Costa Mesa: The Closet Opens in Growing Indie Retail Scene
With luxury retail centers South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island only a few minutes’ drive away, people in Costa Mesa, Calif., and the adjacent city of Newport Beach, Calif., have a dizzying array of shopping choices, from Versace to Bloomingdale’s to Quiksilver. But longtime Southern California retailer Billy Stade thought there was room for another boutique in the area.
To get noticed, Stade realized his new store had to dazzle. On Dec. 12, he gambled that the concept of a mini-department store would intrigue the retail-savvy people of the area. He opened a 10,000-square-foot space on 1800 Newport Blvd. in Costa Mesa.
The store, called The Closet, will be immediately familiar to anyone who shopped at Stade’s other The Closet locations in Santa Monica, Calif.; Huntington Beach, Calif.; and Fashion Island in Newport Beach. The store sells premium denim and fashion-forward surf and skate brands. Stade closed his 8-year-old location at Costa Mesa’s Triangle Square shopping center in November to open the new store. He moved because he wanted extra space to experiment with new retail ideas. By March 2008, the Newport Boulevard address will offer a full-service hair salon and an eatery called Eat Chow. The space also will be the location of the executive offices of Stade’s retail company. A newsstand will be located outside the store. So far, the people shopping at the mini-department store are typically Costa Mesa and Newport locals, said Brendan Thomas, The Closet’s director of stores and public relations and marketing.
These customers might be the support system for a new wave of independent boutiques in the area. One of this scene’s catalysts opened in August. The Trovata fashion label, headquartered in Newport Beach, opened its first namesake boutiuqe in its hometown, just a couple of miles away from The Closet. The Trovata boutique has reportedly attracted a steady flow of fashion followers to the area.
One-year-old fashion boutique Goat is betting that these destination shoppers, as well as Costa Mesa and Newport Beach locals, will visit its gallery-style store, located at 186 E. 16th St. in a stretch of Costa Mesa between The Closet and the Trovata store. Goat co-owner Matthew Thomas opened a men’s section on Nov. 29. He reported T-shirts designed by Apolis Activism, based in Santa Barbara, Calif., were selling well. They retail for $65. Also popular was straight-legged denim by Stockholm, Sweden–based Acne Jeans. The jeans retail for $269.
Blazers produced by Los Angeles–based Morphine Generation, which cost $340, also were popular at the store, which is decked out with white custom couches and chandeliers. In Goat’s women’s section, favorite items included the “Los Feliz” leather jacket, designed by Los Angeles–based Ever. It retails for $715. A tunic dress by French label Diabless also sold well. It costs $328.
There also is an established but growing independent-fashion boutique scene in Newport Beach’s Newport Heights neighborhood. Los Angeles–based Ames LLC will open an Ames On Westcliff store at 2043 Westcliff Drive in 2008. The 10-year-old The Queen Bee store, located a few blocks away, will undergo an extensive remodel in 2008, said store manager Jeremy Scruggs. The retail mix will remain the same. Currently popular are candy-striped smocks by La Rok, which retail for $267. There’s a motorcycle-style jacket constructed out of fleece, which was produced by Los Angeles–based label Mike & Chris. It costs $242. High-waisted jeans by Los Angeles–based Rich & Skinny also retail well at The Queen Bee. They cost $240.
A few blocks away from The Queen Bee, Lisa Gurney and business partner Helen Platt sell basics and fashion at their boutique, Shopgirls by Lisa & Helen, located at 369 E. 17th St. Popular items include a cashmere track suit by New York–based White + Warren. The top costs $297, and the bottom costs $330. T-shirts and dresses by Los Angeles–based Michael Stars label sell well. Price points for the T-shirts range from $37 to $54. Michael Stars’ “Ava” dress also is popular. It retails for $154.
At The Closet, women’s buyer Rachel Atacan said that the store will feature local designers, including best-selling labels RVCA and Volcom, both based in Costa Mesa. RVCA T-shirts sell well and start retailing at $21, and Volcom’s hooded jacket with a high collar, called the “Kobain,” costs $76. An up-and-coming designer line is the Long Beach, Calif.–based Quail. Its high-waisted miniskirt retails for $114. Lake Forest, Calif.–based LRG produced the magenta-colored “Lorax” pullover, which retails for $74. Los Angeles–based denim makers sold well at The Closet. Women were buying True Religion’s “Bobby” jean ($199). Men were buying 7 For All Mankind’s bootcut “Flynt” jean ($159).
