State Street Rent Cartoon

I used to go in that deli every morning and buy acouple of the sandwiches they had in their baskets then several quarts of beer then I'd walk down to the employment office. I'd trade a quart of beer for an avocado to put on my sandwiches pound the 3 quarts of beer and wait to get picked up for work... I loved being a laborer sometimes I'd make 40 or 50 a day after work I'd go to Aurellos now Santa Cruz market on West Montecito and buy roasted chickens for 3-3.50 each a case of beer acouple packs of smokes and a pint or two of Jim Beam....Those were the days...Bring Em Back1 Reagan became president folks started cashing in acouple years later Paseo Nuevo and State street like Rodeo Drive...

Eastbeach-I loved those sammies too. I find it sad that most small businesses failed as a result of outrageous rent and the push for big corporations yet they are now failing too and I don't feel bad one bit, what comes around...Time to bring back the mom and pop stores.

The tipping point for me was when the Italian Greek Deli made way for the Verizon store. I have fond memories of their awesome sandwiches and friendly staff. I don't blame the deli's family for making a financial decision in their own interest though. I have even fonder memories of going to Ott's to buy my PE clothes when I was at SBJHS (remember those blue shorts, then you could go up to green and red shorts as you tested better?). Also walking to Thrifty's for ice cream and wandering around the old Chinatown and skimming books at Tecolote's in "old" Paseo.

UGH. This town died a long time ago. GREED knows no bounds in Santa Barbara. Many of State st.'s buildings are owned by out towners and managed by big corporate soulless greedy management companies. Our town SUFFERS because of high rents. Have you taken a walk down State St. lately? So many vacant buildings it looks like a ghost town. Local mom and pop businesses don't have a chance here and so there goes our unique local personality. There IS none, just the empty shell of Disneyesque red tiled roofs and cartoonish architechture ala Jeff Shelton. Rich for the rich by the rich and of the rich. SAD.

Excellent, funny and sad both. There were stores on State that were in business when Mom was growing up, when I was, and when my children were too. I guess maybe some of the stores' proprietors owned their buildings. Despicable what State has turned into. Greed is the name of the game now.

Too true, several have already tried it... Sojourner and others but the only one I can think of where it worked was Brazil Arts. So fitting but not really humorous as of course cartoons don't always have to be funny.