Running out of mantel space to display all those Little League trophies you’ve held onto since childhood? Orcutt’s new sports bar has got you covered.
“The walls are lined with trophies from our community,” Loon & Crown co-founder Micaela Buchanan told the Sun. “We built some shelves and ask our customers to bring in their old trophies. … So, they can come in and [tell people], ‘Hey, that’s my trophy, from when I was in baseball, or wrestling, or whatever.’”
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Loon & Crown is located at 155 E. Clark Ave., No. 110, Orcutt. Follow the new sports bar on Instagram @loonandcrown for info on the venue’s offerings. The bar is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 3 to 9 p.m., Thursdays from 3 to 10 p.m., Fridays from 2 to 10 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Not long after Loon & Crown’s opening on East Clark Avenue in July, the trophy idea came from a small but relatable real-world problem for Buchanan’s business partner, Ashley Slocum.
“Ashley’s husband, Nic, participates in this disc golf competition every year, and the trophy is hideous and huge,” Buchanan said with a laugh. “He wins it often, and she’s like, ‘That thing’s going to sit on my mantel for another year.’ … People have all these trophies, but when you’re an adult, that isn’t necessarily how you decorate your living room.
“So, I was like, ‘Why don’t you bring it to the bar?’” Buchanan said. “We thought, ‘Hey, let’s let people put their trophies on display, whether it was from 30 years ago or, you know, from the past weekend.”
Framed photographs of local athletes are also welcome.
“I have one of my old softball photos somewhere,” Buchanan said. “I’ll probably bring it in, and frame it, and put it up.”
Between 2022 and the first half of 2026, the space at 155 E. Clark Ave., suite 110, that currently hosts Loon & Crown was home to popular wine bar Lark + Sparrow—now located across the street at 165 S. Broadway, suite 101.
Both brands are the brainchildren of the same four co-owners: Buchanan, Slocum, and their respective spouses, Johnna Luney and Nic Slocum.
Buchanan described Lark + Sparrow and Loon & Crown as essentially “polar opposites.” One specializes in pouring imported wines in cozy surroundings, while the other broadcasts live sports games on six different screens for patrons to enjoy with domestic beers on tap and complimentary popcorn.
“We figured there were community members for both spaces,” Buchanan said. “What kind of triggered both these ideas is that feeling of: ‘I can’t be the only one that wants a space like this.’ … A space that we thought Orcutt was missing.”
In the case of Loon & Crown, Buchanan, an eighth-generation Orcutt resident, thought: “I can’t be the only one who wants to go play shuffleboard and darts, and have a few beers with friends, and get competitive.”
Guests of either destination can look forward to thoughtfully curated beer and wine selections.
“We do have a considerable amount of beer at Lark + Sparrow,” Buchanan said. “It’s wine-focused with beer at Lark + Sparrow, and then it’s beer-focused [with wine] at Loon & Crown.”
Both spots also host a variety of special events on a regular basis, including weekly karaoke nights—Thursday nights at Lark + Sparrow and Saturday nights at Loon & Crown.
Wednesday nights at Loon & Crown belong to fans of a 400-year-old British card game.
“[That’s] cribbage night,” Buchanan said. “That’s kind of the one night that there isn’t a whole lot of sports on, except for championship type of situations.”
On Oct. 30, the two venues will team up with the Naughty Oak Brewing Company to host the Orcutt Halloween Block Party. All three businesses will pour Halloween-themed drinks between 6 and 10 p.m. that evening and encourage attendees to compete in the event’s costume contest.
Tickets aren’t required to take part in the festivities, but a $35 drink ticket is available in advance at my805tix.com. That pass includes one drink from each of the three venues, plus discounts on additional purchases throughout the party.
“We have always had a really good relationship,” Buchanan said about working with Naughty Oak co-owner Emily Kitts. “Emily is one of our favorite humans on the face of the earth.”
“We’re neighbors, not competition,” added Buchanan, who lovingly refers to the block the businesses share as “critter corner.”
“Because birds and squirrels are our logos,” Buchanan said with a laugh.
Playing on the word crown when used as slang for a bottle cap, the Loon & Crown logo features an illustration of the titular, red-eyed aquatic bird with a bottle cap adorning its head.
“Birds have meanings. … Larks symbolize adventure, sparrows symbolize community, and that’s really what we wanted to do with Lark + Sparrow was bring all of our travels, and wine tastings, and stuff into the community.”
The loon in Loon & Crown has a double meaning, Buchanan explained.
“It’s part of my wife’s last name, … Luney,” Buchanan said. “When we mentioned the loon [idea] to Ashley and Nic, we come to find out that’s their favorite bird. So, it was a no-brainer.”
Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood is stepping up his cribbage game. Reach him at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in October 15, 2026 – October 22, 2026.
