
BizHawk is published weekly, and includes items of interest to the business community. Share your business news, including employee announcements and personnel moves, by emailing news@noozhawk.com.
Nuance bar and restaurant has closed well shy of its one-year mark at 119 State St. in Santa Barbara.
With the closure, Nuance joins a list of restaurant concepts that were ushered in as quickly as they were forced to abandon the space inside Hotel Indigo.
The Blue Tavern moved out in December 2014 after a year in existence. Nuance opened last May in the location that formerly boasted the Anchor restaurant name.
“Thank you for a great run,” Nuance proprietors wrote on the eatery’s website. “We are now closed.”
Little other explanation was made public by those behind Nuance, Santa Barbara native and private chef Courtney Ladin and managing partner Bill Chait, a popular Los Angeles restaurant owner and head of Sprout LA.
He’s behind some of Southern California’s most award-winning chefs and restaurants.
Ladin had aimed to combine globally inspired cuisine with locally sourced farmer’s market ingredients.
No word yet on what will be going into the vacant restaurant space.
Creek Side Becomes Boondocks
The Creek Side restaurant at 4444 Hollister Ave. has changed its name to Boondocks under the same owners.
The restaurant that opened in 1991 recently made the change, writing a note on its Facebook page to explain that while the name is different, the spirit of the eatery is still the same.
“We are keeping all of what made Creek Side great and adding to the venue under a new name,” owners wrote. “The ownership is the same but there is new management, which has only the best interest of the venue at heart.”
Country Night Wednesdays will remain, and the Bourbon Room that doesn’t currently have regular business hours will still be available for private rentals or events.
Compass Comes to Santa Barbara
Compass, a technology-driven real estate brokerage, will expand into Montecito and Santa Barbara under the leadership of local managers John Nisbet and Leah Sternberg, both formerly of Coldwell Banker.
The Southern California firm, which launched two months ago, will also venture into Pasadena.
Compass has since hired more than 60 local agents and opened offices in Beverly Hills and Malibu, according to the company.
John Nisbet, a 30-year real estate industry veteran, will manage locations in Montecito and Santa Barbara.
Folk Mote Building Closes Deal
The Folk Mote Music building at 1034 Santa Barbara St. is set to become office space following the December closure of the 37-year-old business.
Owners Cherie Chako and Nadine Bunn had been looking to sell the building to head into retirement. They recently finalized a transaction with Santa Barbara attorney Tom Foley, according to Dan Moll of Hayes Commercial Group, who represented Folk Mote’s owners.
The details of that transaction were not disclosed, although the building will soon be marketed for lease as office space by Jason Jaeger of Jaeger Partners.
“After 37 years of being a part of the music community in Santa Barbara, it is time to close the Folk Mote and move on,” Folk Mote owners wrote on their Facebook page.
“No one could have had a better time of it. The music that would spontaneously erupt in this quaint little store was a pure joy to behold, and always left us with a sense of awe and inner happiness from one day to the next. It feels like we have all grown up together, sharing all of our lives, yet bound together by the love of music.”
Carpinteria Arts Center Buys Building
The Carpinteria Arts Center has purchased the commercial building at 865 Linden Ave. in downtown Carpinteria, according to Lee & Associates Santa Barbara.
That 2,500-square-foot building is adjacent to the Arts Center, which has a mission of enhancing the quality of life in the Carpinteria Valley through arts and culture.
With the purchase, the nonprofit can expand its programs and provide the community with more resources for the development and promotion of the creative arts.
Carpinteria is currently experiencing very low vacancy for retail spaces, particularly along Linden Avenue, according to Lee & Associates.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.

