republished by the Santa Barbara Independent

It was the 1970s, and Haley Street was virtually dormant. There were no coffeehouses, breweries, or wine rooms. There was no deluge of contemporary businesses flooding the street. Instead of cool hipsters, there were blue-collar folks working in the area — hip in a prewar kind of way.

Haley was the main drag in the industrial part of town. Its addresses were populated with businesses that mainly had to do with building things. There were craftsmen hidden in small spaces and large businesses devoted to the construction arts. No software; all hardware.

In the middle of it all was the Rose Café, which had been providing sustenance to the neighborhood since 1924.

Read the full story here, https://www.independent.com/2020/09/20/an-ode-to-santa-barbaras-rose-cafe/