Sorry, we’re closed until further notice.”

The restaurant opened on New Year’s Eve in 2019.