When Johnny Was opened in Montecito last year, it was part of the community’s retail healing after the 2017 Thomas Fire and the deadly flash flooding and debris flows that followed in January 2018.
After an extensive interior remodel of the store at 1159 Coast Village Road, the Los Angeles-based national women’s clothing boutique debuted a great collection of Cali casual and boho chic clothing and accessories.
In no time, the friendly staff — headed up by Vanessa Lynn — has made the store an integral part of the community.
When the COVID-19 disaster hit earlier this year, Johnny Was’ production facility pivoted from sewing its latest collection to making face masks that were in short supply the world over. Quickly repurposing the fabric swatches on hand , the company manufactured several thousand of them.
At the direction of CEO Rob Trauber and executive vice president Catherine Nation, the masks were donated to community organizations via the 40 Johnny Was retail stores, including Montecito’s.
According to Lynn, 1,500 masks have already been donated to Cottage Health’s facilities and another 1,500 to Samsun Clinic. She hopes to distribute surplus masks to the community.
Johnny Was is known for its beautiful and colorful prints, and the masks live up to that standard. Each one is individually wrapped for sterility, ready for use, and will make you feel safe and fashionable.
The masks also act as a gentle reminder that, if and when you need or decide to go out, it’s cool to be covered.
— Judy Foreman is a Noozhawk columnist and longtime local writer and lifestyles observer. She can be contacted at news@noozhawk.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.