State Street Goes Nuts for Donuts as Mosaic 4-Shop Space Opens Downtown

Release Date: October 18,2018

Denisse Salinas and John Burnett, owner of Hook & Press Donuts, sold more than 300 donuts in less than 90 minutes during their soft openings this week.  (Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photo)

 

By Joshua Molina, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @JECMolina | October 18, 2018 | 9:53 p.m.

 

Apparently people on State Street like donuts.

In fewer than 90 minutes Wednesday morning, Hook & Press Donuts sold more than 300 donuts to hungry customers. The shop is part of The Mosaic, an innovative shared space that is also home to Draughtsmen Aleworks, Buena Onda Empanadas and Juice Ranch.

Mosaic had a soft opening this week and Hook & Press kicked it off at 8 a.m. with their specialized donuts. The second day had the same result, and they were sold out by 9:22 a.m.

“We're selling out so fast,” said Denisse Salinas, a chef, whose husband John Burnett owns the company. 

“We're pleasantly surprised. Now we have to figure out how to make more,” she said.

“We couldn't have asked for more of a following or excitement from the local community,” Burnett said.

The success, however, has him wondering about one thing: “How do we get more donuts into the hands of Santa Barbarans?” he said.

Hook & Press Donuts sold to an eager crowd this week as The Mosaic opened its doors.  (Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photo)

The Mosaic was launched in a partnership with Impact Hub Santa Barbara and the property manager, SIMA. The shared space allows multiple businesses to enjoy a lowered rent by only using the facility for part of the day.

It's one of the ideas that downtown businesses are trying out to help infuse new energy into the downtown area, as the city has struggled with storefront vacancies in the commmercial core.

— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.