Kim’s Service Dept. Featuring Modern Times and Shaker Mill

Project: Adaptive reuse of a large retail State St. building in Santa Barbara including an 8,000 s.f. interior and exterior remodel/transformation of an existing warehouse space into a new multi-tenant hospitality destination. Tenants include Modern Times Brewery, Cubaneo and Shaker Mill Cocktail Bar

Location: 418 State St. Santa Barbara Ca.

Description:  Now Complete!  The property owner like many in Santa Barbara and elsewhere could not find an appropriate tenant to take the roughly 6,000 sf long and narrow space fronting what used to be the vibrant retail core of State St. The owner liked our vision and design for The Waterline project in the funk zone which includes Lama Dog, The Nook and Topa Topa Brewing. They approached us and asked us to provide a direction of how they could best improve the property and find the right tenant. We completely reconsidered how the property could be used and accessed to unlock the full potential and provide the best return on investment. We envisioned a destination multi-tenant hospitality space that spilled out onto an unused yard at the rear of the building. All the interior walls were removed to allow people walking past on State St. to see thru the space and into the rear yard. Large openings in the concrete walls were cut to further open up this space and let light pour in.

Then with our concept drawings in hand our teammate The Miramar Group was able to pursue the tenants that we felt were right for the space as well as would contribute to the overall atmosphere of the project. The tenants selected were Modern Times Brewery, The Good Lion Cocktails and Barbareno Restaurant. We also worked with the tenants on the interior and exterior design of their bar and restaurant spaces. In the end this project will have two kitchens and two bars that encourage people to sit outside to take advantage of the nearly perfect weather here in Santa Barbara.

The name Kim’s Service Dept. comes from the past use of the building as a car dealership and service station. This project has breathed new life into an area of town that was in desperate need of revitalization.