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It’s the oldest retail store on Coast Village Road. In June, it will close its doors for good.

Montecito Natural Foods, at 1014 Coast Village Road, Suite B, lost its lease in the Montecito Country Market. It first opened in 1963.

““It was pretty shocking,” owner Slim Gomez said. “We are having a lot of anxiety about leaving the community.”

Gomez had a month-to-month agreement with Jim Rosenfield, who has a long-term lease on the mall. It’s been a rough ride since word started to spread that the store would close in mid-June.

Gomez, who earned her nickname “Slim” from the 1944 film “To Have and Have Not” because she was tall and slim like one of the movie’s stars, Lauren Bacall, said she will miss all of the intimate relationships that the business developed with customers.

“It is too difficult for us to find a facility that is close by where we could still support the Montecito area,” the 73-year-old Gomez said.

She and her husband, Gabe, pay about $9,000 a month for 1,000 square feet in the Montecito Country Mart.

Any new place in town wants a five-year lease, Slim Gomez said.

“We have hung in there as long as we could,” she said.

Longtime store manager Matt Mosby grew up in Montecito. He remembers getting his hair cut at Montecito Barbers. He said Coast Village Road has changed.

“People are mad,” Mosby said. “They are disgusted with the L.A. influence coming into Montecito.”

The store, which specializes in selling supplements, vitamins and other health products, is not struggling, he said.

Mosby said he understands that Rosenfield has a legal right to do what he did, but “I am not happy about it.”

“I am going to miss the customers,” Mosby said. “I grew up with many of these customers. I will miss my co-workers, of course.”

Sunstone Cannabis Spritzers

Sunstone Estate in the Santa Ynez Valley is now selling its direct-direct-to-consumer Sunstone Spritz sparkling beverage.

“The drink is made from natural juice flavors and single-origin, full-spectrum, sun-grown cannabis rosin from Santa Barbara County,” according to a news release.

The Sunstone Spritz offers 5 milligrams of activated THC and is available in four flagship flavors: grapefruit orange, peach-passion fruit, pineapple coconut, and watermelon.

“It’s been our dream and vision to transition a globally recognized wine brand into a new, inclusive era of both wine and cannabis,” Sunstone President Teddy Cabugos said. “We believe Santa Barbara County is the pinnacle agricultural region to produce world-class cannabis products, as it is for wines, and are committed to highlighting region-specific, agricultural quality in both markets.”

Sunstone also announced this week the launch of a related beverage additive product, the Sunstone Splash, a water-soluble, full spectrum rosin-based emulsion that can be added to any beverage for an enhanced experience.

“Our 30-year established brand and audience provides a unique opportunity to bring mainstream the therapeutic health and wellness benefits of cannabis,” Sunstone CEO Djamila Cabugos said. “Our new Sunstone beverage line provides access to these benefits in a relatable way to consumers who value superior quality and single-origin craft, reflective of regionally specific terroir. Most importantly, we are committed to doing so in a way that respects the health of our community and environment.”

Patrons can purchase the Sunstone Spritz online at sunstonecannabis.com for delivery within Santa Barbara County.

New Home Meal Delivery Company

The kitchen comes to you.

Local Sophie McNally has launched Kitchenette, “an innovative, family-style food company that brings family favorites right to your freezer door, launching online orders and local deliveries on April 12th, 2023.”

“After so many years working in restaurants, there are certain non-negotiable from my time in the hospitality industry that I wanted to bring with me to my work at Kitchenette,” McNally said in a news release. Those things include “exceptional ingredients, outstanding customer service and a serious commitment to deliciousness.”

Customers can order online and enjoy Kitchenette’s local delivery in the Santa Barbara area, scheduled every Wednesday and Sunday.

“Once the food arrives, it can be stored in the freezer until ready to heat and enjoy for up to three months without losing an ounce of flavor,” McNally said in a press release.

Kitchenette’s launch menu will feature four main entrees, each paired with side dishes. Meals will be frozen and packaged in a single pan, with four servings per dish, priced at $48 per family-size meal ($12 per serving). 

The launch menu includes Santa Maria barbecue chicken, turkey meatballs and spaghetti squash, chicken tinga burrito bowl and harvest lasagna.

For more information, email hello@getkitchenette.com.

Sweet Reef Boba Opens

Sweet Reef Boba has opened at 620 State St. in Santa Barbara.

“We are very eager to finally host our official GRAND OPENING this Monday, April 10th!” the company posted on Instagram.

It will be open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.