After 18 years of being a cornerstone of style and community, 19 Blue Salon in downtown Santa Barbara, will be closing for good at the end of January.
Since opening in February 2008 at 19 W. Ortega Street, I’ve been a loyal client of its owner, Ann Kelleher. For nearly two decades, 19 Blue has been more than just a place to get my hair cut. It has been a sanctuary, a confessional, and a place of celebration.
The decision to close was not an easy one. Ann, who has been a stylist in Santa Barbara for over 25 years, explained that a combination of factors made it impossible to continue. Faced with the mounting pressures of inflation and the rising costs of doing business—including a downtown business tax and a forthcoming rent increase—the salon found its financial situation unsustainable…