From Fine Art to Fashion & Funk, Santa Barbara Artists and Designers Offer Up an Array of Beautiful Things
Santa Barbara has always been one of my favorite West Coast destinations. Not only because of its beautiful weather and spectacular scenery, or because they have excellent restaurants, vineyards and wineries, but also because the community is filled with creative, artistic souls who have made Santa Barbara their home.
As a port, the town welcomes cruise ships during the Fall, Winter and Spring, avoiding the busier summer months. Cruise lines that stop in Santa Barbara include Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruses, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn Cruises and Viking Cruises. Ships arrive about a half mile offshore and passengers are tendered to the wharf. From there it is an easy walk or trolley ride to downtown’s State Street, filled with restaurants, shops and wineries, many of which are located along Santa Barbara’s renowned Urban Wine Trail.
The Port of Santa Barbara
The Funk Zone
On this visit, I couldn’t wait to visit Santa Barbara’s cool, hip neighborhood called The Funk Zone. Located just steps from State Street near the waterfront, The Funk Zone has become this town’s most vibrant area, home to restaurants, wine tasting rooms, breweries, boutiques, art studios, galleries and more.
The first artistic Thing you’ll notice in The Funk Zone is the colorful murals that line the streets, letting you know you are in for a truly creative experience!
Jules By The Sea
My shopping quest began at a little building called Funk Zone Studios, which houses a collective of working studios and galleries for several very talented artists and designers. My first stop was Jules By The Sea, where I had the pleasure of meeting designer and owner Jules Kramer. This bright lifestyle gallery showcases a beautiful line of wearable art, from apparel to contemporary jewelry, that incorporates local sea glass, pearls and shells. In addition, the gallery offers home goods and décor including crystals, barware and candles, along with bath & beauty products such as beautiful soap rock gemstones that reflect every blue-green color the sea, even as they weather slowly with use. Jules has a corner of the gallery that she utilizes as a working studio, where visitors can watch her craft her beautiful designs in person.
Jess Conti Leather Goods
Right next door is a fabulous working leather studio and showroom owned by designer Jess Conti. Jess has been sewing and crafting since childhood, but after a stint in college with a tailor, her passion has become leather crafting. All the goods are created solely by Jess in her onsite studio and it’s amazing to watch her at work. Her collection features a stunning array of totes and bags, backpacks, jewelry, belts, clothing and accessories. Each piece is cut by hand from cow, American bison or deer hides. Visitors will be amazed by the original designs, skin colors, and handcrafted embellishments that make up these treasured leather goods which become even more distinguished and beautiful with time. Jess Conti Leather Goods
Lancaster Wood Prints
Across the hall in this building brimming with talent, is a gallery with an artistic process that I’ve never seen. Husband and wife team Andy and Meadow design and craft the most incredible art by combining their working mediums in a unique way. Meadow is a photographer who captures digital images of California lifestyles and landscapes. Andy cuts, sands and preps pieces of pine or fir wood that will compliment Meadow’s images. The images are then printed on the pieces of wood, allowing the grain to show through the negative space, which enhances the depth and composition of each piece. Truly remarkable.
Loveworn and Rodeo Gallery
This fabulous shop is such a creative experience, all Santa Barbara visitors must stop by! Co-owners Jill Johnson and Wallace Piatt have created a unique warehouse of apparel, accessories, and artistic home décor. One of their claims to fame is their “Vintage Denim Heaven”. The pair has been collecting vintage denim since the 90’s and provide alterations and repairs on these classics as well. Jill also utilizes vintage pieces to create one-of-a-kind apparel, including studded, painted, hand-stenciled, and distressed denim and sweaters, patched vintage denim, repurposed vintage blazers adorned with pins, stencils, patches, and pins and so many more couture designs that are found nowhere else. All designs are handmade at this awesome studio in Santa Barbara.
Be sure to step into their Rodeo Gallery featuring posters and wall art created by Wallace with a stylistic emphasis on colorful pop art and social messaging. His work is available in sizes from poster to oversized wall murals. Look for their insta-famous FUNK N LOVE garage door, which is also their signature brand printed in-house on tee shirts, hats and accessories. Loveworn and Rodeo Gallery
Tasty Tastings
A trip to The Funk Zone must include some bites and beverages! The Funk Zone is home to many award-winning wineries including Fess Parker Funk Zone, Santa Barbara Wine Collective and The Valley Project, which has a huge map of Santa Barbara’s wine region behind its bar. They also feature displays of the types of soil found in each region and how that determines what grapes are planted. Take a tour of Santa Barbara’s 5 Viticultural Areas “one glass at a time” at this remarkable winery. The Valley Project
In addition, there are several breweries in The Funk Zone and a working distillery, Cutler’s Artisan Distillery, which offers tastings of a collection of hard spirits handcrafted in Santa Barbara. These include bourbon, gin, whiskey and vodka, along with a couple specialty liqueurs that are also yummy. This tasting was unlike any other I’ve had before! Cutler's Artisan Spirits
In the same garden/patio area, visitors will also find Lucky Penny, which serves fresh pizza from a cute little building covered in thousands of real copper pennies! I highly recommend booking a tour with Eat This, Shoot That, which is a great culinary and photography walking tour that stops at several of these foodie establishments in The Funk Zone and more. Eat This Shoot That
Seaside Makers
Next, I headed for a couple of shops that I heard about on State Street. This area is the traditional hub for Santa Barbara’s retail and restaurants. It also transforms into a pedestrian promenade on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for local markets selling farm fresh foods, beverages, and local arts and crafts. The first store I visited was Seaside Makers, which offers an array of artisan made gifts and goods crafted by local makers.
Most interesting to me was that the owner, Kristen, first launched The Grapeseed Company in 2004. The Grapeseed Company is the first vinotherapy skin care line in the U.S. to use local wine waste as the base ingredient in personal care products. The company has grown to create over 100 vinotherapy skin, hair, bath & body products utilizing fresh, local ingredients and is known for its custom scent bar and niche in the beauty industry.
Urban Flea Market
It was like stepping back in time walking into this incredible vintage collective. Owner Sara Gehris showcases art, home décor and collectibles from over 25 local dealers. I love the store layout, which is a maze of carefully curated vignettes and rooms, with themes such as Tiki, Man Cave and Disco. I really enjoyed the 60’s and 70’s kitchen vibes with merchandise straight from my home as a child. There’s an array of old Polaroid and Kodak cameras, turntables, classic albums and console televisions. One of the most popular areas was their collection of vintage magazines, including classic Playboys.
While visiting Urban Flea Market, be sure to check out their fragrant assortment of One Last Glass Candles which features a “Lit Lyrics” line such as “But If You Try Sometimes You Get What You Need” and “Woke Up This Morning and I Got Myself A Beer”. All hand poured in Santa Barbara, the unique soy wax candle scents include Florida Citrus with Wild Mint, Juicy Fruit with Mandarin Orange, Candy-O Lollipop with Lemon and so many more!
While you’re shopping on State Street in Santa Barbara and get hungry for a bite, I recommend stopping into Joe’s Café, the city’s oldest restaurant, dating back to 1928. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner they dish up an extensive menu of homemade American comfort foods, cocktails, and most importantly, delicious pies made fresh daily in house. For spicier tastes, head to Santo Mexcal, which offers savory, contemporary Mexican cuisine as well as perfectly crafted tequila and mezcal cocktails. Delicioso!
Next Voyage - Join me as I embark on a Caribbean Cruise aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s majestic Getaway. We’ll depart from New York City to the picturesque ports of Puerto Plata, San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Marten.
Till then, keep cruisin’ through life, discovering your own special Things!
CHEERS!
