Arnoldi’s left us, then came back.
Shalhoob’s needed a new scene.
And we discovered Kin.
What a difference a year around the sun makes.
We love our food and restaurants, and this year in BizHawk, their comings and goings dominated Noozhawk readership.
The most-read BizHawk story of 2024 was Shalhoob’s, the meat company restaurant that closed the door at the Santa Barbara Public Market, only to experience a resurgence with a new location in the Magnolia Shopping Center.
Shalhoob’s kept its popular Funk Zone location, and the new spot expands to a new audience of Goodlanders.
We all worried that we lost one of Santa Barbara’s authentic Italian restaurants when Arnoldi’s abruptly announced it was closing it May. However, the summer separation didn’t last long.
By August, Arnoldi’s reopened with Sara Skrinski in charge. She is the daughter of David Peri, who owned the restaurant until he died earlier in the year. Skrinski opened the doors again with a few changes and improved flavor.
Also among the most-read stories this year was John Thyne and his business partners re-opening and restoring The Harbor Restaurant in Santa Barbara.
Thyne, an attorney, wife Olesya and business partners Gene Sanchez and his wife, Carolina Jimenez, purchased the restaurant and said they plan to return it to its “glory days for locals and visitors with exceptional dining.”
The four purchased The Harbor Restaurant and Longboard’s Grill upstairs in 2023.
However, the sleeper restaurant story of the year, and one of BizHawk’s top reads, was Kin, an eatery owned by Tommy Chang and business partner Will Chen inside the Turnpike Shopping Center. The doughnut shop easily attracts two hour-plus lines, but like anything great, it’s worth the wait.
They sell mochi and brioche doughnuts, along with Thai ice tea and other sweets. The line can get as long as 100 people at one time. Chang worked at a tech company but gave it up to follow his heart, and took Chen with him, who was his boss at the time.
Check it out and get there early.
Despite the difficult regulatory environment, Santa Barbara and the South Coast seem to get their share of new restaurants, almost weekly.
Among the restaurants that opened in 2024 were Jonesy’s Fried Chicken, Finney’s Crafthouse, La Cantina and SloDoCo in Goleta. (Even if sugar isn’t your thing, SloDoCo has one of the coolest hangouts with couches, games and bean bags to lounge in.)
The Goodland also got a new Wingstop, and my favorite, Yummy Thai in Old Town Goleta.
Santa Barbara also welcomed Happy Cat Eats on Cabrillo Boulevard; Namaste Indian Bistro, Indian Tandoori Kingdom, Best BBQ, Cookie Plug and Nick the Greek opened on State Street; Little Bird Kitchen came to the Santa Barbara Public Market; and Little Alex’s moved into the Five Points Shopping Center.
In addition, Jonathan Yona Estrada, the entrepreneur behind Yona Redz, finally opened Santa Playa Mariscos on State Street.
The fresh fish and seafood at the restaurant, such as red snapper, wild shrimp and Spanish octopus, are the highlights of the experience. Estrada also moved Yona Redz to the same location for now, but he plans to open in a separate location next door.
Montecito also had its fair share of openings this year.
Restoration Hardware, or RH as it’s known, opened a restaurant and gallery on East Valley Road, and Bar Lou, Lilac Montecito and Alma Fonda Fina all welcomed people on Coast Village Road. Lion’s Tale is also is serving stiff drinks at the Montecito Inn.
It wasn’t all good news for restaurants, especially if you’re vegan. Closures included Oliver’s on Coast Village Road and Mesa Verde on Santa Barbara’s Mesa.
One of BizHawk’s most-read stories was about the demise of Derf’s. The restaurant closed after nearly 50 years, at the corner of Mission and De la Vina streets in Santa Barbara.
No place said “local” like Derf’s did.
The Funk Zone also lost the popular Metropulos. Trattoria Vittoria on Victoria Street near downtown also closed.
Retail News From 2024
Although retail has struggled in downtown Santa Barbara, there were some bright spots.
Brook Rademacher knitted her first scarf 23 years ago, and opened her first knit shop in 2024.
The Knit Shop on State Street offers an an array of yarns in multiple colors, inside a sunny boutique shop in Victoria Court.
In the Funk Zone, Molly Davis and Parker Simon, along with their newborn, opened men’s clothing store Tendrel. They sell denim, jeans, flannels, socks, hats and more.
As for State Street, it’s still in flux. A few leisurewear stores opened downtown, including Vuori, which has gone against the perception that retail is dying. Smaller clothing retailers gobbled up shops, but CVS announced a closure. The 99 Cents Only store closed, but was replaced by a Dollar Tree store in the 400 block. The Wendy Foster store also closed.
Although there was fear that Cost Plus World Market would close, owner Peter Lewis said the retailer signed a three-year lease to stay in the spot.
Speaking of Lewis, he opened the downtown Soltara apartments, which he and business leaders hope will infuse energy into retail and restaurants downtown.
The City of Santa Barbara is embracing housing on State Street and working with property owners to make it easier to convert commercial properties into housing.
State Street itself is still an unwieldy amalgamation of cars, electric bikes, pedestrians, skateboarders, dog walkers — and a lot of frustration.
In downtown Carpinteria, the big news this year was from Robitaille’s Fine Candies, which closed after nearly 40 years so the owners could spend more time with family.
What might have been the biggest business story of 2024? Fuel Depot opened in Goleta.
OK, maybe not the biggest story, but it certainly brought relief to western Goleta residents tired of paying more for gas at Chevron and Mobil, and don’t want to cruise to Fairview Avenue to fill up.
Now, if owner John Price can just get a coffee shop there, he might steal a bit of the buzz away from SloDoCo.
