San Clemente Juggles Chic Fashion and Unhurried Pace

The beach towns of Orange County increasingly have become chic locales for outrageous partying and new fashions since the wealth and popularity of local surf and skate clothing companies have skyrocketed. But one town has defied the trend.

San Clemente, Calif., the southernmost town in Orange County, has held fast to its identity as one of the last unhurried places on the Orange Coast. But the culture is going through some changes, according to Haley Solar, manager of San Clemente contemporary boutique Bliss. “People used to think the water was nice, but there was nothing else here,” she said.

People from chi-chi Laguna Beach and Newport Beach and other locales started moving to San Clemente in the 1990s because of the relatively reasonable housing prices. They found an area with a conservative political tradition. Richard Nixon made his vacation home here during his presidency, and the town is located adjacent to the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base.

Yet, the less buttoned-down surf culture grew up next to the political conservatives. Surfers travel from across the world to ride the waves of San Clemente’s famous Trestles Beach, and the editorial offices of Surfing Magazine are located in town.

For years, San Clemente had plenty of well-regarded surf shops serving the wave riders but no fashion boutiques. Wealthy residents tended to shop 10 miles north in Laguna Beach or at The Shops at Mission Viejo mall, owned by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group. This left San Clemente’s main retail strip, Avenida Del Mar, stuck in time as a 1950s Main Street U.S.A.

The street started changing a couple of years ago, when several restaurants, including Gordon James and Beach Fire, brought nightlife to the thoroughfare.

Prices for commercial real estate have remained reasonable. The average price for a square foot of commercial space downtown is $2.75, but that price can go up to $3.25 for new projects, according to James Michael Miranda, a realtor at Coldwell Banker in San Clemente.

Laurie Wodiske, who already owned a clothing store called Variant, said she thought it was time for fashion boutiques to have a stronger presence on the street. “You could tell women were looking for something more trendy,” she said.

So Wodiske opened the 2,300-square-foot Angel Wings boutique in May. The bohemian store, with its copper-paneled dressing rooms and burgundy swags hanging from the ceiling, seems more appropriate for Laguna Beach than old San Clemente.

But Wodiske said the shop has been a success. Her customers, she noted, are buying Los Angeles–based Miss Me’s $70 Marilyn-style jeans with embroidery depicting a red rose and a hummingbird. Also popular are jeans by Canada-based Dish ($88 to $120) and knits, including a $64 bolero top, by Los Angeles–based Hazel.

Retailers have observed that San Clemente consumers want clothes that are fashionable yet affordable. Shoppers are also looking for fashions that are conservative and comfortable but with a slight flair, said Solar of Bliss, which opened in 2004.

Top sellers at Bliss include Los Angeles–based Da-Nang’s silk cargo-style pants, skirts and shorts in pink, orange and floral camouflage. Price points range from $150 for the shorts to $194 for the pants. Nanette Lepore’s tops also sell well. Lepore’s moonlight jackets with embroidery reminiscent of alpine designs cost $325, and her black lace jackets are $280. Shirts, from basic tees to wrap tops, from Los Angeles–based Michael Stars ($29 to $70) also are popular.

Contemporary boutiques got a boost in January, when retailers Andy and Jenelle Meyer renamed their Shoe Zoo boutique. Although Shoe Zoo had been successful, the Meyers decided to coordinate the name with that of their Habit contemporary store in Costa Mesa, Calif., to reflect the shop’s new direction. Now the San Clemente boutique sells brands such as Diesel and True Religion.

Jenelle Meyer said the top seller at her 1,500-square-foot Avenida Del Mar store is a baby-doll dress by Los Angeles–based 213. The $110 dress is made out of sheer, gauzy fabric and has the ultra-feminine style of a fairytale princess. “Anything feminine is selling right now,” she said.

Bleu J. opened on Avenida Del Mar last November. Popular fashions at the 1,100-square-foot store include bohemian-style skirts from Los Angeles–based B.O.B. ($115) and denim boyshorts from Serfontaine ($163). Halter tops from Fighting Eel cost $74, and New York–based Loomstate jeans cost $159, said co-owner Teri Nejad.

Nejad and co-owner Megan Schwinn also sell men’s clothes. Top sellers include Penguin polo shirts ($43) and Huntington Beach, Calif.–based Howe Denim’s Western-style “Trust Fund” floral shirts ($103).

While shopping and nightlife on Avenida Del Mar are growing, the easygoing pace of the street should remain a bedrock of town life, said Jim Pechous, a senior planner for the city. San Clemente officials examined ideas for widening the street but later rejected them, he said.

“People want to keep it from becoming overgrown,” Pechous said. “They want to keep a small-town character here.”