Store for Bakery Lovers in Santa Barbara

By Yuko Takii

Most people drink coffee everyday. Especially in the morning!! It’s not only students but also teachers. Well, where do you buy your coffee in Santa Barbara? Almost all people buy it at Starbucks. How about Anna’s Bakery, Mojo Coffee, Seattle’s Best and so on? Of course, Starbucks is a worldwide brand. However, if there were no Starbucks in Santa Barbara, where would you buy your coffee? I would like to introduce you Anna’s Bakery. You know, Anna’s Bakery is located in Camino Real Market Place. There is also a Starbucks near this store.

First of all, who is “Anna”? According to the website, it’s not the owner’s name. Where did the name come from?
The owners of Anna’s Bakery are Lisa Boelter and Deborah Weber. When we started working at the bakery in the 1980’s, the owner’s wife’s name was Anna. That is where the name came from.

I see. According to the website, Anna’s bakery was located in the Fairview shopping center. Why did you move to Camino Real Market Place?
Well, Anna’s Bakery left the Fairview shopping center five years ago because that shopping center was undergoing a remodel. In addition, I thought the Camino Real Market Place was more useful for people.

By the way, Starbucks is close to your store. What do you think about Starbucks?
Personally, I stay away from Starbucks. Any company that becomes big and commercial loses its charm for me. It sickens me that anywhere in the world you can find a Starbucks or a McDonalds, for example. I know that finding something familiar is reassuring for most people. For me that is boring.

Ok, do you have anything special better than Starbucks?
The bakery has been involved in some high profile community events such as the annual Lemon Festival. For the past ten years, we have made the festivals official lemon meringue pies baking between 600 and 1200 pies every year. In addition, we have lunch specials.

Oh, that’s great!! Starbucks cannot do it. So how do you advertise your store?
We advertise our store with some radio commercials, donations to schools, and other non profits. But mostly we try to be a great bakery in our community. Day in and day out, we’re glad to see you at Anna’s Bakery!!

Well, now let’s talk about coffee and the bakery. What makes your bakery so special to the locals?
I think our bakery is so special for the locals because we have been around for so long and have been a popular meeting spot for them.

Our readers love your bakery, but some of them, especially Asians might think your cakes are too sweet. Can we have less sweet cake?
A few of the items at the bakery are less sweet; scones, bagels, and cream cheese dainties. But you are right. Americans like their sweets! You can always share them with friend!

Well, besides the bakery, you also have coffee but a few kind of beverage. Why don’t you give us more?
Yes, actually we have some beverages; for example, café late, café mocha, coffee, tea, and so on. However our main stuff is the bakery. I’m glad that people can enjoy our bakery with some drinks.

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