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At just 17 years old, Greg Feitt — now the co-owner of Santa Barbara bookstore Chaucer’s Books — enlisted in the Marines. At 18, he was deployed to Kuwait and participated in the invasion of Iraq. “So that was quite an experience,” he recalled. “Going in a year from living in Santa Barbara to being overseas and invading another country.” After spending more than a year in service, he moved back to his birthplace of Santa Barbara, only to be left with the difficult question of what was next for him.
This led him to Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), where he signed up for classes in the fall of 2003. His one goal: to figure it out. The question of what to do with one’s life feels unfathomable even for the average 18-year-old who didn’t just spend a year at war. For Feitt, SBCC offered a path, even if he wasn’t quite sure where it would lead.
At first, he struggled to find footing. “I was in an odd kind of place in my life mentally,” he shared. His motivation often wobbled as he tried “to make up for lost time” after his experience overseas. He sometimes found it hard to focus, but he stuck to it even if it took him five years to transfer. “That took a little longer than I expected,” he joked. “But it was an overall really great experience.”
It certainly wasn’t easy. While at SBCC, Feitt juggled three jobs, including one working at Chaucer’s Books, which he began in 2004. However, City College’s flexible scheduling and supportive environment allowed Feitt to balance work, life, and academics. “The real value for me was not only in the quality of the education that I got there … but also in the support and the flexibility that it offers for people that may have other things going on in their lives.”
He was drawn to take classes at SBCC not only because of the subjects, but also the quality of the professors. This is how, despite his “mediocracy” at math, he grew particularly fond of one statistics class. “I did really well in the class,” he recalls, because of a good teacher who was able to “put it in perspective” and also “communicate it effectively and clearly.”
Over time, he grew particularly fond of his history classes. He remembers one professor, David Morris, who also happened to be one of his high school teachers and who constantly kept him engaged. So when it came time to transfer to a four-year university, Feitt knew he would study history. He transferred to UCSB, where he graduated in 2010 with a degree in labor history.
“[City College] gave me a lot of leeway,” he shared. “Being able to work with the unit or the college in order to kind of tailor it to what I needed and what I could do at that time was really key to keeping me in school and keeping me coming back.”
He worked at Chaucer’s throughout his years at SBCC and then UCSB. For a while, he viewed that work as “just a job,” something that kept him busy and put food on the table. However, his mindset shifted when the store’s head book buyer gifted him a new perspective: the enduring power of the brick-and-mortar bookstore. “I became aware that there was a lot to love and appreciate about what an independent bookstore means to a community, to the people that work there, and to the people that patronize it.”
He listened to his gut and stayed put. “And so when I graduated from college, I kind of wanted to stick around for a while, at least until I figured out my next step.” He continued working at Chaucer’s and eventually took over as head book buyer when the former person retired.
Things were smooth sailing for the most part. However, the pandemic presented challenges for the bookstore, and Feitt and the Chaucer’s team worked tirelessly to keep the store afloat. “I was forced to figure out ways to make it work,” he said. But the pandemic also offered Feitt a moment of clarity about his next steps — he contemplated the future of Chaucer’s. “I need to figure out what I’m going to do next,” he remembers thinking. The answer was right in front of him, and in June 2024, he and his partner, Jen Lemberger, took over the store from previous longtime owner Mahri Kerley.
At 40 years old, he continues to build on the idea that the independent bookstore is the cornerstone of a community — even in the most uncertain times. His story is a reminder that higher education isn’t just about acquiring knowledge; it’s about personal growth, self-discovery, and cultivating a lifelong love of learning.
Although Feitt has settled in his career and path, his curiosity never wavered. He hopes to return to SBCC to take classes in subjects that pique his interest. “I mean, it’s such a valuable place, and it’s in such a beautiful location, and it’s just an amazing resource for the city to have.”
This article was paid for by Santa Barbara City College. For more information on Santa Barbara City College and the hundreds of programs they offer, visit sbcc.edu or (805) 965-0581. If you are an SBCC alumni please join SBCC Alumni Connect at sbccfoundation.org/alumni.
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