Clementine's Steak House served its last pie on October 4. The decision behind that date was made about two years earlier, when the building and property at 4631 Carpinteria Avenue were sold. The same thing happened at several addresses this fall. Each change on the avenue traces back to a lease, a sale or a move down the block.
Here is where the street stands this week.
| Address | Business | What happened | What drove it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4631 Carpinteria Ave. | Clementine's Steak House | Closed October 4, 2026 | Building and property sold; new owners allowed two more years |
| 5402 Carpinteria Ave., Casitas Plaza | Casitas Cleaners | Set October 30 as its final day for customer pickups | Expiring lease, rising operating costs, aging equipment, retirement |
| 5003 Carpinteria Ave. | Ojai Rôtie, second location | Reported for a January opening | Takes the former Giovanni's Pizza space after Giovanni's moved down the street |
| 933 Linden Ave. | Traveling Pants and La Herradura 805 | Moved to a street-facing storefront | Left a rear suite at 949 Linden Ave. |
Clementine's Two-Year Notice
Clementine's opened on Carpinteria Avenue in 1976, and Irene McLenithan took over its care in 1982. For the past 45 years, owner and operator Lloyd McLenithan carried on the family tradition, according to the City of Carpinteria. The City Council honored the restaurant with a proclamation on October 12.
The cause of the closing is spelled out in the local coverage. McLenithan told Coastal View News that the building and property sold. His family had always known that day would come because they did not own the property. Noozhawk reported that the new owners gave the restaurant two years to keep operating. McLenithan said he had no animosity toward them and was grateful for the time. He also said he did not know what the building's future holds.
That two-year window explains the timing. Business was still strong at the end. Reservations filled through the final weekend, and McLenithan described the restaurant to Coastal View News as "almost overbooked." Coastal View News describes the meal regulars knew: homemade soup and salad, fried chicken, prime rib or steak, and a slice of homemade pie.
"When we always said we did things from scratch, that means I do that."
McLenithan gave that line to Coastal View News while describing how busy the kitchen was in the restaurant's last weeks. A restaurant that cooked that way and still filled its book on closing weekend ended because of the property sale.
Casitas Plaza and the Cost of Staying Put
Farther along the avenue, a different kind of lease math played out at 5402 Carpinteria Avenue. Casitas Cleaners has been in Casitas Plaza since 1985, and Sunny and Jun Han have run it since 1989. Coastal View News reported that four things led to the decision to close: an expiring lease, rising operating costs, the expense of maintaining aging dry-cleaning equipment, and retirement.
Noozhawk added detail on the equipment. Han said the machines needed to be replaced entirely because of their age, and doing so would have meant raising prices again. The shop first announced August 31 as its last day of operation. It then extended the date to October 30 so customers could pick up their clothes.
Clementine's and Casitas Cleaners closed for different reasons, but in both cases the decision came at a point set by the building. For Clementine's, that point was a sale. For the cleaners, it was a lease coming up for renewal at the same time an expensive equipment replacement was due.
The Moves That Kept Businesses on the Street
The same forces also moved businesses along the street, and several of those moves kept them on it.
The chain of moves at 5003 Carpinteria Avenue has three steps:
- Giovanni's Pizza moved down the street into the former home of The Good Plow and Fosters Freeze, as The Restaurant Guy reported in February.
- That freed the 5003 space, and Ojai Rôtie announced it as its second location, after its original restaurant in Ojai.
- On November 8, The Restaurant Guy reported that Ojai Rôtie is scheduled to open in January. Its summer announcement had aimed for this fall.
Ojai Rôtie's Carpinteria page lists the location as "Coming Soon." The plans are specific. The Carpinteria space is larger than the Ojai original, with seating for 40 indoors and 80 more in a dog-friendly garden with a ranch fence, lemon and olive trees, bougainvillea and string lights. The restaurant describes its focus as rotisserie chicken, sourdough and the Winebox. The Restaurant Guy describes the Ojai menu as Lebanese-influenced, with chicken in quarter, half or whole portions and sides such as tabbouleh, rotisserie potatoes, and cabbage and fennel slaw.
Linden Avenue saw a similar move on a smaller scale. Traveling Pants and La Herradura 805 moved out of a hidden suite at 949 Linden Avenue into a shared, street-facing storefront at 933 Linden Avenue, Coastal View News reported, and customers were already coming through the new door. Hairstylist Ana Marquez has also moved from Casitas Plaza to The Perfect Cut at 4960 Carpinteria Avenue. Coastal View News marked the move as a new chapter after nearly 27 years behind the chair.
This season one restaurant closed and one cleaner announced its final day. Over the same months, a pizza shop, a clothing and goods pairing, and a stylist all moved to new addresses and stayed in town. One out-of-town restaurant is coming in, choosing Carpinteria for its second location.
A Public Project on a Slower Clock
The one change on the City's calendar this month moves at a very different speed. On November 2, the Carpinteria Planning Commission unanimously approved plans for a permanent Monte Vista Dog Park, Coastal View News reported.
The Carpinteria Dog Owner Group, known as C-DOG, began working with the City's parks department on an off-leash park in 2018. A temporary off-leash area at Monte Vista Park opened in April 2024 and has run on annual temporary use permits since then. The approved design wraps the 15,000-square-foot park in 5-foot black powder-coated aluminum fencing, with a puppy picket along the bottom. It keeps separate areas for large and small dogs and adds an off-leash transition entrance, an accessible walkway, benches, drinking fountains and new landscaping.
The project budget is $200,000. Of that, $150,000 comes from Quimby funds set aside for the project. Community Development Director Nick Bobroff said the City hopes C-DOG will raise the remaining $50,000 from the community. The temporary park stays open until construction begins.
The dog park went from C-DOG's first work in 2018 to design approval this month, and its funding gap was debated at a public meeting. Clementine's closing date was set by a private sale, with the new owners allowing two more years of operation.
Where the Avenue Stands Next Thursday
For anyone walking the avenue this month, here is where things stand. The building at 4631 is quiet after 50 years of pie. The Casitas Cleaners storefront at 5402 has passed its announced last day for pickups. At 5003, Ojai Rôtie is reported for a January opening. On Linden, Traveling Pants and La Herradura 805 now have a front door on the street. Over at Monte Vista Park, the temporary dog run remains open.
When a commercial building near you changes hands, it can change the block for years. If you'd like a clear read on what a sale or lease change on your street could mean for your own property, Maureen McDermut & Associates is glad to walk through it with you. Schedule a private consultation.
