BizHawk is published weekly, and includes items of interest to the business community. Share your business news, including employee announcements and personnel moves, by emailing news@noozhawk.com.
From the family that brought the cupcakes from Crushcakes now comes Crush Bar & Tap, Santa Barbara’s newest bar.
It’s billed as Santa Barbara’s first queer bar, open to people of all identities, all the time.
General Manager Zach Feld, whose mother owns Crushcakes, opened the place two weeks ago at 1129 State St., Suite A, next to CorePower Yoga.
“We hired everyone, and started meeting with everyone, and realized that every member of our staff was queer in one way or another, so we decided to lean into that and be a very safe place for queer folks in town,” Feld told Noozhawk. “There are not many queer bars in town.”
Feld recently had been managing bars in Portland, Oregon, but returned to Santa Barbara when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Most recently, he had worked for Kimpton and the restaurant inside the Hotel Monaco, the Red Star Tavern.
The new place offers beer and wine, tapas, cheese plates, hummus, pita chips, bread, butter, jam and, of course, mini cupcakes.
“We’re feeling it out from there, just seeing what people are asking for and trying to adapt accordingly,” Feld said.
The main thing, Feld said, is that everyone is welcome.
“We’re just trying to make this a home away from your home, and everyone can feel comfortable,” Feld said. “All identities and just have everyone feel safe here.”
Crush Bar & Tap is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m. It is closed on Tuesdays.
Caje Coffee Comes Downtown
The former home of the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has a new tenant: the rapidly growing coffee dynasty Caje Coffee.
The designer coffee company offers a slimmed-down menu at its new location at 651 Paseo Nuevo, a prime piece of real estate across the street from the recently closed Starbucks on De la Guerra.
Caje has enjoyed a growth spurt of late. After a successful business in Isla Vista, Caje a couple of years ago opened on Haley Street in Santa Barbara, then, earlier this year, across from the Arlington Theatre, at a spot with a spacious outdoor patio.
Caje isn’t just an average cup of Joe. It strives to make each cup feel like an original, with vibrant flavors, decorative foam and a staff who prepare the coffee with care.
One of the company’s owners, Troy Yamasaki, said the new spot is more of a grab-and-go concept than the other locations, but still maintaining the high quality of the coffee. He said it offers customers a comfy companion while they are shopping.
The spot, he said, is also prime time.
“The hope is that we can wow people with the exceptional quality and exceptional speed as well,” Yamasaki said. “This is going to be one of our flagships.”
Wharf Businesses for Sale
The Harbor Restaurant and Longboards Grill are up for sale.
The restaurants are almost as synonymous with Santa Barbara as the Arlington or Granada theaters, and they’re certainly in the upper echelon of long-term popularity, along with Brophy Bros. at the Santa Barbara Harbor.
Longboards, known for its ample offering of free peanuts that were scattered across the floor pre-COVID-19, sits atop the Harbor Restaurant. Both of the restaurants are top eatery destinations for tourists.
The businesses are for sale for $1.75 million, according to Hayes Commercial Group.
Both restaurants have a combined 457 seats “with an ocean view from every table,” according to the Hayes public listing. The Harbor Restaurant includes banquet room for 50 people. Although parking exists on Stearns Wharf, the restaurant features a private valet parking lot adjacent to the building. Liquor licenses are included.
For more information, call Dan Moll at 805.898.4380.
Riskin Partners Estate Group Recognized
Residential real estate team Riskin Partners Estate Group of Village Properties has been named the No. 2 small team for their achievement in dollar volume sales in The Thousand list by RealTrends + Tom Ferry International after a record closing year of $603 million, according to a news release.
Riskin Partners Estate Group’s 2020 sales volume is higher than any medium team and most large teams recognized in The Thousand list published by The Wall Street Journal.
Riskin Partners Estate Group, a leader in luxury real estate, includes partners Dina Landi, Sarah Hanacek, Jasmine Tennis and Robert Riskin.
“Working as an ensemble, you have the advantage of four partners’ expertise and dedication,” Landi said. “Our unified approach results in greater attention to detail and insight than a traditional agent-team model. With us, you’re supported at every step.”
— 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.
