Business 8-28
Sunday, 8/24, marked the last day for Santa Barbara residents to raid the heavily discounted wares at Morninglory Music, where clerks were literally dismantling CD racks as soon as merchandise had cleared from them. The longtime music mecca closed as a result of high rent and a general turn to online shopping by customers. Though owner Stan Bernstein has said he planned to rent out part of the store space, such a move did not come to pass.
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The Mesa’s Video Visions also closed on 8/24. One Video Vision employee suggested that landlord Investec planned to populate the recently remodeled Mesa shopping center with chains and then sell, but Investec’s Dave Pintard denied these claims, noting that the center’s two most recent arrivals were mom-and-pops: Montecito Pet Shop and Hot Cookies. Pintard also said Investec had resisted efforts by chains such as Blockbuster to conquer the Mesa and provided Video Vision’s owners sufficient time to sell the store.
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Esau’s, one of Santa Barbara’s signature greasy spoons, has risen from the ashes as of 8/27. The new Esau’s, however, will not be located in its old digs near the corner of State and Gutierrez streets but will dispense hearty portions in new surf-themed quarters on Chapala Street across from Paseo Nuevo. Additionally, the new Esau’s will be sporting a liquor license and serving dinner.
