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A new Eastside development will feature a popular restaurant, Municipal Winemakers‘ second Santa Barbara location and a new brewery founded by the grandson of the late Fess Parker.
The Mill Project at the corner of Laguna and Haley streets is billed as a “lifestyle-centric destination” by proprietors Kirsten and Darrell Becker, longtime locals who have already opened Becker Studios within the modern development, the old feed mill.
AB Design Studios is also up and running, but construction continued this week on the rest of the puzzle at 406 Haley St. — Corazon Cocina, Pelago Design, Municipal Winery and Third Window Brewing, a brand new brewery that will produce the alcoholic beverage and allow patrons to taste the stuff.
Crushcakes will be another tenant, according to the project’s website, but Kirsten Becker didn’t want to share too many other details, calling the tenants “a collaboration of like-minded craftspeople passionate about their products and services,” in an email to Noozhawk.
Brewery owner Kristopher Parker said he’s shooting for a summer opening, as are his neighbors. Municipal Winery owners were still working out final details.
Parker grew up in Santa Barbara working at his late grandfather’s winery, but said he was first inspired to brew beer by his dad, Fess Parker II, before getting his own home-brew kit in 2007.
Family and friends are helping back Third Window Brewing, which released its first beer in December, but Parker will still be involved in Fess Parker Enterprises — just not as its chief operating officer for the time being.
“They realize I’m chasing a dream,” Parker told Noozhawk. “We were pretty excited to find a place in the center of town.”
Café Luna Closes
Café Luna in Summerland has closed its doors.
The restaurant at 2354 Lillie Ave. reportedly shut its doors this week, sans a reason for closing after several years in business.
Public Relations Firm Honored
MWQPR was selected for the 2014 Best Businesses of Santa Barbara Award in the public relations category by the Best Businesses of Santa Barbara Award Program.
The award program identifies companies believed to have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose winners in each category, and winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Best Businesses of Santa Barbara Award Program and data provided by third parties.
Funeral Home Names Partner

Welch-Ryce-Haider, one of Santa Barbara’s oldest funeral chapels, has announced the promotion of Scott Reid to partner.
Reid, who has been with Welch-Ryce-Haider for 10 years, will join senior partners J. Stephen Gibson and James Nelson helping to meet the needs of families on the Central Coast planning funeral and cremation services.
Welch-Ryce-Haider, a locally owned and operated chapel and crematorium, has been serving the area since 1924 and has two locations in Santa Barbara and Goleta.
— 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.