Santa Barbara News-Press, Calif., Shop Talk column.

Byline: Frank Nelson

Sep. 9--NOT JUST FUN AND GAMES: Santa Barbara is awash with gyms and sports facilities, all wonderful places to exercise the body. Places to exercise the mind are harder to find, but Rob and Gabi Bobinski have recently opened one at 537 State St.

Game-Seeker carries all sorts of board games, word games, books, math games, puzzles and brainteasers that, while certainly a magnet for enquiring young minds, are pitched primarily at adults.

"We want to get people's hands and minds working," says Mr. Bobinski.

He says the products are not intended as toys for children, though he and his wife do cater to the under-12 market with Kernohans Toys, their award-winning store in Goleta.

Mr. Bobinski's approach in this new venture is based on extensive reading of research into the aging process and what happens to the brain as we grow older.

"The aim is to help keep people's brains active," he says. "Research shows size and development of the brain is not fixed at, say, the age of 25. We can continue to grow gray matter and make new connections."

Mr. Bobinski is a great believer in the need to constantly challenge our brains in the same way that we do our bodies when trying to maintain fitness.

He says so many things we learn in life, from boiling an egg to driving a car, become automatic tasks.

To stop the brain from stagnating and atrophying, we need to constantly re-educate, stimulate and excite our brain cells. The bottom line, he says, is research showing that individuals can do much to help offset conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

"People really have to stretch the brain to put off the aging of the brain.

It's the same as physical exercise and training for the rest of the body," he says.

"I'm always surprised how few people understand the mechanics of it and how important that is," he added.

But while he's focused on helping the brain stay in shape, Mr. Bobinski also wants to make sure his customers have fun.

He offers a "fun guarantee" that lets shoppers return goods if they don't like them.

BIZ BUZZ

--Brent and Suzi Freitas, owners of Eye of the Day Garden Design Center in Carpinteria, have inspired an equally eclectic cooperative that opened a few months ago at 3717 Santa Claus Lane. The venture is anchored by Black-eyed Susan's, a mostly open-air outlet for some of the pottery, fountains, ironwork, statues, benches and other garden accessories found at Eye of the Day.

Sharing the space is Salt, a clothing boutique owned by Alan Shapiro and his wife, Robin Baron, who offer a range of ethnic clothes from places such as India, Thailand and Haiti, their own line of shoes from Indonesia and various gift items. Rounding out the bohemian shopping experience at this 16,000-square-foot venue is Wildeflower Jewelry, owned by Mr. Shapiro's niece, designer Suzanne Blumer.

--Bill's Tree Care, a commercial and residential tree care company owned by Bill Spiewak and based in Santa Barbara, has gained accreditation under a new program administered by the Tree Care Industry Association.

Accreditation involves an extensive review of professional practices aimed at safeguarding consumers and includes ethical business conduct, formal training and certification of employees, consumer satisfaction and insurance coverage.

--PraiseCast, a division of Solvang-based Trivision Solutions Inc., a company that specializes in communications for communities and religious organizations, now offers podcasting services. With podcasting, the company says listeners can choose what, when and how they want to listen, downloading broadcasts of sermons and services from the Internet to a computer, iPod or other portable player. Trivision says more than 1 billion people have Internet access, enabling the communicator to reach listeners in every corner of the world. "PraiseCast is where the globe becomes a village," says the company.

--With more than a dozen years of commercial insurance experience under her belt, Tina Jackson has opened Tina Jackson Insurance Services, a boutique agency offering all the markets available to the largest agencies in town.

Ms. Jackson, who specializes in coverage for the business owner or professional and who has managed large workers' compensation programs and professional liability products, has her office at 827 State St., Suite 18.

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