The Bella Terra effect

When Paolo Pestarino purchased his first restaurant five years ago, he was filled with hope. After years of experience as a cruise-line chef and cooking for such popular restaurants as Issay’s in Newport Beach, Pestarino, 56, would finally be his own boss.

Many business owners in the village, like Pestarino, were thrilled to hear about the construction of the Bella Terra outdoor mall just across Center Avenue, believing that it would draw shoppers to their stores as well, Pestarino said.

But it hasn’t worked out that way. A year later, the streets of Old World are as quiet as ever.

“We have some new customers, but we’re struggling,” Pestarino said. “Everyone thought Bella Terra was going to help us. It’s not — it’s hurting us.”

There are just too many restaurants in Bella Terra to compete with, Pestarino said.

But some would argue that more competition is a healthy thing.

“Without being too harsh on those folks, overall Bella Terra is certainly positive for Huntington Beach,” Councilman Keith Bohr said.

“Bella Terra is bringing customers to that part of town, and it may be a challenge for those businesses on Center Avenue to attract them, but that’s how capitalism works,” he said.

Village business leaders are trying to compete. The center has recently added vintage clothing store Scuda Boutique, and Cobantigua, a coffee shop that will offer free wireless Web access. With Golden West College just down the road, Cyndie Kasko the daughter of village founder Josef Bischof, hopes that little perk will draw more business, she said in a November interview. Efforts to reach her this week were unsuccessful.

“We’re sitting on a pot of gold over here,” Kasko said. “The hope is that we can find at least 10 shops that portray what Europe is now, stuff you can’t find in the mall.” She added that she would love to see the village blossom into a European version of The Lab anti-mall in Costa Mesa.

Nearer to the Golden West campus, the College Country Center has seen its own share of problems. Shop owners cannot seem to agree whether Bella Terra is the cause.

Bella Terra “seems to be a franchise hub,” said Anne Mason-Arnold, director of CloudMover Day Spa.

“We’re such a tiny place, but we’re doing OK. We offer a personal touch,” she said.

Referring to her shop as the place “where the locals go” for spa therapy, Mason-Arnold has plenty of ideas on how to keep the customers flowing in.

Teachers receive 20% discounts on massages and facials, seniors 15%, and all municipal workers receive discounts as well, she said. To bring in more business during the work week, the day spa offers $10 discounts on Swedish massages.

“You’ve got to give people a reason to wander into your shop rather than another,” she said.

Mason-Arnold opened the doors of her business just six months ago, not long enough to tell if it was hurting her business since Bella Terra has been around longer than she has. She has, however, noticed how it has benefited her business.

“I think it’s picking up the traffic, making it more well-known,” Mason-Arnold said. It gives “people a reason to come into the area.”

“Some people might want to blame the fact that their business is not doing well on something else,” Mason-Arnold. “If that’s what works for them, that’s fine.”

Just across the parking lot in the same shopping center, Christopher Rouseau, manager of Taste of France café, has noticed a negative impact on business, mainly with regulars, he said.

“They’re not coming as often as they used to before,” Rouseau said. “Now they have other options.”

Business leaders who thought they would benefit from Bella Terra’s opening probably need to rethink their marketing plan, said Pat Rogers, Bella Terra’s marketing director.

“I hate to think we have hurt anyone,” she said. Every time a new restaurant opened at Bella Terra or close by, there was a dip in a restaurant’s business for a week or two, according to Rogers. “Then they come back stronger.”

Rogers pointed out that since city officials are considering improvements to the Edinger corridor, making it a good time for smaller businesses to think about pooling their resources and sharing a marketing and advertising plan, she said. “Everyone can benefit from this.”

For The Taste of France and Paolo’s Ristorante, the greatest impact has come from what Rouseau calls the “tower crowd” — office employees who work next to Bella Terra and don’t want to stray too far for lunch. Pestarino stopped serving lunch six months ago when afternoon business tailed off.

Old World’s fate depends on what is in the works to be built in place of the shuttered Montgomery Ward department store at the far west end of the Bella Terra lot, the area of the center directly across the street from the village, Pestarino said.

“There are so many restaurants across the street,” Pestarino said. “I don’t know if I did the right thing [buying this restaurant].”