Best of 2010: Living Well
BOOKSTORE
Chaucer’s Books
3321 State St., 682-6787
Since 1974, Mahri Kerley’s store has been one of the 12 wonders of the Santa Barbara world. (Most of the others are food-related.) It’s survived well into an era when other great independent bookstores—remember Osborne’s, Earthling, and Andromeda?—have become distant memories. It’s always superbly stocked; Kerley never believed in bean-counting methods of inventory buying, she brings in the books she thinks are interesting. And, it’s a place to go hang out, hear authors read, and meetcha smart friends in a city that’s increasingly chain-mediocred to near death—as in national stores that don’t care about much more than bottom lines. Kerley always set the bar high, and, and always proved the joys of literacy and enchantment, or as Groucho Marx said, “Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend.Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”
FINALIST: Borders
USED BOOKSTORE
The Book Den
15 E. Anapamu St., 962-3321
It’s California’s oldest living bookstore, a constantly running establishment that began in the early years of the 20th Century and is still more than viable in the beginning of the 21st. It’s changed hands a few times, but it’s safely nurtured today by Eric Kelley, a man smart enough to know that one can do business on the Internet, yet still have a cozy place where people can find the odd out-of-print, vintage, or maybe even rare book in the stacks, though the emphasis here is much more on something lovely to read rather than a volume to collect. Kelley’s weathered a number of storms both real and caused by construction in the neighborhood, but our bet is that people riding jet packs will someday stop in to buy that cool old paperback copy of Trout Fishing in America. Wondering the whole time what an e-book is.
FINALIST: Paperback Exchange
COMPUTER REPAIR
MacMechanic
216 E. Gutierrez St., 965-9722
Every year since they opened in 1998, they’ve won some kind of computer repair award, said general manager Jimmy Dessert. “But in the old days, they used to split it in two, for PC repairs and Mac. Now they’ve combined the two and we won,” he said exultantly, with just a smidgen of smug joy for good measure. “I think most of all people like us because they know they can bring something in here and we’ll fix it without an appointment. Before they know it, they’re out the door. The people here love Macs and it shows, and their knowledge is out the roof,” said Dessert.
FINALIST: Make It Work
CAMERA SHOP
Samy’s Camera
614 Chapala St., 963-7269
One cynical way to look at this is that they’re the only ones in town, laughed Richard Pinnock, general manager of the spacious Chapala Street store, citing the departure of well-loved businesses like Tony Rose and Russ’ Camera. Fact is, however, Samy’s has been winning this category for more than a decade, with a combo of huge inventory, knowledgeable clerks, and an atmosphere that invites photographers to hang out. “We are very grateful to win,” said Pinnock.
FINALIST: Best Buy
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT STORE
Folk Mote Music
1034 Santa Barbara St., 962-0830
“I think we win because this is such an exciting store, we are constantly titillating people’s senses,” laughed Nadine Bunn, who co-owns the eclectic folk music instrument store with Cherie Chako. People as diverse as Jack Johnson and Nick (Angry Poodle) Welsh regularly frequent the store, particularly when they are seeking bouzoukis, cello banjos, or marimbulas. “I’m in total shock we won, but happy,” said Chako.
FINALIST: Jensen Guitar & Music Co.
GIFT SHOP
Imagine
11 W. Canon Perdido St., 899-3700
1470 E. Valley Rd., #V, Montecito, 695-0220
Manager Kyle Yonemura isn’t just happy that Imagine won, “I would be worried if we didn’t,” he laughed. With its 20 years of providing everything from three-dollar Peruvian dolls to $1,000 art pieces, Imagine still offers an intangible quality that sets it apart, he said. “It’s the one-stop shop. But it’s a combination of great customer service and a great clientele that really makes us work,” he said.
FINALIST: Hallmark
PARTY SUPPLY STORE
Glenda’s Party Cove
3319-A State St., 687-4500
Believe it or not, kids, there are parties that require more planning and matériel than dry ice, a metal bucket, and red plastic cups. Some even demand hand-written invitations delivered snail mail with written responses requested via that supposedly outmoded media. Decorations, too! For all party perquisites plus gifts and ridiculously cool geegaws, Glenda’s has been the store forever now. Number one for those who think beer pong is a place in the South Sea Islands, but soon to be cool with you growing a little older and a more respectable party person, too.
FINALIST: Pacific Co.
ART SUPPLY STORE
Art Essentials
32 E. Victoria St., 965-5456
It’s a big store on Figueroa Street in a part of town that invites leisurely attention to detail. And the store has even more items than its cool, lofty interior seems to promise. Inside, the clerks are unhurried but thorough, making awkward beginners feel as comfortable as the established Santa Barbara artists who regularly shop there, too. Everything from airbrush hoses and tips to empty ink bottles used to blend custom colors fill the shelves and walls. The store and its extensive online offerings are there to help you transform your life in paradise into artworks that might hang around forever.
FINALIST: Michaels
CRAFT SUPPLY STORE
Michaels
187 N. Fairview Ave., Goleta, 967-7119
Paintbrushes, canvas, chisels, rock, scissors, paper, glue, rubber, rulers, cardboard, Styrofoam, reference books, and best yet, Michaels has people working it to help you figure out what to do with all this cool material. Maybe you want to finish a project or just look and see what they have while inspirations coil to strike, this is the store where both Aunt Minnie’s Christmas doilies and the Santa Barbara Art Association’s assemblage artistes can be said to have begun their processes, and all at bargain prices.
FINALIST: Craft Essentials
FRAME SHOP
Aaron Brothers
601 State St., 966-3954
Though its misty origins were in Los Angeles in the postwar years when Philip Marlowe walked the mean streets—the store was then known as “framers to the stars” and that didn’t mean blackmail—most of us remember furnishing our first homes with discounted frames sold at one-cent sale prices, and even if we did splurge for the custom framing that they did, it was a bargain and a half compared to the smaller stores and galleries. Today only the styles have changed, and there are more than 100 stores from sea to shining sea. A readers’ favorite for many years, Aaron Brothers is a great place to classy up your crib without spending yourself out of the picture.
FINALIST: Michaels
BANK
Santa Barbara Bank & Trust
Various locations
It’s been a tough year for the bank that wears our city’s name. On the one hand, the bank celebrated 50 years in business, on the other hand its woes were well-chronicled and the recent friendly cash rescue of the bank is yet to be a proven solution, though many indications are guardedly good. If reader polls are any kind of bank confidence measure, then SBB&T has nothing to worry about. Perennial winners, this fraught year was no different, and may it thrive for 50 more.
FINALIST: Wells Fargo
COPY SHOP
FedEx Office aka Kinko’s
1030 State St., 966-1114
23 S. Hope Ave., 569-5100
5749 Calle Real, Goleta, 964-3522
The little store that opened across from the old—vanished—Taco Bell in Isla Vista has come a long way. The man who started the copy shop is now as much a philanthropist as he is an entrepreneur, and the chain he developed now belongs to the mega-corporation that delivers packages around the world. Its chief virtues now have to do with the apparently needed 24-hour copying service, just in case you want to make posters for your band’s next gig right after the last one ended. Or maybe it has something to do with business, who knows? Year after year, our readers pick this giant over the little shops that dot the town, and we sort of doubt it has much to do with I.V. and nostalgia.
FINALIST: Bill’s Copy Shop
PERSONNEL/TEMP AGENCY
Select Staffing
1919 State St., 687-1200
“We are absolutely glad to win,” said branch manager Shelby Sim, who promises that Select’s view of the local economy sees a little improvement, too. “We’re doing a little better. Of course summer is almost always an improvement, with a lot of event people hiring: caterers, the County Bowl, and people covering for people on vacation. So we’ll see how winter is,” he said. “The reason people like us? Because we do a little extra to build our relationships with employers and employees,” he added.
FINALIST: AppleOne
RETIREMENT RESIDENCE
Maravilla
5486 Calle Real, 967-1965
This deep Goleta retirement community is split into four levels of varying independence. Though, according to executive director Brian McCague, more than two thirds of the residents are very independent: attending classes, driving to events and stores, and some even still working. “We put a lot of emphasis on residential services and hospitality,” said McCague, “and the setting is physically beautiful, too.”
FINALIST: Valle Verde
TRAVEL AGENCY
Santa Barbara Travel Bureau
1028 State St., 966-3116
1485 E. Valley Rd., #9, 969-7746
Since 1947, the de L’Arbre family has been making arrangements for people traveling from our little town to anywhere in the great big world. Some of its business today comes from corporate travel, which is often a high-ticket affair, but getting deals for families who need to fly, boat, or chug into the distance is an equal obsession for the offices that serve this town. It’s hard to believe anyone would want to depart these hallowed grounds, but when you need to leave paradise, the readers suggest you start here.
FINALIST: AAA/Auto Club
ACUPUNCTURIST
Community Centered Oriental Medicine
1900 State St., 687-7328
Mark Sherwood and Nikki Doner Sherwood run a healing center that is widely trusted in this town, but it’s surprisingly humanistic about how much it charges, too. “We have a sliding scale,” explained Doner Sherwood, “We charge depending on what you report as your income—nobody checks up on you. So I think that helps build up a lot of good will, too. Besides that, Mark is a very experienced and skilled herbalist, and I think a lot of people know that.”
FINALIST: Points of Health
CHIROPRACTOR
Aaron Austin, DC
306 E. Cota St., 966-7771
Whether it’s routine adjustment time or deeper issues like chronic pain, Aaron Austin is respected both for his abilities, 10 years of experience in our town, and his easygoing back-cracking manner. He’s a funny guy, too. “I’m totally stoked to win,” said Austin. “I think they like me, I do my best to serve ’em, to love ’em, and take care of ’em.”
FINALIST: Barry Family Chiropractic
DENTIST
David Dart, DDS
1819 State St., #A, 687-2400
Dr. Dart insists that his reputation has been actually made by the team of doctors in his office, which includes Kelly Kendall, Jeff Rohde, and Karen Yoon. “We sink and float as a team,” said Dart, who kiddingly refers to himself as the Kmart greeter of the office. “But seriously we are honored to win,” he said.
FINALIST: Brian D. Frederick, DDS
LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST
Marlo Tell
1211 Coast Village Rd., Ste. 10, Montecito, 453-2333
16 W. Mission St., Ste. N, 453-2333
She combines the stress-easing of therapeutic massage with the heavy-duty tried and true world of sports massage in a practice that has taken over this award as it has, seemingly, the city of Montecito. Drawing from more than seven techniques or combinations thereof depending on the need, Tell’s office also offers hot rock massage, and anti-cellulite and foot-moisturizing treatments. Whether your neck is kinked or you need to rehab after the big wave spill, Tell is the therapist who has the touch, the rub, and the way back home to your body after stress has led you astray.
FINALIST: Maggie Lang
OPTOMETRIST
Thomas Burke, OD
800 N. Milpas St., #C, 963-2020
6831 F Hollister Ave., 968-3937
It may be the happiest kingdom in Santa Barbara. We mean, of course, the optometry offices of Dr. Burke, where the front desk staff fight over who gets to tell Dr. Burke that he won The Indy readers’ poll this year. “My whole office is giddy,” he correctly noted, but the mood seemed to include the patients who waited patiently while he took the congratulatory call. “I really have to thank my loyal customers,” said Burke, “every one of them. Every time one of them comes back, it’s like a little reunion here. I think that’s it. I think that says it,” he laughed.
FINALIST: Jerry Neel, OD
