r/ojai

Hey there, I'm a Los Angeleno with family roots dating back 100 years in SoCal / LA. Not sure why I'd never been to Ojai, just hadn't I guess. For decades (I'm 50), I'd heard it was an oasis for artist / hippie types from friends who lived there, and I always pictured it like [location redacted so it doesn't attract flippers and fat cats]. Just went there last weekend and decided to give Ojai a go.

I was positively stunned with the main stretch downtown. It reminded me of that stale air in Oia, Santorini vs the more vibrant, alive areas that aren't so ritzy. The dolled-up clientele just soaking the soul out of whatever spirit was there? All the shops were ho-hum, overpriced, and blah.

But that was on the main stretch. Perhaps there's another side to Ojai that isn't so upscale and has artist, farmer, and community feel? I heard there was some gentrification, but I didn't think the vibe would be Fashion Island.

Curious as to what longtime residents think?

EDIT: I’m a longtime denizen of silverlake who’s seen our own neighborhood go to crap from gentrification, and I’m not well off.  And my family were immigrant refugees, not try-hard transplants looking for the next cool thing. LA is massive with many pockets of culture and various ethnicities and a lot of working class and poor areas, which are often the most vibrant. If you think it’s all wealthy superficial people, you’ve stuck to racially homogenous enclaves or tourist traps yourself or simply seen it through the lens of reality TV. Admittedly, I may have done that in Ojai. Which is why I asked if I’d missed the community spots.

EDIT EDIT: So it looks like the changes started in '91 - documented in the LA Times piece. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-26-mn-1322-story.html You'll have to forgive me! The people I know from Ojai were there in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, and told me all about their town, and so I was "stunned" with the downtown since this isn't at all what they described. But they moved. Far from wanting to knock Ojai, the post was commenting on the commodification of culture and community, inspired by things like Sothesby's International now having presence in Smalltown USA...and...Ojai, selling to international investors and intergenerational wealth, ousting the local population.

Fort Collins!

My name is Aaron Foster and I'm performing my stand up show "Mostly Jokes" at the Bas Bleu Theatre in town on Saturday, May 16 as I prepare to tape my first special later this summer. I'm also donating 20% of all ticket sales to local non-profit The Matthews House that helps at-risk members of the community.

I know seeing a comedian you've never heard of is a pretty big ask. Totally fair.

That being said, wasn't there a time when you had never heard of whoever your favorite comedian is right now? I'm not saying I'm gonna be that, but if you like the jokes in the clip, you'll probably like the show. There's more clips on my site and social media pages, reviews and press articles on my website, etc. I've even done a few of those morning show things.

"Mostly Jokes" covers some dark topics like mental health, dysfunctional families and mid-life regrets, but I promise it's named that for a reason., it is mostly jokes. I've been working on it for about three years in comedy clubs and theaters around the US and Canada.

The show runs about 90 minutes, no opener, no intermission and, best of all, I promise I don't do crowd work.

More info through my site www.MostlyJokes.com as well as a bunch of reviews from people who have seen it, press, interviews, etc.

$20 online/$25 at the door

Ticket link: https://aaronfoster.myshopify.com/products/fort-collins-co-bas-blue-theater-mostly-jokes