A Creative Life in Santa Barbara: The Story of Phoebe Alexiades

Basic Information

Early Years and Family Roots

Phoebe Alexiades was born in New York City in the early 1950s into an artistic family. Her mother, character actress Mary Grace Canfield, was moving from stage to cinema and TV. Mary Grace featured in Pollyanna and later became famous for Green Acres while the family lived in California in the early 1960s. Charles Orlebar Carey Jr., Phoebe’s theatrical producer father, divorced Mary Grace in 1955, but his influence permeated the family’s performing and production roots.

Phoebe’s maternal grandparents, Hubert H. and Hildegard Jacobson Canfield, lived in upstate New York, while her aunt, Constance Canfield Morgan, raised her family in the Northeast. Phoebe felt that Rochester and Canandaigua’s rhythms and theater and screen’s bright lights were her legacy.

In 1969, Phoebe relocated to Santa Barbara, a move that would shape the rest of her life. The coastal city offered a gentler canvas than Hollywood, yet it gave ample room for her creativity and entrepreneurial instincts.

Santa Barbara Beginnings, 1969 to 1979

Phoebe met Plaka restaurateur George Alexiades in 1971. The Plaka is a Greek restaurant and dancing club noted for its food, music, and show. Phoebe worked with sleeves up. She ran operations, belly danced gracefully, and made the area buzz. The Plaka became a stage for her energy and a test of her commercial instincts.

Her performances extended to P’Tit Cabaret and a Greek restaurant in Ventura, where she combined theatrical lineage with a working artist’s flair. Audiences remembered the music and movement, but colleagues recalled her poise under pressure and her knack for making a business feel like a home.

Entrepreneurial Pathways: Carriages, Cleaning, and Community

Phoebe changed herself after moving on from Plaka. She used her passion of animals and presentation skills to start a wedding horse-and-carriage service. Brides and celebrants across the region remember the sound of hooves and gleaming harnesses, a fairytale in Santa Barbara sunlight.

A cleaning service followed, proof that she prized steady, honest work and knew how to build trust one client at a time. These ventures were not headline-chasing enterprises. They were rooted in community needs and sustained by word of mouth, the strongest currency in a close-knit town.

Real Estate in Montecito

Phoebe joined Coldwell Banker in Montecito in the 1980s. Santa Barbara, with its charming cottages and grand estates, was her market. She guided clients through the nuances of purchasing and selling in a competitive coastal market, starting at $825,000 and rising.

Her friends and clients call her intuitive and hardworking. She knew how to present a property’s strengths without drama and navigate inspections, financing, and closing. She valued service over glitz in a flashy industry. It was never about billboards or buzzwords. The focus was on carefully linked individuals and locations.

Family Snapshot

Timeline at a Glance

Personality, Passions, and Community

Phoebe’s pals say she loves horses and animals. From grooming a carriage horse to keeping pets at home, her companies showed her love. She preferred to help others rather than explain herself online. Her social media footprint was small, yet she made lasting friendships in person.

She was close to family. For Phoebe, her mother was both compass and ballast. Phoebe’s performances and businesses reflect Mary Grace’s theatrical energy, but her journey was distinguished by practicality, ingenuity, and small-business management that keeps a community humming.

Career Highlights and Local Impact

• Operations and performance at the Plaka in the 1970s, helping transform a restaurant into a lively cultural hub.
• Appearances at P’Tit Cabaret and a Ventura Greek restaurant, combining performance artistry with hospitality.
• Proprietor of a horse-and-carriage service, serving weddings and special occasions across the Santa Barbara region.
• Founder of a cleaning service that prioritized reliability, discretion, and community relationships.
• Realtor at Coldwell Banker in Montecito from the 1980s to the 2010s, handling listings from about 825,000 dollars upward and guiding clients through a complex market.

Her achievements were not adorned with trophies or headlines. They were measured in satisfied patrons, repeat clients, and the steady hum of a business that pays its bills while treating people fairly. In a town that prizes both style and substance, Phoebe balanced the two with a quiet hand.

Passing and Remembrance in 2023

After a brief illness, Phoebe died March 6, 2023. Family, friends, and clients she touched in Santa Barbara and Ventura remembered her. On May 21, 2023, a Greek location overlooking the water hosted a celebration of life for someone who loved cuisine, music, and community. Her entrepreneurial spirit, love of animals, and familial loyalty were remembered.

FAQ

When was Phoebe Alexiades born?

Her exact birth date is not publicly confirmed, but records suggest the early 1950s in New York City.

How old was she when she passed away?

She was approximately 70 to 72 years old at the time of her death on March 6, 2023.

What was her connection to Hollywood?

Her mother, actress Mary Grace Canfield, worked in film and television, which influenced Phoebe’s early years before the family settled in Santa Barbara.

What businesses did she run?

She helped manage the Plaka restaurant, performed as a dancer, ran a horse-and-carriage service for events, and later started a cleaning company.

Where did she work in real estate?

She worked as a real estate agent with the Coldwell Banker office in Montecito, focusing on Santa Barbara area properties.

Did she receive major public awards?

No major awards are recorded; her recognition was primarily local and community-based.

Who are her surviving family members?

Survivors include her son George, daughter-in-law Abby, grandson Weston, sister Alison, and nephews Andre and Alec.

Why is information about her limited online?

She maintained a private life with minimal social media presence, and much of what is known comes from family accounts and community remembrances.