Good things come in small packages.

Especially pieces of chocolate, and a charming boutique shop about 215 square feet in Montecito’s Upper Village.

Marley’s Confections is the area’s newest destination for chocolate.

“My chocolates are a European traditional chocolate with a California twist on it,” cheery owner Marley Van Sicklen said.

She opened in December, and she’s all the buzz.

“This is such a great community here,” Van Sicklen said. “People are very friendly.”

She said she started making chocolate in her kitchen about seven years ago, after spending years as a pastry chef.

She completed the Ecole Chocolat Professional Chocolatier Program and has participated in advanced training courses at the Melissa Coppel Chocolate School in Las Vegas.

For Van Sicklen, making chocolate is a science and an art. She takes about three days to make it, and there are many stages along the way.

“At any point you can drop the ball, and it doesn’t make it to the shelf,” she said.

Van Sicklen said her ingredients are very sensitive, but “I enjoy the challenge.”

She fell in love with European chocolate after eating her first Swiss chocolate bar at age 10.

“It tasted totally different,” she said.

Van Sicklen buys her chocolate from Swiss, Belgian and French companies. Even though she opened in December, she’s been a hit at Field + Fort Cafe in Summerland for years.

She sells a variety of confections, including the turmeric and coriander caramel, cafe latte, chocolate ganache caramel, crunchy hazelnut praline, mocha hazelnut ganache, salted vanilla caramel and chocolate-covered pretzels.

Find Van Sicklen and her chocolates in her shop at 1482 E. Valley Road, Suite 52.

“I love this spot,” she said.

Brutal Power Building Gym Coming to Downtown

The Brutal Power Building Gym has leased 1236 Chapala St. in Santa Barbara. Hayes Commercial Group broker Caitlin Hensel announced the deal.

“This gym will offer high-end fitness equipment that nobody else has in Santa Barbara,” owner Eziekiel Sarabia said in a statement on Instagram. “If you’re looking for more of a private gym experience to escape your typical commercial gym chaos, this is the gym you want to join.”

The statement said that only a certain number of members will be allowed, in order to avoid overcrowding. The facility will include two showers and one posing room.

Eight classes will be offered Monday through Friday. Strength Crews, an in-depth weightlifting class, will be “the heart and soul of the gym,” according to the statement.

“Classes start June 1, 2025, but the official grand opening day is Aug. 1, 2025, for general membership user (open gym),” he wrote.

Retail Leasing Slows Down

Small retail spaces are popular in Santa Barbara, but larger spots are leasing at a slow rate.

According to the Radius Commercial Group’s third-quarter report: “While the 12 new retail
leases signed in Q1 surpassed the eight recorded in Q4 2024, total absorption remained modest, with just 17,512 SF removed from the market.

“The trend of stronger demand for smaller retail spaces persisted, while larger spaces remained increasingly difficult to lease.”

The largest lease of the quarter was a 3,081-square-foot spot at 1230 State St. by Pascucci.

“While the lease is not notable for its size, the continued presence of long-standing operators on State Street is an encouraging sign for the city,” the report states.

More from the report:

The former Nordstrom building at 817 State St. is now marketing its entire 33,053-square-foot first floor as available retail space.

Hook Line & Sinker — around since 1976 — signed a five-year lease at Las Positas Center.

805 University relocated from 920 State St. to Paseo Nuevo.

Overall, small local businesses seem to be driving State Street.

“The continuation of small businesses accounting for the vast majority of Q1 leases highlights the vital role locally owned operators play in Santa Barbara’s retail landscape,” the report states. “While national tenants do maintain a presence, the data clearly reflects that small businesses are the primary engine driving the local retail economy.”

Bank Merger

Columbia Banking System will acquire Pacific Premier Bank in an all-stock transaction.

The combined company will have approximately $70 billion in assets and will be a market leader in the largest banking markets within the western United States, according to a news release.

“We have worked tirelessly for more than two decades to build a strong franchise at Pacific Premier,” Steve Gardner, chairman, president and CEO, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to join Columbia, a company whose culture, business model and credit discipline align with our own.”

Pacific Premier stockholders will receive 0.9150 of a share of Columbia common stock for each Pacific Premier share they own. The merger is valued at about $2 billion, or $20.83 per Pacific Premier share, based on Columbia’s closing stock price of $22.77 on April 22, according to a news release. Pacific Premier is based in Irvine, with a location in Santa Barbara.

Gardner and two other current Pacific Premier directors to be mutually agreed upon by Columbia and Pacific Premier will join the Columbia board upon the completion of the transaction. The definitive merger agreement was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of Columbia and Pacific Premier, according to the statement.