Anonymous
Source: City of Santa Barbara
The City of Santa Barbara is encouraging business owners to open pop-up retail premises in the downtown area. A pop-up is a short-term, temporary retail experience, which enables business owners to present their brand, products, and ideas to consumers through an accessible, visible, and less expensive medium than a permanent space. Pop-ups allow for a more experience-driven retail opportunity, which is increasingly popular with consumers. As a seller you can be more nimble, more creative, and more responsive to your customer base.
Was just thinking the same red creek. I walked passed an empty store that had a sign in the window for a huge bathing suit pop up shop. To make a long story short I wasn’t interested. Yawn. This will not save downtown. It will fool tourist into thinking that we don’t have as many closed stores as we really have though.
I am confused by this brochure. Is the city is taking over private property and administering a government funded program to help landlords find tenants for their commercial space? Is the city paying for this program or offering incentives to help these “poor” landlords? Why is the city involved in the sales and rentals of commercial property at all? Are the Chamber of Commerce and the property owners ponying up for this program or is this another city tax fund giveaway to the commercial owning LLCs?
My guess is the city hired a consultant, paid them 000’s of thousands to have said consultant write a report that tells the city that its own employees do not know what they are doing along and that its essential that we gift the LLC’s $ to help them offset their pain… Anyone have the full story on this?
State street needs help because of GREED, pure and simple. A few very wealthy landlords own the lion’s share of the commercial property downtown and they have jacked up those rents beyond sky-high to the point of absolute ridiculous proportions. THAT is why mom and pop businesses cannot get a leg up to get open here and we have a ghost town. That, and the city planning, zoning and building departments that are bastions of hell too.
These are all good questions. I would be so angry if the greedy landlords were getting ANYTHING for what they are doing to cause this.
Why don’t they just help the current people trying to open businesses by not running them through a gamut of ridiculous circular permitting processes that take years to complete.
Interesting concept, but as sbobserver suggests, how and by whom is this subsidized, and who is the intended beneficiary? Unfortunately, the programs business friendly efforts of offering reasonable rent, minimizing/eliminating/expediting building and sign requirements, permits and fees, all which could increase the odds of success, does not exist in the Santa Barbara’s true business environment. In the real world, budding businesses are most often stretched to their fiscal limits, or beyond, with exorbitant rents exacerbated by demanding and ever-changing requirements, permit/approval delays and high fees. Hopefully, the consultants and/or brain trust that designed this program, might extend their principles and practices to influence our city’s general business practices.
“We will let you move in without a permit but you can’t have a sign without a permit (3 month process…) so nobody will know that you are there.”
Yes, I agree, this is also the same that has happened in Summerland, to high of rents for a town that doesn’t have a big foot traffic, mostly on holidays from tourists. Our local store is gone, I’ve heard lots of rumors of restaurants to come in and open, then they never appear, if it’s not the high rents, it’s the permits, to the signage that’s being restricted.
Right wing talking points are lies.
Maybe folks could actually read the flyer to understand what the point is. Pop-ups allow people to test their retail or restaurant ideas and see whether they are viable.
There is nothing I need there anymore. Downtown is not the friendly place of my youth; and I can get almost anything from the Internet for far less than a rent-strapped local retailer can offer.