{"id":11499,"date":"2021-06-29T12:34:05","date_gmt":"2021-06-29T19:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11499"},"modified":"2021-06-29T12:34:05","modified_gmt":"2021-06-29T19:34:05","slug":"sbmidmod-brings-mid-centry-style-to-santa-barbara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11499","title":{"rendered":"sbmidmod Brings Mid-Centry Style to Santa Barbara"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Owner<\/a>

Owner of sbmidmod, Tracey Strobel. Photo by Erick Madrid for the Santa Barbara Independent.<\/p><\/div>\n

An appealing array of home furnishings and artful\u00a0objects\u2014featuring the mid-century modern\u00a0motifs of clean lines, bright colors, organic and\u00a0geometric shapes, bold patterns, mixed textures, and\u00a0contrasting materials\u2014are on display at sbmidmod<\/a>, a\u00a0new addition to the Funk Zone<\/a>. Located on Anacapa\u00a0Street next to the popular\u00a0Mony\u2019s Mexican restaurant<\/a>,\u00a0this eclectic retail space\u00a0showcases the timeless\u00a0appeal of the design style.<\/p>\n

A self-described research\u00a0geek with a degree in\u00a0ancient history, owner\u00a0Tracey Strobel<\/a> has spent\u00a0almost two decades collecting,\u00a0studying, restoring,\u00a0and selling mid-century\u00a0pieces. She got started\u00a0hunting down furnishings\u00a0for her own home. \u201cThen\u00a0it became a situation where\u00a0I had one or two too many\u00a0pieces and I thought I could\u00a0maybe sell them \u2026 and it
\nsnowballed into a business\u00a0rather rapidly after that \u2026\u00a0and 18 years later, ta-da,\u201d\u00a0she laughed.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A Richard Schulman print of actor Anthony Hopkins, sits in the corner of sbmidmod. Photo by Erick Madrid for the Santa Barbara Independent.<\/p><\/div>\n

Strobel began selling in\u00a0the early days of eBay. \u201cI\u2019ve\u00a0done the grunt work,\u201d she\u00a0said. \u201cI worked estate sales,\u00a0I\u2019ve had spaces in antique\u00a0malls\u2014including a current\u00a0space at the Antique Center Mall<\/a>\u2014and I\u2019ve been\u00a0incredibly grateful for those experiences because you
\nlearn a lot from the people around you. One of the\u00a0things I love the most about this job is that you\u2019re\u00a0constantly learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

She finds her inventory everywhere, from online\u00a0searches to estate sales to tips from her network of\u00a0antique dealers. As to what excites her about the\u00a0mid-century modern aesthetic, Strobel said, \u201cI love\u00a0the minimal lines. I love the simplicity, and honestly,\u00a0I view all of these pieces as functional art. It\u2019s a lamp,\u00a0yes, it gives you light, but it\u2019s beautiful to look at and it\u00a0inspires an emotional reaction for me. I can\u2019t explain\u00a0it better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kitty<\/a>

Kitty corner, a tribute to cats in art form, at sbmidmod in the Funk Zone. Photo by Erick Madrid for the Santa Barbara Independent.<\/p><\/div>\n

The research geek that she is, Strobel added, \u201cThere\u00a0is also the component of knowing who the designers\u00a0are and having the opportunity to research and learn\u00a0about someone new.\u201d\u00a0The other appeal\u00a0of the era is the craftsmanship.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s so\u00a0well-made,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cWhen you take care\u00a0of these pieces, they\u00a0will last for generations.\u00a0It\u2019s also important\u00a0to me\u2014though\u00a0it\u2019s pretty simple and\u00a0rather obvious\u2014that\u00a0antiquing and buying\u00a0vintage\/used furniture\u00a0helps the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

As to the risk of\u00a0opening up a new\u00a0retail space during\u00a0the uncertain days of\u00a0a pandemic, Strobel\u00a0said it was really a matter\u00a0of stumbling onto a\u00a0building that spoke to\u00a0her. She was out on a\u00a0bike ride in February\u00a0when she spotted the\u00a0\u201cFor Lease\u201d sign in the\u00a0window of a gutted\u00a0building. \u201cAll I could\u00a0see was the brick and\u00a0the studs,\u201d she said. She quickly made an appointment\u00a0for a walk through. \u201cIt just landed with me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Strobel signed a lease two weeks later.\u00a0The timing was good. \u201cI was really ready to have a
\nplace where people could come in and shop, but also\u00a0where I could research and do my work,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cThis is essentially my office that people can come and\u00a0shop in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely an obsession,\u201d she laughed. \u201cYou\u2019ve\u00a0got to have a passion for this in order to make it last\u00a0a long time. It\u2019s a lot of fun, but it\u2019s also a lot of work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Santa<\/a>Originally published in the June 24, 2021 issue of the Santa Barbara Independent<\/em><\/a>. To see the story as it originally appeared in print click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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