Spotlight

Art galleries may be sparse around Santa Maria, but at least one nearby is managing to carve out a comfortable niche. Morley & Art Brut 117 at 117 E. Clark Ave. in Old Town Orcutt features local and California paintings handpicked by curator and owner John Morley. “I’m an entrepreneur of sorts,” Morley told the […]

Another major chain store opened up shop at Santa Maria’s Enos Ranch shopping center off Betteravia Road and Highway 101. On Feb. 20, Kirkland’s held a soft opening at its newest location (645 E. Betteravia Road), where it offered door prizes and raffle drawings for new furniture. “At Kirkland’s we bring together great style and […]

It all started five years ago, when Firestone Walker Brewing Company moved its wild-ale program from the main brewery in Paso Robles to a new location in Buellton. Headed by resident Master Blender Jim Crooks, the 14,000 square-foot warehouse attached to two tasting rooms along with a full-service brew pub at 620 McMurray Road off […]

There aren’t a lot of bookstores in Santa Maria, let alone locally owned ones. That’s what makes a place like The Bookworm on Betteravia such a special gem. The small, shotgun-style shop packed wall-to-wall with books of all genres, first hit the scene in 2005. Seven years later, when its founder, Sheila Butterworth, expressed a […]

Decades ago, longtime Santa Marian George Muranaka and his wife, Linda, talked about opening up a franchise one day. Once their kids grew up and left the house, they had the time and money to invest, Muranaka said, but they weren’t about to drop more than $1 million for a McDonald’s franchise. They came across […]

Rows of identical rings and earrings, shined and machine-shaped, glimmering with perfectly translucent, and symmetrical diamonds—that’s not what you’ll find at R&D los olivos. Owner Diane Dorsey didn’t open the Los Olivos shop to show jewelry that looks like something one would find in a chain or department store. She wanted to share her own […]

A little more than four years ago, Alanna Silva opened her own business. Fast forward to the present, and she is celebrating nearly a half decade of operation, with plans to stay in business for many years to come. “I made so many mistakes in the beginning,” she told the Sun, “but I think I’ve […]

For some local businesses, the new year is starting off on the right foot. On Jan. 8, nine nonprofits received a combined $22,000 from the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor and Convention Bureau, the first of two grant cycles for the calendar year. The grants were awarded to benefit local tourism, according […]

The start of 2018 marked the beginning of the annual California Restaurant Month, and the Santa Maria Valley is following suit by offering its own Restaurant Week. From Jan. 14 to Jan. 20, the region will host the seven-day event featuring deals at participating restaurants, breweries, and wineries. “The event dates were chosen to coincide […]

On Dec. 16, a Santa Barbara man was stuck in his home while the Thomas Fire approached. His caregiver was unable to reach him and the record-setting blaze was threatening his neighborhood. So he called 211, an information and referral system that aims to connect citizens with health and human services. The hotline was answered […]

When Joanne Trudeau took her two great danes to a nearby kennel before going on vacation a few years back, she knew at least one of the dogs was going to struggle with the experience. Instead, they both did. And by the time she and her husband, Michael, came home from their seven-day trip, the […]