While many retail stores have come and gone in the nearly three decades I’ve lived in the 93108, the intimacy of the retail shopping experience has not.
The decision to relocate to Montecito with my family in the late 1980s was driven by a desire for the climate, public schools, safety and to get out of the horrendous Los Angeles traffic.
Admittedly, for a die-hard fashionista there are fewer trend-setting shopping options than a big city. But the stores we do have, and the owners and staff who work in them, make up for it with warmth, notable customer service and shorter lines.
Nowhere is personal service more valued than at Occhiali Eyewear at 1046 Coast Village Road. For the past 28 years, Salli and Irwin Eve have owned and operated a boutique business that has stayed on the cutting edge of eyewear, with a sister location in downtown Santa Barbara.
Having met at UC Santa Barbara in the early 1980s, both former audiologists made the transition into the eye business after attending an optical show in New York City while living and working in Philadelphia.
Their inspiration was to have a boutique business that transformed the look of eyewear into a fashion accessory and not just a visual appliance.
The couple moved back to Santa Barbara with their toddler daughter, Samantha, who is now a pastry chef as well as the creative director of Out Of The Box Theatre Company in Santa Barbara. A son, Noah, followed the opening of their first store on Coast Village Road in 1988; he currently resides in Los Angeles.
The neighborhood chat about a recent remodel of the Montecito store — and my need for new reading and sunglasses to replace the ones I lost (again) — brought me in on a recent afternoon to schmooze with Irwin about the renovation and 2016 eyewear fashion trends.
The store looks great. The display cases were replaced with ones constructed from bamboo. Finish carpenter Thomas Crabtree built a walnut centerpiece and counter. An upholstered built-in bench awaits a conversation between friends. New lighting brings out the highlights.
“The interior design was coordinated by Lori Smyth, Sam Yanes did the painting, and Katherine Reginato came on board when a previous wall paper person dropped out to save the day,” Eve told Noozhawk.
“We were inspired to do this remodel for our customers, to continue to create a great client experience,” said Eve, who runs the Montecito store while his wife and partner, Salli, is operations manager for both the Montecito location and a second store at 7 W. Canon Perdido in downtown Santa Barbara.
Irwin is the first to admit that his staff family is an integral part of Occhiali’s longevity and success. The Montecito store includes five members of one family: sisters Pamela Martinez, Lisa Crabtree and Terri Dow, and now two of their children, Lauren Dow and Robert Rowe, all of whom are licensed opticians.
Erin Phelps joined the team 13 years ago, and Christina Redondo has been with Occhiali for 23 years.
The downtown store, tucked away on a side street near Paseo Nuevo, has a distinctly urban feel and attracts a young professional crowd. It complements the Montecito store, which is run by Loren Tosher, Lauren Dow and Yvonne Blanco-Leflame, the latter a 26-year employee of the Eves.
Another important partner with Eve in developing the Occhiali brand has been photographer Kim Reierson. For the past 20 years, she has been creating kitschy ads for the store that include engaging profiles of community notables wearing Occhiali frames — among them Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen, a longtime customer.
The Montecito shopping center that Occhiali calls home has seen many changes over the 28 years that the Eves have been in business. It was sold twice in the past few years and is now owned by Debby Longo, who has redesigned the front, added new landscaping, improved signage and painted the building with a more contemporary palette.
Mainstay tenants include Starbucks, Antoinette, Intimo, Blenders in the Grass and Sakana Sushi Bar & Japanese Restaurant. Relatively recent additions are the Vons Pharmacy and Chasen, a contemporary women’s store owned by L.A. retailer Lisa Stern.
Chasen carries clothing and accessories with a wide variety of Santa Barbara lifestyle choices at attractive price points. Since opening last year, the store has generated big buzz for its appeal to young women and their fashionable moms.
While eyewear was once considered nerdy and a necessary accessory for a more senior crowd, it’s very “in fashion” these days — as much to make a statement as for vision.
Today’s frames can be fun and very cool. Just look at celebrity NBA star LeBron James, rock legend and philanthropist Bono of U2, Hollywood’s too-cool Jack Nicholson and Occhiali regular Roger Durling, head of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Occhiali carries frames from around the world. Imported collections include those from France (Thierry Lasry, Francis Klein, Jean Lafont, Alain Mikli, Anne et Valentin and Chanel), Japan (Masunaga and Matsuda), Germany (Lunor and Mykita), Belgium (theo), Denmark (Lindberg) and Italy (Persol).
Some of the hottest are Oliver Peoples and a new collaboration by French designer of the moment Isabel Marant par Oliver Peoples, SALT, Thom Browne, Barton Perreira and Leisure Society.
“In 2016, I see clients embracing personal style and curating frames that are very individual,” Eve said while we discussed my options for new eyewear.
“However, I do see bolder shapes with thicker widths in plastic frames. Multicolored, fun metals; round shapes; aviators; and cat-eye silhouettes are still coming in strong.”
When I asked what keeps him motivated and happy after all these years in business (other than his love of golf), and what he likes most about his job, Eve was quick with the reply.
“I like the personal connections, and the opportunity to develop relationships with the customers,” he said. “I totally get the strong sense of the neighborhood and a community. I always feel the support from the customers.
“To have a small independent business, where you get to know your customers and their families, to see their children grow up and have their own children — it brings a sense of continuity and feeling like you belong somewhere.
“I know how fortunate I am!” he exclaimed. “Of course, the creative part in eyewear selection and the technical component in proper fitting offer me much joy!”
Occhiali, located at 1046 Coast Village Road in Montecito and at 7 W. Canon Perdido in downtown Santa Barbara, is open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Click here for more information, or call 805.565.3415 or 805.963.5760.
— Judy Foreman is a Noozhawk columnist and longtime local writer and lifestyles observer. She can be contacted at judyforeman@noozhawk.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.