Upscale children’s store ‘Mama Luma’ opens in Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara

A new, upscale children’s boutique is open for business in the Paseo Nuevo Mall in downtown Santa Barbara.

‘Mama Luma’ held an official ribbon cutting Friday afternoon at the site of the former Cache women’s clothing store, next to See’s Candy. The shop currently specializes solely in girl’s clothing with beautiful specialty dresses, handmade, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Prices range from roughly $50 dollars to more than $100. The designer, Mahinur Sari, is the mother of one of the shop’s owners, Ata Sari.

“My father owned a company which had over 100 stores,” Ata Sari said. “It was a woman’s clothing brand and with the leftover fabrics, my mom took those and she started her own brand.”

Sari and his partner and co-owner, Kevin Mahany, graduated last year from UCSB. Mahany said the two are now working with retailers in five different states including New York, Houston, Florida and New Jersey.

“We know that if we really want to make this succeed, we have to get the Santa Barbara community behind what we’re doing,” Mahany said.

Sari and Mahany eventually plan to bring in community leaders with the hope of offering weekly reading sessions, seminars, and workshops that will engage families and children.

“We’re really into the idea of empowering youth,” Mahany said.

For more information, visit https://www.mamaluma.com/collection.