California Apparel News

When Donna and Greg Allen took over the 30-year-old Molly Brown’s swimwear shop in Newport Beach, Calif., in 2007, they kept the place’s landmark pink-andgreen neon sign. They also decided to heed the former owners’ business advice.

“If it’s a bikini shop, stick to selling bikinis” was the mantra of Molly Brown’s founders, Carl and Julie McMackin. For the Allens, keeping a strict focus on bikinis is a way to continue the traditions of the veteran swim shop. It also allows them to shape a unique retail identity in a region where surf shops are a dominant force in swim retail, according to Greg Allen.

There’s another way to state this philosophy: Keep it simple. Don’t complicate consumers’ notion of the store with what may end up being tangential product, whether it’s jeans or T-shirts.

The Allens take their focus seriously. There are seemingly endless variations of bikinis at the 1,200-square-foot boutique in Newport Beach’s Balboa Peninsula— plus some bikini-friendly items such as coverup dresses.

Molly Brown’s is located at 2116 Newport Blvd., which is on the main drag of Balboa Peninsula. The address is a couple of blocks from the Pacific Ocean and the 102-year-old Balboa Pier. The neighborhood is the home of the famous surf beach The Wedge, where the dramatic waves were the inspiration and the namesake for the 1963 song by surf guitarist Dick Dale.

Balboa Peninsula also serves as the backdrop to a beach culture that attracts tourists from around the world. Patrick Larkin, manager of Balboa boutique PJ’s Surfrider, estimated that 90 percent of his business were tourists. Even in winter there are enough of them to justify keeping the lights on, said the managers and owners of Molly Brown’s, Barely There Swimwear and PJ’s Surfrider.

Swimwear fashions change with the season, said Molly Brown’s co-owner Donna Allen. During the spring and summer, many women buy swimwear to swim in the ocean. In the fall and winter, they’re buying bikinis to lounge in by the pool.

One popular brand at Molly Brown’s is the Lake Forest, Calif.–based L*Space. The brand’s “American Stella” triangle top bears a stars-and-stripes design and retails for $64.95. A matching coverup retails for $119.95.

Newport Beach brand Sonia Vera Swimwear is sold at Molly Brown’s. Its green “Bora Bora” bikini sells for $219.95. Laguna Beach, Calif.–based Vitamin A has also been popular at the boutique. Its triangle “Navy” top costs $77.95. San Diego, Calif.–based Sauvage produced a one-piece bathing suit studded with Swarovski crystals. It retails for $119.

Across the street from Molly Brown’s is Barely There Swimwear, where owner Nancy Lee has been selling bikinis for 18 years. Lee has strived to make the place, located at 2117 W. Balboa Blvd., stand out in this unique neighborhood.

The shop is not much bigger than 500 square feet. Lee gave the store a rock ’n’ roll edge by painting the walls hot pink. Lee said that passersby love to take a gander at the store’s bikini-clad mannequin, which takes up the entire space of the shop’s small storefront window.

Sauvage’s Swarovski-studded suits are popular at Barely There, as are bikinis by Pursuit, a line produced by Torrance, Calif.–based Sunsets Inc. Pursuit’s sleek halter tops and bikini bottoms cost $140. Sunset Inc.’s juniors line, Blink, also sells well. It retails for $100.

PJ’s Surfrider is located at 2122 W. Oceanfront, near the Balboa Pier. Its beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean and its beaches, accessible within a few easy steps from the shop, is an inspiration to many tourists, according to Ceci Vasquez, manager of PJ’s Surfrider. “Some of them have never seen the ocean. So they buy a bikini and rush to the waves,” she said.

Popular items at this beachside boutique have been Rip Curl’s triangle bikinis in solid yellow, white and black. Tops retail for $27, and bottoms retail for $30. The “Hula Halter” by Roxy also sells well. The halter tops, with matching bottoms, retail for $79.99.