In the years leading up to the pandemic, we all began noticing the ever-increasing number of empty storefronts on downtown State Street, the high rents, homelessness, and a struggling retail economy brought on by online shopping. Adding to this, the creative rebranding of the Funk Zone brought increased vibrancy to that area and caused the business energy, particularly for restaurants and bars, to shift away from the downtown State Street corridor to the newly bustling waterfront area.
This had many of us in the downtown corridor worried not only for the future of our businesses, but also for the future prospects of Santa Barbara itself, especially our downtown. In a town continually topping many polls as one of the leading tourist destinations in the world, visitors came with high expectations that were simply not being met. Instead they found a downtown riddled with vacancies, and an increasingly battered restaurant scene in what was once a thriving center of exceptional food and beverage businesses.
A great city needs a great downtown, and a great downtown needs a critical mass of vital businesses and other energizing organizations to create the kind of vibrancy that attracts visitors and locals. Despite our best efforts, that energy was dying out and our downtown faced a dire future.