FEATURE | By Nao Braverman

Ojai’s Entrepreneurial Optimism

In March of last year, most of us found ourselves put unexpectedly on hold in the strangest of ways, mom-and-pop shops included. As a town of small businesses for the most part, this was not a fun time to own one as dread spread faster than the virus.

However, as the news reported the shuttering of famous restaurants and bars in big cities around the country, quite a few Ojai businesses took the leap and opened new storefronts anyway, with no regrets. Here’s a closer look at just a few of these brave entrepreneurs and their stories.

BOHEME

In the beginning of 2020, the salon space Jen Keeler had dreamed of owning fell into her lap. After spending her early adulthood in Los Angeles, in world-class salons and styling the hair of Hollywood elites, she brought her practice, and her family back to Ojai, the town where she was raised. But years passed by before the salon she had been eyeing since her return became available. It was just the right size, with five chairs, originally owned by a husband-and-wife team, the barbershop in front and beauty salon in back, just off the beaten path.

The timing was perfect. Keeler had brought her steady clientele from Los Angeles and built on that base with Ojai residents. After spending years in a local salon, and opening another with a partner, it was her turn to set out on her own. Two weeks before lockdown she started negotiations, and in a month — as the world shuttered to a halt — she jumped in and signed a lease.

“At the time I had no idea how long lockdown would last,” said Keeler. “None of us did.”

But she decided to trust her plan.

“I’ve always had ultimate faith in my business and my clientele,” she said. Ojai is one of those tight-knit communities where the true customer base is almost like family. You can count on them, she said.

It was equal parts stress and excitement for Keeler. There was no telling when she would be allowed to open for business. And yet lockdown gave her time to focus on the remodel, collaborating with a close childhood friend, interior designer Lilly Walton, and to make finishing touches. The space now has a light airy feel, with natural wood and modern furniture. Keeler named it Bohème, a nod to her French heritage.

When the governor finally allowed Bohème to open on June 1st, it was with a limited capacity and face masks. In practice, required protections were a bit of a shock. “What I’ve found over the years is that so much of my business is about connection with other human beings and so little about hair,” she said.

For the first time her salon is open with no face masks for the vaccinated, as state restrictions loosened (restrictions may be reinstated as the delta variant spreads). Business has been thriving and Keeler is elated.

“When we started, I welcomed new clients without ever seeing their entire face. It’s wild to greet a regular client and see their smile for the first time,” she said. “I’m so glad I did this.”

Boheme: 312 North Signal Street, 805-798-9220, bohemeojai.com

IZAKAYA BLUE MOON

The first restaurant Yuya Ueno worked at in the U.S. was at Izakaya, serving a type of cuisine comprised of small plates in succession, often with sake; a Japanese version of tapas style dining.

Things finally came full circle for him when he opened his own Izakaya in Ojai, working in the kitchen with his wife Asaka as server. Izakaya Blue Moon is named after their third son Yuzuki (evening moon in Japanese).

Yuya, chopping fish in a pink beanie and loose t-shirt, is casual and earnest. Twelve years ago he traveled to the west coast of the U.S to surf, and stayed. He spent years working in sushi and ramen shops from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara (Sawtelle’s ever-popular Tsujita among them). Eventually the Uenos settled in the Ojai Valley, close enough to the stellar surf spots along the Ventura coast, with their two sons and a third on the way. Asaka, youthful and energetic with a bright smile, has a knack for connecting with customers.  Five years ago, the couple opened their first hit restaurant, Kagami Ramen, in Camarillo. But their Ojai friends and acquaintances begged them to open something closer to home.

In the spring of 2019, they found a cozy spot, tucked away on the East End of Ojai Avenue, that previously housed the original Hip Vegan. They began transforming the space, so that stepping into the Izakaya is akin to walking into a small café in Kyoto. The menu is simple and authentic — fresh fish, Japanese vegetables (no dragon or rainbow rolls in case that’s what you’re looking for.) They had just demolished the take-out counter and put in a low sushi bar with wooden stools, when the stay-at-home order was announced.

“At first I thought we wouldn’t be able to open,” said Asaka. “But we had signed a lease and put so much work into it, the only choice was to keep moving.”

Fortunately the space was equipped with a patio, which was half the small restaurant’s entire seating. The Uenos had a community of locals and friends eagerly waiting for them, which helped ease the uncertainty caused by the Covid outbreak, said Asaka. “Despite all that was going on, those people became our regular customers.”

“Then, when vacationers from Los Angeles wanted to get out of the city, Ojai became a popular spot. The Covid numbers in Ojai were low, and there are so many beautiful outdoor spaces to explore. So we were even busier than we expected we would be.”

Izakaya Full Moon: 805-633-9109, fullmoonojai.com

OJAI VALLEY BREWERY

Jeremy Haffner and Griffin Davis of the Ojai Valley Brewery have been working on opening a tap room for years. Now, amid the worldwide pandemic, their plans are finally coming to fruition.

To conform the current conditions, the seating for their brewery was moved almost entirely to a patio out in front of their brewing space on Bryant Street. It is sleek, simple and inviting. A few wooden picnic tables are spread out with ample space between them, with outdoor heaters and lights strung up for the evening hours. 

“We could have squeezed a lot more tables in, but I’m getting ready for the next round of social distancing,” said Haffner. “It’s beautiful weather here, I think any reasonable business person is going to be angling towards outdoor seating now. It’s what we all love about Europe and Mexico, and I think that’s where it’s all headed in the U.S. now.”

Haffner, once a front man for the rock band Oedipus, started working in kitchens and hospitality so he could move away from touring in Europe, and spend time at home with his family. The Brewery, which served its first beer out of his family’s restaurant — Azu — in 2017, is a true local endeavor. Their brews are flavored with drought-resistant herbs and fruits native to the hills in the Ojai Valley: White Sage, Black Sage, Sugar Sumac, Yerba Santa and prickly pears and pixie oranges. Hops, he explains, are usually shipped in from other states and countries. So they stick to herbal-flavored beers. That keeps the entire operation more sustainable and closer to home.

As with many other food and beverage services, the pandemic forced them to think of creative ways to keep their business alive.  They began to sell subscriptions, a beer version of a wine club, which suited many of their clientele, and added online ordering, pick up and delivery (ojaivalleybrewery.com).

Now, in collaboration with Davis, and new partner Jason Maynard (who grew up in Ojai) they’ll finally be able to serve at their brewery. He also lists as partners his mother-in-law, Laurel Moore, and wife Elizabeth Haffner, who successfully ran Azu for years before selling the business in July.

“It’s been a long process,” said Haffner. “There’s a lot of excitement now that people are finally able to go out again.”

Ojai Valley Brewery: 307 Bryant Street, ojaivalleybrewery.com