I think everyone who lives in Santa Barbara attended last year's Holiday Night Market inside the…read morevacant Paseo Nuevo Macy's. We all wanted to unite and help out the local businesses who were trying to make up for lost profits and wages after the natural disasters. Sadly enough, this year's Night Market was dishearteningly and abruptly cancelled in October by Paseo Nuevo leaving many artisans displaced, with hopes to find somewhere quick to sell their amazing art and goods this Holiday Season. Thanks to Santa Barbara Trading Post's Vashti Wilson who pulled strings and all her resources to throw 2019's Twilight Holiday Market. She is an Air Force mother who had experienced European markets and wanted to bring this to Santa Barbara. If you ask me, this year's market is BETTER THAN EVER! It temporarily transported me home to Chicago's Christkindlmarket--without the frigid temperatures and mandatory cider in German boot mugs! The Twilight Market is outdoors right on De La Guerra Plaza within a heated tent with Christmas lights decorating the surrounding plants and palm trees. Step inside to explore 40+ local vendors and artisans selling their creative creations. A few of my favorites were: Island View Outfitters (screen printing shirts and stickers), AZ Designz (leather goods), Horse & Carriage Co (custom string art), Hot Cherry (therapeutic cherry pit wraps and pillows), RoHo Goods (ethical Kenyan products), & Pura Luna Women's Apothecary (plant remedies and goods). Everyone was super friendly and enthusiastic, plus many more to see that I failed to mention. If you're hungry, enjoy some smoky barbecue from Kaptain's BBQ Shack... Side note: There's the option to order in advance by texting your order to 805-617-0825 including your first/last name and phone number. There is also fingerlicking popcorn from Hippy Pop Popcorn, caffeinated hot beverages from the Nitro Shack, and rotating beer and wine offerings that changes daily to support multiple breweries/wineries. Genius! During the evenings, they have bands perform to add to the ambiance and outdoor patio seating. Markets like this is what I truly love about our tiny beach town of Santa Barbara--everyone pulls together to help and support one another to make exciting things happen. I would love to see the city create a permanent shared space for all these artisans to have pop-up shop off State Street since there is so much talent. For now, feel free to ask for a business card or find them on Etsy and/or Instagram. The market is running daily for two weeks straight from December 6th-23rd Mondays-Saturdays 4 pm - 10 pm and Sundays 12 pm - 6 pm. Go support your local artisans and small businesses to make a difference this Holiday Season!

If you have a deep love for Coffee and LOVE VINTAGE ! This my dear friends is the biggest gem in…read moreBakersfield. A true hidden treasure to say the least . I fall in love every time I walk in this place, but most importantly " COFFEE FIRST " . This amazing independent business stands out as soon as you walk in. This is the coolest coffee stop in my own opinion, truly a hipster experience over all for me. - Try the spring menu ! These fun flavors have me hooked . I tried the Mango Sticky Rice and an Iced Cafe De Olla . *** STUDENT DISCOUNTS ***

We have been wanting to try this place out for a while just couldn't find the time until now. I…read morebrought my boys with me to try some drinks out. I got the Mango geek tea and the boys got the banana mocha latte off the little geek menu. The barista was very fun to talk to. He told me that they make many of the syrup in house, including the mango and banana syrup. Our drinks were very sweet and delicious. We were all very happy to stop by. They are located inside your wildest dreams store.

Who knew a pop-up dessert place could be this good???…read more Okay, call me a snob, but I believe a dessert location should have four walls and some little colored tables and chairs. My favorite pastry shops and ice cream parlors all fit this description. The idea of chocolate-drenched strawberries doesn't quite match the hustle and street noise you find next to a carnitas or falafel truck. So I drove by this brightly lit, cheerful, stand for almost a year before I decided I had to try it. In a war between my love of chocolate and my love of propriety, my snootiness could only hold out so long. And boy am I glad I caved! When I ordered a Dubai Chocolate Strawberry dessert, I got a big clear cup with layers of cut strawberries, warm chocolate syrup, pistachio syrup, and shredded crispy filo dough, which is like sweet shredded wheat. It all mixed together in a dessert that was TOTALLY DECADENT! They also sell gourmet Dubai Chocolate bars that have the same mix of chocolate, pistachio and filo (no strawberries). These days, I think about this place more than I should. Recently, they were absent from their corner next to Gelson's in Valley Village, and I was so worried they'd moved, I called the owner! He assured me it was only the rain keeping them away. I'll leave you with this thought. There's some amazing ice cream/gelato places around town, some terrific pastry shops, but there's only one Dubai Chocolate Strawberry stand that makes Dubai Chocolate-Covered Strawberries this good. Ya' gotta try it!

It is always fun to try new pop-up food stands, and pop-up dessert stands are a special treat…read more I just tried Strawberry, the pop-up Dubai chocolate strawberry cup stand under the Gelson's sign, on the corner of Laurel and Riverside in Valley Village. My hubby and I were helped by Jasmine, who was welcoming, sweet, and very friendly. She gave us Dubai chocolate samples, and then little sample cups of the Dubai chocolate strawberry cup topped with baked Filo dough for crunch. We wound up sharing the large Dubai chocolate strawberry cup for $18. The strawberries were plump and sweet and fresh. The pistachio cream was rich and delicious. The chocolate was melty, and as we ate, hardened into a nice little shell. The shreds of baked Filo dough gave it a very nice crunch. It was really fun having a parking lot picnic! You couldn't ask for a friendlier or nicer employee than Jasmine. She really sold it! This isn't something you eat every day because it's extremely rich, filling, and admittedly, quite expensive. But I could see myself getting a hankering and going back again one night when I'm in the mood for a sweet Dubai chocolate strawberry cup.

Huge assortment of goodies and a bunch of things that are imported. It's a great place to look for…read moregifts.

Don't get me wrong! It's a great place for merch and has had a lot of great pop ups recently! The…read morestaff is usually amazing and super efficient. The reason why I'm giving it a 3 out of 5 is because of a bad experience today with the door person. We came in today, July 19th around the afternoon, about 3-4 PM. I understand their bag policy, it sucks but what can you do. We were very compliant with the doorman, but he seemed to have an attitude. Listen man, I get that it's hot and you may be having a day, but that doesn't mean you get to be rude. We went in, and immediately he needed to take our bags. We complied cause it's policy, and I politely told him "oh I have a small bag!" As in to tell him we have another bag to give him. He took it the wrong way and said "trust me I don't want to take it more than you do" under his breath. Buddy, I can hear you. I didn't even say it in a rude way, I'm just informing you that there was another bag. Whatever, we handed all our bags over, one of which was a bag carrying some merchandise (mainly some posters we purchased from another event we came from) mind you, there was 4 posters from a limited time event in there, worth $65. He asked "what's in the bag" all judgmental, like buddy, I get you need to know so you know where to place it on the shelf, but there is such a thing as asking in a nicer way like "is there anything delicate in here" or such. I told him it was some posters I had got. So. TELL ME WHY THIS GUY PUT THE BAG WITH THE POSTERS LAYING FLAT DOWN FIRST AND THEN PROCEEDED TO PUT OUR HEAVY BACKPACK AND OUR SMALLER BAG ON TOP OF IT. BUDDY. YOU ARE USING A METAL RACK SHELF, AND PUTTING HEAVY ITEMS ON TOP OF PAPER. SOME OF IT WAS EVEN ON THE EDGE SO YOU'RE ACTIVELY CREASING AND BENDING MY BELONGINGS. Anyone should know if you have anything fragile like posters, you would put it on top of the other bags so they do not get folded or creased or get and indents. I quickly told him if he can put the bag with the posters on top because I don't want them to get creased or bent. He doesn't say anything and just quickly does it, but he made a face. Buddy, if you don't like your job or can't do it well enough to know common sense like not putting delicates under heavy items, quit and go find something else, and leave your attitude at the OUTSIDE the door. I went home after this, and saw that all of four of my posters were creased in the same spot, coincidentally the same spot that was bent over the edge of the shelf. I don't care if they're posters and they can be replaced, not everyone has the luxury to replace broke items, especially not limited ones, I spent my hard earned money on it for it to be permanently ruined by some boy who doesn't care about other people's belongings despite being entrusted to handle them. Anyways, come for the merch! But maybe leave your valuables someplace where you know they'll be safe from damage.

I have been participating in events, conventions and markets for over 20 years. Marie is attentive,…read morecaring and puts her heart and soul into these events so that the brands are comfortable, have fun and enjoy the experience of selling and networking. You can tell an event firm that cares about their clients by the way they promote and keep the conversation going to empower and educate small business people.

From the owner: 818 pop up shop is a family fun organized event to help support all the small business vendors…read morearound San Fernando valley. The experience to shop small and circulate funds back into our community.

The Beauty of Joseon is holding their first pop-up ever in Los Angeles called 'Rice Wonderland' on…read moreMelrose Avenue. Be prepared, as lines can be long. I went on Saturday and waited over an hour. What's special is that you can sign up for the event and get 20% off all products, which is rare for the Korean cosmetics line because they usually don't go on sale. For this special event, they have a limited edition line of tinted sunscreens that come in various shades, so you can color-match your skin with the various samples. It was hard for me to find the right one initially, but I went with the Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen MP200, which has a pink undertone. You'll notice the second letter of the item will have a 'P' or 'N'; 'P' stands for pink, and 'N' stands for Neutral. The pink undertone works better for me. So once you get in the store, you'll be given a program/booklet. You'll want to write your name and the last four digits of your phone number, and in the program, it'll have the products, and you can list the quantity of each product you want. You give your booklet to the team members, and they'll call you when they're ready. The event has a rice bar with rice treats and a photo booth. The space is small, but you can chat with the representatives to learn more about the various products. Their most popular product is the TikTok viral sunscreen, but due to FDA regulations, the Korean version can't be sold in the States. So Beauty of Joseon had to pivot and create a new sunscreen, so check it. It was pretty good, but overall, it was a cool event!

I love skincare and when I heard there was a Beauty of Joseon pop up in LA I had to come! This pop…read moreup event exceeded my expectations. The place was well decorated and they offered yummy free Korean treats such as unlimited pink sikhye, peppero, and Yakgwa. I loved how they had all their skincare products out for you to sample with workers that gave you a full on review on the products. They also had a fun Photo Booth where you got a picture and free skincare samples after! We bought two serums there and got 20% off on top by attending the pop up. Great event for learning new products and sampling in order to be better educated to buy!