Development and Shopping on Minds of Huntington Beach Retailers

“Surf City,” otherwise known as Huntington Beach, Calif., a town renowned for its eight miles of white sandy beaches, is in the midst of a development wave, and not everyone supports it.

Those retailers on the city’s Main Street, a quaint shopping area lined with surf shops, boutiques and outdoor cafes, worry that the arrival of nearby Pacific Coast Highway developments—the 519-room Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa, the 31-acre Pacific City development and the Strand, a proposed 102,000-square-foot retail and hotel development—will wreak havoc on their shopping turf.

“We have mixed feelings,” said Kristina Perez, manager of the Diamond Lane contemporary boutique on Main Street. “It may bring in more business, but it will take away from our regular customers, who will have a hard time parking, which will hurt us in the long term. A lot of tourists and surfer chicks spend only so much money as opposed to that customer who comes in weekly and blows through $500.”

Most retailers are adopting a wait-and-see attitude, focusing on near-term shopping results. They say a late-summer weather boost has kept spending at strong levels, with a variety of denim, activewear and dresswear looks checking.

“We’ve been having great sell-throughs,” said Perez, noting her store is celebrating its 20th anniversary with an Oct. 13 party for about 200 invited guests.

Two words are bringing customers in, she said: Juicy Couture.

“If the whole store was [Juicy Couture], we’d still continue to blow out of it,” noted Perez. “We have whole pages of customer requests for it.”

Juicy’s earth-tone sets have sold in antique olive, tan, burnt orange and dark eggplant.

Denim looks are also a top seller, most notably Diesel’s Denim Hush low-rise jean with an extended tab and small back pockets and Sky’s flared cargo jeans and detailed denim jeans with braided hanging tabs.

Corduroy interest is also picking up for both Diesel and Sky, according to Perez.

“We had some paisley and striped cords by Sky, but those are bye-bye—they’re already gone,” she said, adding that dresses by Betsey Johnson are also sparking sales.

Another bullish retailer is Billy Stade, whose store, the Closet, is trending 20 percent above sales compared to last year.

“We have a crossover store with contemporary and action sportswear, and that’s really resonating with customers right now who are looking for something different,” he said.

For women, Stussy’s army jackets and Ella Moss terry cloth sweat suits are key sellers. Stade said denim sales are “super-strong” for Seven jeans.

Retro looks are driving men’s sales, including Adidas’ nylon track jackets and Ben Sherman shirts.

Split, Billabong, Volcom and Paul Frank Industries are the cash cows for Huntington Beach Surf and Sport, according to women’s buyer Erin McDaniel.

The look du jour is still velour athletic sets in tan, gray and black and low-rise denims with pocket details, she said.

Shoppers are pairing up the bottoms with woven tops and fitted logo T-shirts by Billabong and Stussy. Western shirts with pearl snaps and classic button-up shirts have taken over the bohemian trends, McDaniel said. Shoppers are staying warm with thick sweaters in muted colors by Billabong and Rip Curl and denim quilted jackets with white sherpa lining.

Another concern for McDaniel and other retailers was the West Coast port strike that blocked shipments of goods.

“We have had vendors call to let us know that some of the goods [were] on the boats and some of our private-label items [were] on the boats, so [we’re] shifting our inventory around,” McDaniel said.

Across the street at Jack’s Girls, denim and cotton jackets with mandarin collars or princess sleeves by Volcom and Hurley are selling strong, said assistant manager Kelly Cunningham. The Lucy Love section also is checking with such looks as colorful woven tops and cropped pants.

Denim still keeps the teenagers coming in, as well. “We sell anything low-rise by Hurley and Roxy,” Cunningham said.