This Side of Paradise

Pity Mary Austgen and Jakub Maslowiec. They have to punch their time cards daily at a boutique overlooking a few square miles of what might be a recruiting poster for the California Dream. Their boutique, Jennifer Croll/Croll Sport, is located across the street from the pristine beaches and sun-kissed bluffs of Crystal Cove State Park, just south of Newport Beach, Calif., and seemingly a world away from the congested Interstate 5 and 405 freeways located over the hill.

While other retailers might use the retail space at the Irvine Co.’s Crystal Cove Promenade as an excuse to take a quick jaunt to the state park, Austgen and Maslowiec have plenty of reasons to stay inside. There is a pool table located in the middle of the store and a plasma screen on which to watch the latest sports and comedies.

And then there are the needs of their affluent customers from Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. They gravitate toward clothes with a casual West Coast feel but also need cocktail dresses and snazzy suits for the charity fund-raisers and other upscale events held at the local luxury hotels, the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa and the Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel.

This Jennifer Croll boutique, one of six in the Los Gatos, Calif.–based chain, aims to be everything to everyone. Sue Wong gowns and Theory suits sell with AG jeans and Juicy Couture sweats.

The top-selling item for women last week was Los Angeles–based Alka Vora’s floorlength bohemian-style skirts. The hand–tie-dyed 100 percent silk skirts studded with mirrored sequins retail for $308.

The most popular item for men was the “Wave” shirt from London-based Ted Baker’s Ted Baker Jeans division. The French-cuff shirt with a pattern of stripes and dots retails for $180. —Andrew Asch