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Some visitors to a new hotel wine saloon in Los Alamos last weekend caught a glimpse of actor Kurt Russell’s wine-pouring skills, as the celebrity helped celebrate the grand opening of the latest location to carry his wine label.
The 1880 Union Hotel & Saloon at 362 Bell St. has gotten the small, rural town of Los Alamos some much-needed attention, since its newest saloon will exclusively carry just three wine labels — Russell’s Gogi Wines, Hudson Bellamy Wines (a rosé inspired by actress Kate Hudson and her fiancé, Muse singer Matt Bellamy), and Lompoc-based Ampelos Cellars, which is producing all the labels.
Hotel owners Dan and Ana Thompson came up with the wine saloon idea as a way to switch up operations after four years running the historic hotel in the center of town.
The hotel previously boasted two full saloons before recently converting the front space to offer wine from the actors, who have homes in Los Angeles.
“They were looking for some kind of a presence in Los Alamos, and we were looking to do something with the saloon,” Thompson said. “So far, the reaction has been terrific.”
Zipcar Expands to Santa Barbara Airport
Zipcar has expanded its car-sharing services to include the Santa Barbara Airport.
Zipcars, such as a Toyota Corolla or a Nissan Sentra, are now available starting at $9 per hour, or $69 per day. Gas, insurance and 180 miles are included with each reservation.
With this expansion, Zipcar provides members when and where they want them while traveling at nearly 30 airports by the hour or by the day. Similar Zipcar options are available in Isla Vista or UC Santa Barbara.
Shear Artistry Salon & Spa Relocates
Shear Artistry Salon & Spa has relocated and will host a ribbon-cutting at 4:30 p.m. Friday with the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce.
The business, which opened in 1979, has moved to 271 N. Fairview Ave., Suite 102 from its previous location at 161 N. Fairview Ave.
Owner Susan Carrera, who purchased the salon in 1999, said members of the public are invited to an open house from 4 to 7 p.m., which would include refreshments and lots of door prizes — a $500 teeth-whitening among them.
Sbmenus.com Expands Delivery to Downtown
Starting this week, SBmenus.com has made delivery available for downtown Santa Barbara residents and professionals.
The service allows customers to order online for delivery from restaurants, such as South Coast Deli, Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch and more, which are delivered directly to their door or business.
Originally launched in the fall of 2008, SBmenus.com is a website that lets customers view hundreds of local menus and order online from dozens of the Santa Barbara area’s favorite restaurants, all conveniently listed on their website.
After the success of delivery in Goleta and Isla Vista, SBmenus.com founders Dusty Stutsman and Bryan Brand decided to expand to downtown and now offer online ordering for more than 60 restaurants between Isla Vista and Carpinteria, many of which previously lacked their own delivery service.
Ken Oplinger Earns Chamber Award
Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Ken Oplinger has been named the 2013 recipient of the prestigious Russell E. Pettit Memorial Award at the Western Association of Chamber Executives’ annual conference in Los Angeles.
The award is given annually to a chamber executive in the West in recognition of a career assisting those in the chamber business to attain higher professional standards and capabilities.
WACE is an association of chamber executives and professionals with 850 members in 18 western states and Canada designed to promote and enhance the professional development of chamber of commerce executives.
Movegreen Expands to Larger Location
Movegreen, an eco-friendly moving and storage company, has moved from Goleta to a larger space at 1 N. Calle Cesar Chavez in Santa Barbara.
Owner Erik Haney relocated operations last spring, and recently more than doubled its space to 17,300 square feet by amending its lease to include 9,900 additional square feet of adjacent warehouse, according to Radius Commercial Real Estate & Investments.
Radius says the 7-year-old startup company’s lease transaction was the largest in Santa Barbara since 2011.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.