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Bubble Pop, an indoor, interactive playground for children of all ages, has opened in Paseo Nuevo.
The store is the creation of Kwon “Harry” Jung, a bubble artist who holds the Guinness World Record for placing 100 people inside a single bubble.
Jung takes center stage at the playground, dazzling children with his rainbow bubbles, dry ice bubbles and his signature giant bubble tower that surrounds individuals.
Jung crafted each of the six stations and uses a nontoxic bubble solution for his creations. On Thursday, Jung floated from station to station creating bubbles on the spot for the children and their families.
“Bubbles are kind of her world,” said Jordan Marshall, speaking about his 3-year-old daughter, Jude. “This is great.”
Jung has two children of his own, ages 16 and 12, and started experimenting with bubbles when they were young children.
“My kids wanted a bubble show,” he told Noozhawk. “Many kids want a bubble show.”
Macy Christal, 16, took two children she was babysitting, 9-year-old Brynn and 6-year-old Lakyn, to Bubble Pop on Thursday.
“There’s nothing like this in Santa Barbara,” the 16-year-old said. “This is interactive and educational. Kids can spend hours here.”
Bubble Pop is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The cost is $5 per person, per hour.
Cloud 10 closes
The playground lord giveth and the playround lord taketh away.
Just as Bubble Pop opens, Cloud 10 Jump Club, one of the few places for moms and dads to take or send their kids for some indoor exercise and fun, has shut its doors this week. If you have a kid or teen, they have probably been there to jump, play dodgeball on trampolines or attend a birthday party.
The company chose not to renew its lease.
The club’s former general manager, Gunther Zweimuller, told Noozhawk that “the lease was pretty high.”
“It’s been hard,” Zweimuller said. “It will definitely hit the community because it is one of the only real kid things in Santa Barbara. Even with our employees it is hard.”
Silverhorn plans comeback
Silverhorn Jewelers, which closed one of its retail stores, 1155 Coast Village Road, in February, plans to open a Design Studio at 1235A Coast Village Road around Nov. 1.
“The design team will continue to create unique, one-of-a-kind custom and commissioned pieces, which have become the Silverhorn trademark,” said Anne Luther, marketing and communications director for Silverhorn. “The new Design Studio will have an open floor plan, which will allow customers to drop in without an appointment and experience the design process observing the designers at work. It will be a wonderful complement to the Silverhorn Biltmore store.”
The new location will be upstairs from the previous location.
Silverhorn’s owners, Carole and Michael Ridding, feel strongly about the viability of Coast Village Road as a retail hub for the future and are committed to continue their business among the fine retailers of Montecito, Luther said.
World of Magic moves to cast spells inside Macy’s
Mary Lynn Harms-Romo, marketing and specialty leasing manager for Paseo Nuevo, says that World of Magic, the annual Halloween store, will move into Macy’s building for the Halloween season around the beginning of September.
The traveling costume and Halloween supply shop usually jumps around to different locations before Halloween. Harms-Romo said World of Magic will take advantage of the larger space and offer something interactive for costume shoppers.
Bank changes
T. Joseph Stronks has joined Community West Bank as executive vice president and chief operating officer. He will lead the Central Operations, Information Technology and Facilities departments of the bank.
“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Joseph to the Community West Bank executive team,” said Martin Plourd, president and chief executive officer. “His wide range of professional experience and leadership in managing banking operations, information technology and core application technology will serve our bank very well as we continue to grow our community banking presence throughout Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.”
Before joining Community West Bank, Stronks most recently was senior vice president and deputy director of operations at Rabobank.
More new hires
Jeffrey Brown, a 1988 graduate of Dos Pueblos High, was named vice president of technology and chief information officer for Champlain College in Burlington, Vt.
For the past seven years, he served as chief information officer at the University of North Carolina-Asheville.
Brown’s mother lives in Carpinteria, and his father, James R. Brown, was managing editor for news at the Santa Barbara News-Press from mid-1985 until mid-1989.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.