How an unassuming Montecito liquor store became a hangout for A-list celebrities and billionaires – including Oprah, Steve Martin and Katy Perry

An unassuming California liquor store, located in the heart of Montecito, California, has become the newest meeting place for celebrities and billionaires.

Part bodega, part liquor store, the Bottle Shop is where Hollywood A-listers and locals go for a sandwich, a bottle of top-shelf Tequila, a lottery ticket and even ice cream.

Comedian Steve Martin, country singer Brad Paisley, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, singer Katy Perry and former Laker’s Coach Phil Jackson have often been spotted in the modest shop on Montecito’s Coast Village Road.

The yellow-colored store is located on an oversized corner lot with a beautiful backdrop of the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

Christian Trad, whose hardworking father Morhaf immigrated to LA from Syria in the 1980s with very little money, took over the company in 1992 – years before Trad was born.

Oprah Winfrey is a resident of Montecito. She is pictured at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4 in Los Angeles

Christian Trad said his father Morhaf taught him how to deal with their diverse clientele, from Hollywood heavyweights, billionaires to the working man who drove a truck, and treated everyone with kindness.

Today, the 26-year-old runs the operations and calls The Bottle Shop a “staple of the community,” where his celebrity customers and everyday people alike feel comfortable.

Many famous residents who live in the Santa Barbara neighborhood include Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rob Lowe, Orlando Bloom and Adam Levine.

“In a way we’re kind of, almost like a… not a therapist, but people want to come in here and they want to talk about their day and what they’re going through,” Trad shared. SF port.

He added, “And we’re all hearing it, to be honest.”

But he also shared with the local outlet, “What’s said in the liquor store, stays in the liquor store.”

Montecito resident Veronica Lafaurie, who was shopping at the store, told SF Gate that she has seen many celebrities shopping at The Bottle Shop, such as Oprah and Steve Martin.

She said the store is special because stars have privacy here. “I see them,” Lafaurie said of her famous neighbors.

‘They’re just normal people, just like us. I hate to see them being harassed,” she told the news station.

Steve Martin is known to visit the store – where the owner says, ‘What’s said in the liquor store, stays in the liquor store’

Ariana Grande also lives in the beautiful neighborhood

Gwyneth Paltrow is a resident of Montecito

Trad said his father taught him how to deal with their diverse clientele of Hollywood heavyweights and billionaires, as well as the working man.

‘You see helicopters flying overhead taking pictures and stuff. I feel a little sorry for them. They can’t be normal and just walk down the street, walk their dog down the street.”

Trad called Brad Paisely, “another down-to-earth guy… he comes in and talks sports.”

And speaking of legendary singer Katy Perry: “She was here the other day alone with her hat and glasses on, I didn’t even recognize her.”

Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson also enters the store. The owner said of him: ‘He comes by every now and then. Hard to miss.’

Trad said his father taught him how to deal with their diverse clientele of Hollywood heavyweights and billionaires, as well as the working man.

He said: ‘Everyone is a customer. But also: we make sure everyone feels special.’

The busy store is lcontains hundreds of rare bottles of spirits, wine, whiskeys and bourbons and features a temperature-controlled wine cellar.

We have bottles that you cannot find in other stores. Our thing is if we don’t have it here, you can’t find it anywhere,” he said. “That’s our little slogan, our motto.”

He added that it is not unusual for him to put together items for impromptu events requested by a celebrity, or their assistants.

The history of The Bottle Shop dates back to the 1960s. The store made headlines when an armed robbery occurred, and one of the suspects shot and killed deputy sheriff’s officer Bryce Patten, then 32, of Ventura as he tried to flee.

Trad said the store was also a hot spot for a local surf gang called the Cito Rats, and one of the group’s members was actor Josh Brolin when he was a teenager in Montecito.

In a 2020 interview with the Montecito Journal, his father Morhaf said, “People depend on us.”

“We were open during the earthquake, I stayed open through the fires and the mudslides when I had the opportunity to open.

“I opened up to provide whatever I could to the community. During the fire, many firefighters and sheriffs came to town from all over California and Portland and there was no restroom. There was no water. It was a ghost town.

“So I let them use my bathroom. I gave them food, water…whatever I had.”