Sales and toasts ready to ring in New Year
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Businesses are ready to ring in a new year of sales with old and new customers.
Bars and restaurants are decorating for the occasion.
The Press Room will be celebrating its 25th year in 2020. The owner James Rafferty, known as Raff, said they will start toasting at 4 p.m. when it will be midnight in Ireland and England.
Store owners and employees are welcoming customers with deep discounts and hope for more foot traffic in the months to come.
Locals with more time to venture out over the holidays said they are helping the economy by shopping at locally owned businesses.
People who work downtown like Dr. Glenn Miller remember a time when there was a "hustle and bustle" on State Street. Miller said he would like to see that again.
They hope brick and mortar stores will be helped by locals and tourists in the new year.
Another longtime local said the Funk Zone is popular and he called the old Saks Fifth Avenue building the Ama-Zone. Amazon appears ready to open but residents are not sure what kind of work will be done behind the former Sak's doors.
