CALABASAS : Chamber’s Relocation Improves Visibility

Oh, what a difference a change of scenery can make.

Since the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce moved into a plaza across from the Leonis Adobe in Old Town, visitors are discovering the chamber and learning a little more about Calabasas.

“We’d go days and days when no people stopped to see us unless it was a board member,” said Carol Amenta, the chamber’s executive director. “Now, 15 or 20 people come by on a nice sunny day.”

The chamber relocated its offices, doubling its space, to the Leonis Plaza on Calabasas Road last month.

Tuesday night, chamber and city officials and the Old Town Calabasas Coalition and Old Town Calabasas Merchants were expected to tour the center in an open house and ribbon cutting.

The chamber offers visitors maps, literature and information about things to do in Calabasas. The chamber is gearing up to be the city’s tourist center and is trying out a new name: The Calabasas Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.

“Our new visibility has already proven its value by the number of visitors we’ve had and the number of referrals we’ve provided to those people,” Amenta said. “Our new location affords us the opportunity to showcase all the many activities and services that our community offers, and that should be a good thing for local businesses, residents and visitors alike.”

The Leonis Adobe was built of adobe brick in 1844 by Miguel Leonis, a French Basque.