The Lab: a Work in Progress
Just because it’s the anti-mall doesn’t mean it’s promoting an anti-shopping experience. Open since 1993, the Lab in Costa Mesa, Calif., simply marches to the beat of a different drummer than its competition, South Coast Plaza, located just a half-mile north of it.
Differentiating the Lab from other shopping spots was the goal of developer Shaheen Sadeghi, who set out to create an untypical hangout for the hip Orange County youngster—complete with crumbling walls and a trash canister waterfall. No two stores are alike at his center. A young coed may want to buy a teeny-weeny bikini at Urban Outfitters or a pair of thick-soled, punkish Mary Janes at Electric Chair.
Now Sadeghi, who recently opened his second shopping center, the Camp—an active-oriented center catering to baby boomers and fitness enthusiasts—just across the street, is ready to give a lift to the Lab, which has seen its share of stores come and go. He hopes to add a music store and a gourmet Mexican restaurant, expand existing stores and change the look of the center with the help of New York architect Ron Pompeii by this November.
“It’s a work in progress,” Sadeghi said.
The so-called anchor of the Lab is Urban Outfitters, an emporium of clothing and home deacute;cor. Manager Kristin Hoffman said “pretty much everything hippie” is selling. Key lines at the store are Lux and Calme offering embroidered and lace-edged tops. Another summer must-have, she said, is a pair of Dr. Scholl’s leather-strap slides, which are checking in a host of bright colors.
A cross-mixture of designs and labels are selling at contemporary women’s and men’s boutique Habit, according to store manager Emily Rollins. The run on Fornarina halter dresses crafted from blocked prints has left only one in the store, Rollins said. Low-rise denim brands Seven, Paper Denim & Cloth, Joe’s Jeans and Diesel are all selling briskly. Customers are pairing the bottoms with Melinda Zoller recycled T-shirts and Anna Huling eyelet and tuxedo-styled tops. Ben Sherman shirts and Pony athletic shoes are top men’s draws.
Business is humming, said Rollins, and it got a bigger lift from a recent write-up in Lucky magazine.
“People are calling from New York all the time and we’re shipping them goods,” she said.
The decidedly different vibe at 1-year-old Electric Chair—where a display case at the store entrance is filled with studded dog collars and leather cuffs—focuses on edgier, punk-themed clothing. Buyer Shannon Coffield said Dog Pile bondage pants, which are plaid bottoms with black straps, and EC Star stretch jeans are popular looks for both men and women. EC Star cardigans in different colors and embroideries and plaid miniskirts are also consistent sellers, she added.
Used Levi’s and Wrangler Western shirts are the No. 1 picks for customers at vintage store Stateside, said store manager Tracy Barnette. Logo T-shirts—sporting Pepsi and Coca-Cola monikers—are also customer favorites, she said. The 4-year-old store, which has additional locations in San Diego, Los Angeles and Osaka, Japan, features low-cost goods ranging from bandana shirts and peasant tops to velour Lacoste sweaters and tan Boy Scout shirts with or without the badges—though the Boy Scout shirts have had humdrum sales, according to Barnette.
Paul Frank boxer shorts and pajamas hang beside replicated mid-century modern tables and chairs at 1-year-old Room Service, the second home furnishings store owned by apparel veteran John Bernard, who began the concept on Third Street in Los Angeles. (Another store is slated to open in San Francisco this August.)
It’s the whimsical clothes that are the initial customer draw, according to store manager Sarah Campbell.
“It gives a cute image to the store and brings customers in to see the rest of our offerings,” she said, noting shoppers are also buying Fine, a line of razorback tanks, T-shirts and camisole sets sporting characters from the “Peanuts” comic strip.
Room Service began selling higher-end clothing about six months ago, carrying Beth Bowley, Jill Stuart, T-Bags and Katayone Adeli to cater to the same shopper who will buy its $1,695 Krypton egg chair along with the additional $300 pair of built-in speakers. So far, Jill Stuart jeans are selling well as are T-Bags floral wrap dresses. Those labels will rotate depending on popularity, Campbell said. Bernard also launched the Five Crown line of simple crew-neck sweatshirts and zip-up hoodies sporting city names. The men’s line has already sold out, according to Campbell.
Still, the store—like the mall—is a work in progress, noted Campbell, who thinks the addition of the Camp across the street will help business.
“We think the Camp will bring in the customer we need,” she said.
