Business 10-16
Area breweries nabbed gold and silver medals from the Great American Beer Festival held in Denver, Colorado, on 10/11. The Goleta-based Hollister Brewing Co. won a second-place medal, while Firestone Walker Brewing Co.-based in Paso Robles but beloved by Santa Barbara beer-swillers-earned six medals. The competition drew 472 breweries and 2,902 beers.
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Just shy of its 20th anniversary, Isla Vista’s Emerald Video announced this week that it will be closing in December, as management decided not to renew its three-year lease due to a decline in business. Emerald’s departure will follow that of the Mesa’s Video Visions, which shut down in August. Both cited difficulty surviving amid competition from larger companies and online video rental.
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On 10/13, philanthropic organization the Irvine Foundation donated $1.25 million in grants to four Santa Barbara arts organizations in an effort to provide quality performances to cities located beyond metropolitan areas. The recipients-the Lobero Foundation, Opera Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Symphony, and State Street Ballet-were among 10 other Central Coast institutes that received funding. The ballet called the grant the “most valuable asset” in 15 years.
