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 nestled in the heart of Montecito, California, has become the newest hangout for celebrities and billionaires.

The Bottle Shop, which is part bodega, part liquor store, is the place Hollywood A-listers and local folks go to grab a sandwich, a bottle of top-shelf Tequila, a lottery ticket, 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 been seen frequently the modest store located on Montecito's Coast Village Road.

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

Christian Trad, whose hardworking father Morhaf emigrated to LA from Syria in the 1980s with very little, acquired the business in 1992 - years before Trad was born.

The Bottle Shop located on Montecito's Coast Village Road. Comedian Steve Martin , country singer Brad Paisley, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, singer Katy Perry and former Laker's Coach Phil Jackson have been seen to frequent the unassuming store 

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

Christian Trad said his father Morhaf taught him to handle their diverse clientele of Hollywood heavyweights, billionaire moguls to the working man driving a truck, to treat everyone with kindness

Today, the 26-year-old handles operations, and calls The Bottle Shop a 'staple in the community,' where his celebrity clients and just regular folks go to feel at ease.

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 like, almost like a … not a therapist, but people want to come in here and want to talk about their day and what they're going through,' Trad told SF Gate.

He added: 'And, we hear it all, to be honest with you.'

But he also shared with the local outlet: 'What is 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 a lot of celebrities shop at the The Bottle Shop - like Oprah and Steve Martin.

She said the store is special because it allows stars to have privacy. 'I see them,' Lafaurie said of her celebrity neighbors.

'They're just normal people just like us. I hate to see them get bothered,' she told the news outlet.

Steve Martin is known to frequent the shop - where the owner says 'what is said in the liquor store stays in the liquor store'

Ariana Grande also lives in the stunning neighborhood 

Gwyneth Paltrow is a resident of Montecito

Trad said his father taught him to handle their diverse clientele of Hollywood heavyweights and billionaire moguls, as well as the working man

'You see helicopters flying up above taking pictures and all that stuff. I feel sorry for them a little bit. They can't be normal, and just walk down the street, walk their dog down the street.'

Trad called Brad Paisely, 'such a down-to-earth guy too... he comes in and talks sports'.

And speaking about legendary singer Katy Perry: 'She was in here the other day just in her hat and glasses, I didn't even recognize her.'

Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson also comes into the store. The owner said of him: 'He comes in from time to time. Hard to miss.'

Trad said his father taught him to handle their diverse clientele of Hollywood heavyweights and billionaire moguls, as well as the working man.

He said: 'Everyone's a customer. But also — we make sure everyone feels special.'

The busy shop is lined with hundred of rare bottles of liquor, wine, whiskey's, bourbons, and features a temperature-controlled wine cave.

We have bottles you can’t find at 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 also added that it is not uncommon for him to put together items for a spur-of-the moment events that a celebrity requests, or their assistants.

The Bottle Shop's history dates back to the 1960s. The store made headlines where there was an armed robbery, and one of the suspects shot and killed auxiliary sheriff officer, Bryce Patten, then 32, from Ventura while trying to flee. 

Trad said, the store was also a stomping ground for a local surf gang called the Cito Rats, and one of the member of the group was actor, Josh Brolin, when he was a teen in Montecito. 

In an interview with the Montecito Journal in 2020, his father, Morhaf said: 'People depend on us.'

'We were open through the earthquake, I stayed open through the fires and the mudslides when I had a chance to open.

'I opened to supply all I could to the community. During the fire, a lot of firemen and sheriffs came to town from all over California and Portland and there was no bathroom. There was no water. It was a ghost town. 

'So, I Iet them use my bathroom. I gave them food, water…whatever I had.'