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A Smart & Final Extra! grocery store opened this week in Carpinteria, moving into a former Haggen and, before that, Vons location.
Business leaders gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday at 850 Linden Ave., with doors opening to the public Wednesday.
Smart & Final, a Los Angeles-based brand, acquired the Carpinteria location while Haggen went through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.
The Bellingham, Wash.-based chain was forced to close more than 100 stores during a failed expansion into the Pacific Southwest, in which Haggen picked up stores from Albertsons and Vons so the two companies could merge.
Haggen closed most of its stores by November 2015, with Smart & Final also acquiring the former Albertsons in Santa Barbara’s Five Points Shopping Center.
According to the company, the Smart & Final Extra! format provides a one-stop shopping experience where businesses and organizations, as well as households, can purchase grocery and everyday staple needs while also stocking up on thousands of club-size products, all without a membership fee.
Smart & Final Stores, Inc. was founded 140 years ago and now operates approximately 276 grocery and foodservice stores under the Smart & Final, Smart & Final Extra! and Cash&Carry Smart Foodservice banners in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho and Northern Mexico.
Kanaloa Seafood Market Moves
Santa Barbara’s Kanaloa Seafood Market recently moved from Gutierrez Street to 715 Chapala St., where it has not only a counter to buy seafood, but a restaurant that serves specialties such as salmon burgers with chimichurri aioli and crispy fish tacos with pineapple salsa.
For the last 33 years, Randee and Don Disraeli have been selling environmentally sustainable seafood to a loyal Santa Barbara clientele, as well as restaurants all over the nation.
The first seafood wholesaler in North America to gain ISO 14000 certification, Kanaloa Seafood works with small fishing outfits to reduce environmental impact and improve the health of the species that are fished.
A second Kanaloa Seafood Market in Oxnard will be opening soon.
Law Firm Adds Attorney
Buynak, Fauver, Archbald & Spray LLP has announced the addition of attorney Daniel Fabiano, who has joined the firm’s business and litigation teams.
In his new role, Fabiano will provide transactional advice to businesses in all phases, from formation through exit.
With an MBA from Claremont Graduate University, he brings a deep understanding of strategic growth to the firm and has worked with both small businesses and national brands.
Fabiano is an experienced litigator with particular focus on worker’s compensation matters, giving him a unique understanding of the issues facing business owners.
Lucca Antiques Opens
Lucca Antiques has opened a high-end furniture showroom and warehouse in Carpinteria.
For more than a decade, Lucca Antiques owners Stephen and Susan Keeney have operated expansive retail store locations in design districts, including in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.
Susan Keeney said the couple moved the furniture and lighting production for their design business from LA to a 33,000-square-foot facility on Cindy Lane in Carpinteria at the end of 2015. They also opened a large appointment-only store showcasing pieces at that location.
Lucca Antiques, which makes custom men and women’s clothes, aims to serve designers and celebrity clients seeking unique pieces with an ever-changing inventory.
Keeney welcomes clients to make an appointment to visit the store by calling 805.220.6511.
Beneflex Hires Matson
Santa Barbara’s Beneflex Insurance Services has hired Eryn Matson as an employee benefits account manager.
Matson has worked as a benefits relationship manager for the last several years with prior experience as a human resources assistant focusing on employee benefits.
She and her husband recently relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area.
— 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.