Whole Foods thinks local as tri-county products land on shelves
Whole Foods Market has been in expansion mode for the better part of two decades. As it has opened stores in the Tri-Counties, entrepreneurs have worked to get their products on the stores’ shelves. Beth Bailey is a Santa Barbara mother of two who founded The Kiddo Co. The company makes all-natural, all-organic “squeezies,” Read More →
SLO firm gets local with mobile ads
The buzzword-heavy consensus in the tech world is that print publications are dying, consumers glaze over at the sight of traditional Web ads and hyper-local mobile phone marketing is the official Next Big Thing. That’s all fine — but what’s a corner diner or mom-and-pop shop to do to get out a coupon and grab Read More →
Growing a tech business: Ojai
Tri-county agricultural giants such as Gills Onions and Mission Produce ship onions and avocadoes all over the country and are some of the biggest names in the business. But they run on software written by Ojai entrepreneur Bryan Bernard and his small team of programmers. Bernard’s AgKnowledge software suite is tailored to agribusiness, with the Read More →
Bargain boutique
Whether on the sales rack or in the rental market, Johanna Melamed knows how to snag a bargain when she sees it. Melamed is the owner of The Closet, a boutique consignment and resale clothing business with stores in Santa Barbara and Westlake Village. She recently moved the Santa Barbara store from its first location Read More →
Eyeing new concepts
Health care reform may be the hottest topic in the United States, but one Goleta medical equipment firm is focusing its attention on developing low-cost medical imaging technology for overseas markets. Pointe Conception Medical is launching what it says is the first integrated and networked endoscopic camera system in the world. The new medical video Read More →
African couture
San Luis Obispo now has some Ethiopian flair in its wardrobe of downtown boutiques. The newly opened storefront at 1065 Higuera St. is the first retail location for Vancouver, Wash.-based Konjo Ababa, which designs and imports high-end, fair-trade handbags from Ethiopia. Owner and founder Thomas Meister is a former fashion model and photographer who went Read More →
Business of culture
It’s been open for just over a year, and already Live Culture in Santa Barbara has its eye set on the national stage. Owner-operators Darin Fiechter, Sierra Falso and Rebecca Klarich opened the chic eatery, wine bar and music venue in the Paso Nuevo mall last March. Now they say they’re ready to take the Read More →
