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The Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta has another destination attraction.
Tesla has installed 12 charging stations in the shopping center, near the Vans retail store.
The supercharger stalls will be open 24/7, although only three were open as of Thursday afternoon.
“This is a really great thing for our community,” said Tesla owner Tammy Hughes, who is also a Funk Zone property owner. “Given the number of people in Santa Barbara who care for the environment, having these stations is so critical to having a place where you can stop and charge.”
Other charging spots exist in Santa Barbara County, including at local hotels, but the Goleta strip of chargers most resembles the large selection available at The Collection in Oxnard. It takes about 45 minutes to fully charge the Teslas.
Most Tesla owners charge overnight at their homes. Hughes said she charges from about midnight to 5 a.m. However, travelers on road trips could use the new chargers en route to their destinations, she said, which means great business for the marketplace.
“Wherever they put these charging stations, the businesses around them really benefit,” Hughes said.
She said she often charges at the station in Thousand Oaks, and said she then will frequent the nearby business.
“Suddenly you have a group of people who need to kill an hour of time,” she said. “It really helps the businesses around the area. It is such a great asset for the community and neighboring businesses.”
Goleta City Councilman James Kyriaco said the stations further cement Goleta as a regional destination.
“This represents a big leap in terms of making Goleta a more attractive place to live, work and play for people who value sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint,” Kyriaco said. “Goleta is appreciative of the efforts of Mark Linehan and the Camino Real Marketplace to make this investment that will be good for the business and the environment.”
Kyriaco, who owns a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle, said he expects more electric vehicle charging stations to come to the marketplace.
“Camino Real Marketplace is a hub for our community, and we are excited to have this capability that will attract customers needing to charge their vehicles, who will in turn spend more time at local shops and restaurants,” said Kristen Miller, president and CEO of the Goleta Chamber of Commerce.
Restaurants Close Permanently
The Endless Summer Cafe apparently does have an end after all.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce that we have closed our doors for good,” the owners said in an Instagram post. “We are so grateful for all of our employees, performers, customers who have enabled us to remain open for as long as we did.”
The neighboring restaurant, Chuck’s Waterfront Grill, under the same ownership, also announced its closure on Thursday.
Steve Hyslop and Larry Stone have run the restaurants since 1999.
According to a March 25 City of Santa Barbara staff report, the owners asked the city to transfer the lease over to Aaron Petersen, who owns three restaurants in Solvang, including Chomp, The Coffee House by Chomp and Brekkies by Chomp. He is also co-owner of Mortensen’s Danish Bakery in downtown Solvang. The council approved the transfer of the lease, which includes $23,585 per month lease amount.
Naomi Dewey Expands Office
Business attorney Naomi Dewey has expanded her law practice, Trusted Legal, into a larger space at 21 E. Carrillo St., Suite 130 in Santa Barbara.
She specializes in business law, employment law, litigation and risk management.
“I pride myself on being a deal-maker, not a deal-breaker, by helping clients manage risk and make strategic decisions that fit with their long-term planning,” Dewey said.
The reason for the Santa Barbara move to a bigger office is to make room for new attorneys joining the firm,” said Dewey, who has practiced law since 2007.
A native of England, Dewey earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Sheffield and spent the first years of her career as a news editor and a marketing professional. She attended the Santa Barbara College of Law, earning her juris doctorate there in 2007.
“I’ve been very busy in my life but very fulfilled and gratified,” Dewey said. “And everything feeds into everything else. My family has always balanced me, and my background in journalism has made me a better attorney. Especially in litigation, practicing law is like storytelling — how you take the facts and put them together in a way that tells the best story for your client.”
— 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.