In the Know
by Nick Masuda & Kelly Mahan Herrick
Little Alex’s Is Out at Country Mart Despite Community Uproar
The Briner and Santamaria families have been integral in helping Little Alex’s thrive despite staying committed to an affordable menu (Photo by Nick Masuda)
3,000 PROJECTS • 600 CLIENTS • 30 YEARS • ONE BUILDER
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ust a few weeks after Cava leaving its longtime post on Coast Village Road, another community cornerstone is being shown the door by its landlord, as Little Alex’s has been told it needs to vacate the Montecito Country Mart by November 22. Jim Rosenfield, the retail center’s landlord, delivered the news via a letter, with no personal contact made over the decision to part ways until the afternoon of October 12, when Rosenfield left a message for one of Little Alex’s owners, Dan Briner. Rosenfield did offer an explanation to the Montecito Journal. “Always trying to balance preservation of building, lifestyle, offerings, and upgrades,” said Rosenfield, who also owns similar country mart concepts in West Los Angeles (Brentwood) and Marin. “We’re committed to preserving the use,” he said, adding that the new business slated to open in place of Alex’s is a casual, family-friendly Mexican concept, but it will remain local, the new tenant is a Santa Barbara restaurateur. For Briner, he’s worried that yet another “old-timer” is being jettisoned, pointing to his wife, Lynette, as the key to the restaurant’s success, as she has been primarily responsible for day-to-day operations at Little Alex’s for the past 32 years. “We are just the latest in a long line of owners that have been forced out,” Dan said. “That’s concerning. I guess he was just hoping that he’d outlast us — I guess he did.” Kristen Sneddon, the District 4 representative on Santa Barbara City Council, which presides over Coast Village Road, says it is concerning that long-time local business owners such as Little Alex’s and Cava have failed to reach agreements, either on rent hikes or needed improvements to the business, albeit the physical structure or underlying direction. These two closings come after Giovanni’s was shuttered in January 2019 after 32 years, while the Read ‘N’ Post also recently closed in the Country Mart. And there have been many others that have left the Country Mart, including Kendall Conrad, Intermix and Xanadu, the latter becoming a public dispute
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