Santa Barbara loves its dogs.

Now, here comes the Boss Dog.

Owner Mikey McKennedy has expanded his Palm Springs Boss Dog streetwear clothing brand and art prints shop into Santa Barbara, at 811 State St., inside Paseo Nuevo mall. He started Boss Dog in 2018.

He’s a punk guy, a graphic artist, with a creative mind.

“I have always loved Santa Barbara,” McKennedy said. “It reminds of what Palm Springs offers. It’s this idyllic destination, people love living there, people love traveling there. It’s kind of on the outskirts of Los Angeles. It’s like this adventure, kind of magical place.”

Devin Eklund managed the Palm Springs shop but moved to Santa Barbara to run the store. McKennedy trusted her to run the store, while he splits his time between Santa Barbara and Palm Springs.

“I wanted to be on State Street, but we’re not the kind of business size-wise that could pay State Street rent, but found this little spot off the side in Paseo Nuevo and said, ‘It’s expensive for us.’ It’s a risk, but it just seemed like an opportunity I had to pursue.”

Eklund, who worked at the Palm Springs shop for six years, said she loves Santa Barbara and that running the store downtown has been an incredible experience.

“It’s a dream come true for me,” she said.

The store sells T-shirts with original prints and phrases, such as “Gimme Some of That Medical Marinara” with Garfield on it, or “Welcome to the All Love Garden, When You’re Here You’re Family,” with a skeleton in a hat watering flowers.

There’s also a T-shirt that states, “ADHD, A Dog Inside My Head Who Doesn’t Let Me Finish My Thoughts.”

“Even when I was in punk bands, I was the one doing all the fliers and the record covers,” McKennedy said.

He was an artist and a musician who worked in bars and restaurants, and ended up having a knack for art.

“I realized that I liked art and design better because you don’t have to carry really heavy amps up and down stairs, and you don’t have to break your back to play a show for five people,” he said. “You are not dependent on the whims of your band.”

Plus, drawing was a childhood passion.

“I have been drawing before I was doing anything else,” McKennedy said.

He said about 90% of his work is hand-drawn.

“I am sort of in the business of making clothing, design, apparel and retail all work,” McKennedy said.

He describes his store as “his personality on a plate.”

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

And the name? McKennedy said he used to go to a bank where there were glass jars with water and a frog in them. The aquatic dwarf frogs kept dying, he said, so he offered to take the last three home with him.

He called them John Frogerty, Mr. Businessman and Ghost Frog.

“All my friends thought this was hilarious,” he said, “so they started calling me ‘boss frog,'” which morphed into Boss Dog.

Palace Grill Closing in September

Another Santa Barbara restaurant has gone down.

Palace Grill announced on Instagram on Thursday that it will close its doors. It has been unprofitable since even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Barring an angel or flock of angels coming to the rescue, we will be closing our doors,” the statement said.

The Cajun food restaurant at 8 E. Cota St. has been open for nearly 40 years.

Laura Knight, the owner of Pascucci on the 500 block of State Street in Santa Barbara, told Noozhawk she was “sad” about the closure.

“There’s a feeling that locals just are not patronizing downtown like they used to,” Knight said. “I know shopping trends changed with COVID. People don’t go to movies like they used to.”

Knight and others representing the restaurants and businesses downtown are encouraging people to return to help businesses survive.

“We can’t survive on just the tourists on weekends and summer,” Knight said.

The Daisy Ordered to Remove Tables — Again

The Daisy restaurant owner Dominic Shiach is fed up with the City of Santa Barbara.

He fired off a letter to the City Council on Thursday expressing his frustration with what he believes is an anti-business sentiment.

Last November, he was ordered to remove his parklet because the city was opening a lane for vehicle traffic on the 1200 block, to help people make drop-offs in front of the Granada Theatre. He moved his tables to the sidewalk.

“In the belief we would become a pilot scheme for using the space adjacent to the sidewalk, we put a smattering of our tables and benches on the sidewalk,” he wrote. “Nevertheless, we were given a final warning last week about these few tables and benches and have now removed everything.”

He described the action as “cruel,” particularly at the height of summer.

He said he wants the city to reconsider.

“All we ask is the same speedy and thoughtful consideration. It is very straightforward. We feel like we’ve been forgotten,” Shiach wrote.

Goleta Noodle Restaurant Opens

Pang Zi Noodle Shop in Goleta held a soft opening Thursday afternoon, according to Instagram.

The restaurant, at 4427 Hollister Ave., is a fast-casual restaurant that serves Vietnamese pho and fresh noodle and rice plates.