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Montecito Bank & Trust of Santa Barbara has opened a new full-service branch on Cliff Drive on the Mesa.
“We have such deep roots in Santa Barbara that we already felt like the Mesa was a part of our MB&T family, and now it truly is,” Janet Garufis, Montecito Bank & Trust chairman and CEO, said in a news release. “We recognized that Mesa businesses and residents have experienced significant changes in the banking options available to them over the past several years, and we felt it was important to bring community banking back to this unique and charming neighborhood.”
The newly constructed branch includes a state-of-the-art, 162-square-foot TV wall featuring local imagery, client stories and community happenings.
At the bank, clients have access by appointment to locally based commercial lending and business banking relationship managers as well as knowledgeable advisers and mortgage specialists.
When the community is able to resume in-person gatherings, the 2,600-square-foot branch includes a 180-square-foot Community Room, which will be available for nonprofit and community use, according to a news release.
“We have been working on the construction of this branch for quite some time and continued to move the project forward as quickly and safely as we could during the COVID-19 pandemic,” President and COO George Leis said.
The branch, at 2034 Cliff Drive, plans to hold a grand opening event at a later date.
A limited number of people are allowed in the branch at one time, and masks are required for all associates and clients standing in line and inside the branch itself.
Founded in 1975, the bank celebrated its 45th anniversary on March 17 and operates 11 branch offices in Santa Barbara, Goleta, Solvang, Montecito, Carpinteria, Ventura, Camarillo and Westlake Village.
“Even as we expand our digital banking options to provide world-class online and mobile banking experiences, we are committed to our branch banking locations that are at the center of the highly personalized customer service that has become synonymous with MB&T,” Garufis said.
Mercury Lounge Fading
Goleta’s iconic Mercury Lounge is in jeopardy, and a former employee has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help save the bar.
“A longtime hub for arts, music, vintage kitsch and great beer and wine, the Merc is a warm and welcome gathering place for people of all kinds,” organizer Sheryl Schroeder wrote on the GoFundMe page. “It is a hub for UCSB grad students and intellectuals, and it is an important music venue that is desperately needed in our area. Not to mention, the Mercury boasts one of the coolest Tiki patios on the Central Coast.”
She wrote that restaurants and bars all over the country are suffering because of COVID-19 and that “the very fabric of our community would change if we lost the Mercury Lounge.”
The bar is at 5871 Hollister Ave. in Old Town Goleta. As of Thursday evening, more than $1,700 had been raised toward the $10,000 goal.
“Imagine our town with no local pubs, but only big chain places to go for a drink,” Schroeder wrote. “We can pull together our community and float the Merc’s boat. It’s really crucial. Give what you can today. Every dollar adds up, no contribution too small.”
Click here for more information about the GoFundMe campaign.
Olio e Limone Pivots
Olio e Limone has transformed its Olio Crudo Bar into Olio Bottego, a spot that serves Italian breakfast, espresso drinks, schiacciate (focaccia panini), grab and go pasta, bottled cocktails, wine and other items.
The restaurant pivoted from its Olio Crudo Bar, a 20-seat raw fish dining lounge and bar, into Olio Bottega because of social distancing rules inside the small spot.
The new setup features walkup takeout and outdoor seating.
It is open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Santa Barbara Tax Revenues Down
The City of Santa Barbara’s hotel bed tax revenues continue to plummet.
The city collected $1.6 million in transient occupancy taxes for August, about 33 percent lower than the same month in 2019. The city took in $2.8 million in July and August, the first two months of the fiscal year. Overall, it is 41 percent lower so far than the year prior.
The city’s adopted hotel bed tax budget is $17.2 million.
— 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.
