For western Goleta residents, it’s an oasis in the desert.

Fuel Depot has finally opened at 370 Storke Road.

John Price, the guru behind Fuel Depot and Point Markets across the South Coast, opened the new station quietly last week.

It won’t be a secret for long.

With prices as low as $4.35 for unleaded, it blows away the competition at the Chevron station at the corner of Storke Road and Hollister Avenue and the Mobil at the Glen Annie offramp by more than $1 a gallon.

The new station features 12 pumps. And get there soon: It’s still clean and free of gas spills on the concrete.

The Fuel Depot gas station is also about a mile away from Isla Vista, which has zero gas stations but is occupied by thousands of students.

Price purchased his first gas station at age 17 — the current Fuel Depot on the Mesa.

The company is able to offer lower prices because it purchases excess fuel from major refineries.

Price demolished the previous car wash at the site to build the gas station, but the self-service car wash will return soon. Construction is underway.

The gas station is at the site of a former drive-through coffee shop.

Price fielded offers from a variety of interests, including cannabis companies bidding far above the market price, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Dutch Bros. coffee and others to build at the site. Price said the cannabis companies, Starbucks and Chick-fil-A were immediately out of the question because he doesn’t want to create a traffic jam on Storke Road.

SloDoCo on the Way

The wait is almost over.

SloDoCo, the popular San Luis Obispo-based doughnut shop, hopes to open in Goleta at 290 Storke Road, the former site of Ortho Mattress, in October, although an exact date is unknown.

“Right now, we are still working on construction and getting approval from the city for zoning and the health department,” a spokesperson for the company told Noozhawk. “We do not have an exact date yet.”

Passersby can see the new signs that are up, and the crews have enhanced the building.

SloDoCo was founded in 2010 by husband and wife Jacob and Jessie Pickering. They met at a doughnut shop.

The company has three other locations — two in San Luis Obispo and one in Atascadero. They sell up to 100 different doughnut styles everyday.

Zaca Coffee Opening in Buellton

Zaca Coffee at 240 E. Highway 246, Unit 109, in Buellton plans to hold a grand opening Friday and Saturday.

The coffee company was founded by husband and wife duo Hayley Firestone and Dennis Patrick.

“Zaca Coffee embodies the spirit and essence of the region,” according to a news release.

There will be free drip coffee samples, pastries, and surprise giveaways, as well as mascot Llama Joe from 9 a.m. to noon.

The shop will be open at 7 a.m. with the celebration beginning at 9 a.m., followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Chamber of Commerce at 9:30 a.m., according to a news release.

“Creating a local coffee shop right in Buellton has been a dream ever since we began roasting our coffee in 2021,” Firestone said in a news release. “Opening this comfortable and welcoming space where our neighbors and community members can gather over a cup of delicious coffee is the realization of this dream.”

Tractor Supply Opens in Lompoc

Tractor Supply Co. has opened in Lompoc, marking the second location in Santa Barbara County. 

The store is located at 1600 North H St., the space that formerly housed Mervyn’s.

Open seven days a week, the store’s hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. most days and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

The Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce will celebrate the store’s grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday at the store. 

Tractor Supply carries power tools and pet supplies plus clothing, mowers, fencing and more to serve recreational farmers, ranchers, homeowners, gardeners, pet enthusiasts and others.

Other Tractor Supply stores exist in Buellton at 221 E. Highway 246 and Central Coast stores in Nipomo and San Luis Obispo. 

As of late June, the company operated 2,254 Tractor Supply stores in 49 states.

— Noozhawk North County Editor Janene Scully contributed to this report.

Village Properties Update

The average sale price of a home in South Santa Barbara County was $3.62 million, according to Village Properties’ August report. That’s up 15% from a year ago.

There were 832 sales in the region as of August. About 594 of those were single-family homes.

The average sale price for a condo was $1.62 million, according to Village Properties.