Current Issue Articles

Livin' La Vida Local

Story by Jessica Schley
Photos by
Jessica Schley & Kaileigh Johnson

The Book Loft is a favorite among locals and visitors, with many locally produced books about the area and its history, as well as a coffee cafe and the famous Hans Christian Andersen Museum. Photo by Kaileigh Johnson

Even if you are not a local, you probably came to the Santa Ynez Valley to enjoy local wines, local shops, local motels and local eats. Tourists and residents alike shop at the Valley’s family owned and operated stores sprinkled throughout our five little towns, choosing to support our economy in hard times and in good. That’s the story of locavores throughout the world: support the little man, the small town, the micro economies.

Having a berry nice time, thank you: (left to right) Gavin Robbins, Vivian Goeller, Lexi Robbins and Margie Lang sample juicy fresh strawberries.
Photo by Jessica Schley.

Barbara Kingsolver’s autobiography Animal, Vegetable, Miracle topped this year’s New York Times bestseller list and re-popularized the term “locavore,” revitalizing interest in gardening, small patch farming and items like Little Gems lettuce or lavender honey. The book title could be rephrased as Animal, Vegetable, Valley, to describe our own area, since there is such an abundance of vineyards, ranches, farms and orchards producing organic and pesticide-free fruits, vegetables, olive oils, honey, juices, wines and even meats.

We have cafes and restaurants that feature locally grown and organic foods and even a store that makes authentic Danish chocolates from real cream, butter, cocoa and only the finest of other ingredients for fillings.  The abundance does not exist merely in foodstuffs, however. We have resident artists and craftspeople who create paintings, sculpture, jewelry, textiles and leatherwork. These can be purchased at a number of family-owned and operated stores and galleries, or at one of our historical museums.
  We also have local non-profits that focus directly on community needs, such as therapeutic riding, a local food bank, a meals on wheels service, sports programs for children, and several thrift stores that benefit such things as our hospital and our local humane society. Our local businesses, be they drug stores or boutiques, donate generously to most of these charitable groups that serve the needs of valley residents and visitors alike.
Since much of our economy is based on tourism, it seems ironic to be talking about localism, yet that localism is the reason most people come to the valley: To experience the very special regional offerings we provide in abundance and to enjoy our rural areas and small-town ambiance.
  Kathy Mullen, owner of The Solvang Book Loft has been running her business on Mission Drive since 1970. Although she is in the center of a tourist-oriented town, much of her business is from loyal locals. She sponsors poetry contests and youth reading programs, awarding book certificates as prizes, and enabling aspiring young writers to go above and beyond their small town origins. She also holds book-signings for local authors, especially those who write about local topics.

Another valley favorite is Star Drug Co. in Santa Ynez. Pharmacist Steve Reden and his family opened their store in 2000, shortly after the last of several independent pharmacies closed their doors after serving the Valley for two or three generations. Steve and his wife Joan felt that there was still a need for an independent pharmacy that provided personalized and affordable care for prescription customers, as well as a wide selection of over-the-counter health care items, office supplies, novelty gifts, wrapping paper and cards for all occasions. “People tend to automatically assume they can get things cheaper at chain pharmacies. We’re trying hard to dispel that myth here,” says Steve Reden.

In addition to pharmaceuticals, Star Drug has wonderful gift items and shipping services, including UPS and FedEx, for sending those local gifts
to your friends and family far away.
Photo by Kaileigh Johnson

Star Drugs goes above and beyond what peoples’ usual expectations are of a small town drug store: They offer both FedEx and UPS service, and they have both a copy and a fax machine for customers to use at ten cents per page, with free assistance, if needed. Many locals live so far off the beaten track that UPS and FedEx refuse to deliver to their homes, so they have their items shipped to Star Drugs, who then calls to let them know their package has arrived safely. A small fee is incurred, but locals who have used the service say the few dollars extra is a well worth the peace of mind they get in exchange. Packages and envelopes can also be sent out several times a day at the usual FedEx and UPS prices, with reasonable additional charges for packaging, if needed.
We are fortunate in the Santa Ynez Valley to still have several family-owned and operated grocery stores, a couple of which have been in operation for two or more generations. For example, El Rancho Market was opened by Helmut Holtzeu in 1967, and is now headed by his son Alfred. They have always strived to provide the best meat and produce they can find, as well as top-of-the line dairy goods, and general grocery supplies. They have always been very responsive to customer requests, and they were one of the first to feature fresh, frozen, boxed and canned organic foods. When they were asked to stock lactose free milk in 1986, they immediately complied. If you are not satisfied with a purchase, just bring it back and they will refund your money. A number of their checkers have worked there for 20 and more years and know the regular customers by name. One man was surprised to be informed that he was trying to purchase the wrong brand of shredded wheat, until the teller said, “Your wife gets the other kind.” Now that’s personal service.

Trina Cohen and daughter Rebekah, ready to fill up their bag with farmer Oliverio Castrejoni. Photo by Jessica Schley.	If you want to do some of your shopping out-of-doors, a veritable cornucopia has been available throughout the valley for generations, including seasonal U-pick opportunities and farm produce stands like Summerset Farms in Santa Ynez. In the fall, you can go to a walnut, apple or peach orchard and pick your munchies right under the boughs of the trees, just like your grandmother or great-grandmother did. Apples and peaches are now sold by the pound, however, not by the “lug,” or the “bushel” that used to be taken home so that the fruit could be “put up” as applesauce or peach preserves. New to the area is the blueberry farm in Buellton, featuring a new variety of blueberries that grow well in warmer climates. They are usually open from May through July or August, and offer U-pick opportunities as well as blueberries for sale in boxes or baskets. If you want a lot of fresh farm produce in one place, you can mosey over to the Solvang Farmer’s Market on the corner of Mission and First Street.
There, the farmers come to you. Many hark from the valley but some also come from further afield, but not so far afield as to be considered non-local. There’s even a fish erman who brings shellfish and scaly fish from the Santa Barbara coast. Contrary to popular belief, the prices you pay are competitive with the chain grocery stores and in some cases cheaper. Think about it: You are eliminating much of the middle men value add-ons and contributing more cents per dollar straight back to the farmer, who then turns around and reinvests that capital back into the care of the land. Always a good choice when it comes down to who you are going to vote for with your food dollars. Competitive pricing is also a good reason to go local. This time of the year, you can get strawberries for $3 a basket, spinach for $2 a bag, broccoli for $2.50 a pound, freshly made breads from locally-grown wheat for $3.50 per loaf, bran muffins for $2.50 a piece, a French baguette for $2.75, vine ripe big beef tomatoes for $2.50 a pound, onions for a dollar a pound, mandarins for $3 a lb, or fresh basil for $2.50 a bunch.
All shopped out–father and daughter head for home with a load of local purchases. Photo by Jessica Schley.	The same person who grew, raised or made them sells all of these things and more to you. In the case of the bread, Tracie Ormonde grows and threshes the wheat herself, with her own equipment. She then mills and grinds the grain into either whole wheat or white flour, which she makes into bread, rolls, pies and bran muffins. Everything she makes tastes soooo good! No article on localism would be complete without a few cameos of the locavores themselves. Four families were found shopping at the market on a given Wednesday, all for different reasons, all from different places. One family from Los Angeles was visiting relatives in this area, the Gomez family was on vacation from Ventura, Trina Cohen and her daughter Rebekah live in Solvang, and the Francis family had just spent the day visiting a miniature horse farm and had stopped at the market to buy carrots for their twin daughters, Isabella and Georgina, before they drove home to San Luis Obispo.