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Santa Barbara’s Globe restaurant has rebranded as 18 East and is hosting weekly pop-up chefs.
Now named for its Cota Street address, Globe closed down Thanksgiving week to undergo a small remodel and reopened earlier this month with a more streamlined, diner- and bar-like atmosphere, said general manager Andy Davis.
Pascucci owner Laura Knight opened Globe over the summer of 2015, serving food, beer, wine and liquor from around the world in a colorful home-like lounge setting.
Davis said the restaurant — like the whole block — had been on a downswing despite a good product and good service, and it hired new management.
Every week, 18 East hosts a new local chef or catering company to a cook up their own dishes in “one of the best kitchens in town,” courtesy of a remodel done by previous management, Davis said.
“The calendar’s slowly filling up,” he added, as 18 East books more chefs.
18 East is open from 5 p.m. to as late as 1 a.m., and is closed Mondays.
Still—Elevate Your Ethanol closes
Barware and cocktail supplies store Still—Elevate Your Ethanol closed its doors Dec. 24 after two years on the corner of Santa Barbara’s Ortega and Anacapa streets.
The business sold a variety of accessories for all sorts of drinks and their preparation, including local and vintage products.
After a great kick-off starting November 2014, Still’s sales went well until 2016, when its figures began to gradually decline, said owner Jeremy Bohrer.
He cited competition from online retail and nearby State Street foot traffic sticking to the main commercial corridor.
Customers who would visit would note that they loved the store, Bohrer added, but also that they hadn’t heard of it. Advertising, he noted, was outside the small business’ budget.
“Because we were still brand new, we needed another year of solid growth to put us at that point where we could make it work,” he said.
Bohrer and Sayward Rebhal, who ran the business with him, currently operate pop-up wine tastings in the evening at Pacific Crepes at 705 Anacapa St.
Sometime in the future, Bohrer said, he hopes to re-open farther from State Street where rents are lower.
New Owners at Montecito Village Grocery
Montecito Village Grocery at 1482 E. Valley Road is ringing in 2017 with new owners.
Roxy and Mike Lawler are taking over the establishment from John Burke, the president of Wisconsin-based Trek Bicycles.
The Lawlers operate two other independent grocery stores in Colorado and Montana.
Montecito Village Grocery is open daily from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
— Noozhawk staff writer Sam Goldman can be reached at sgoldman@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.