Santa Barbara's "funk zone" is known for its quirky mix of artisans, workshops and businesses. But the area near the beach isn't the only place in town where eclecticism is on display.
Artists have banded together to put a little funk into East Haley Street, converting old restaurants and auto shops into ateliers for painters, photographers and even metal workers.
Seizing on bargain rents and empty spaces east of Laguna Street in what many consider a seedy part of town, they are making a place where creativity and industry collide.
"This is one of the only places in town left that still has the ability to be changed," said Tanner Goldbeck, 34, who paints, illustrates and does metal sculpture down an alley off East Haley Street.
As artists move in alongside auto mechanics and lumber shops, plumbing supply stores and Mexican restaurants, the result, some say, is unlike anything in town.
Posted by gandlwoods at November 22, 2004 08:31 AM