Trends to the unusual

Christine Carrillo

As the national economy continues to struggle as a result of the

ailing public view of corporate America and the lingering effects of

Sept. 11, 2001, the retail industry in Newport-Mesa has managed to

weather the storm fairly well.

While the major retail centers in the area did feel an immediate

impact in the beginning of the year, much like centers in the rest of

the country, consumer spending trends appear to be heading in a

profitable direction as retail sales for this fall are increasing and

forecasts for the upcoming holiday season remain positive.

“We will flat out have our best year ever, especially at The Lab,�

said Shaheen Sadeghi, the president and chief executive for The Lab

and The Camp in Costa Mesa. “We’re doing much better with the

specialty, hip product.�

Providing consumers with retail options not readily available,

retail centers in Newport-Mesa have managed to develop a consumer

base that returns to buy more.

“We’ve got a retail healthy economy here,� said Tanya Thomas, vice

president and general manager for Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

“We’ve got the kind of retailers and the merchandise that the

community wants.�

With current consumer spending establishing trends toward stores

that offer more unusual retail products, many of the mainstream

retail stores have continued to feel an impact reflective of the

current economy.

Consumers have taken on a much smarter attitude when shopping

during economically strained times, officials said. Instead of

splurging on mass quantities of highly replicated products, many

people have begun to gear their spending toward more particular

retail purchases.

“When the economy is where it is now things tend to be a little

more bohemian,� Sadeghi said. “People are just looking for soulful

clothes that have a culture behind it and we’ve always been about

that. We’ve never been about the masses.�

By tailoring its market to such consumer trends, Fashion Island in

Newport Beach has also managed to maintain its role as a major retail

provider in Orange County despite current economic struggles, Thomas

said.

“We have a very strong demographic ... they’re very interested in

the best of the best,� Thomas said. “There are things that are so

unique to Fashion Island ... that’s what sets [it] apart.�

Both Fashion Island and The Lab also provide shoppers with a

variety of activities that go beyond retail shopping. Such activities

lure consumers to their particular locations and inevitably lead many

of them to make retail purchases that aid the centers in ongoing and

increasing economic success.

Similarly, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa has relied on its

reputation as a tourist stop and has gained much of its continued

success from the traveling and driving markets.

“The new luxury stores are a perfect fit for our market,� said

Debra Gunn Downing, executive director of marketing at South Coast

Plaza. “I really feel that are strong sales are due to the very

desirable merchandise that you can’t get anywhere else in Orange

County.�

Despite national economic struggles, at this point, Orange County

consumers have not stopped shopping. After a temporary hiatus, they

returned to the Newport-Mesa retail industry full-force yet slightly

askew from the norm. While many of the consumers turned their backs

on the products made for them in mass and instead focused on those

products difficult to find, they haven’t been deterred from looking

or spending.

“The entire retail industry has felt the bumps in the economy,�

Gunn Downing said. “But [Orange County] has faired very well.�