Re-fashioning the Island

Paul Clinton

A high-tech children’s barber shop, chic women’s clothing outlet and

revamped food court are in the offing at Fashion Island, as the

center begins to roll out a cluster of new shops for spring shoppers.

The doors are expected to begin opening in the next few weeks.

Managers of the Irvine Co.-owned Fashion Island say the eight new

stores will add a fresh spin to a center that’s always looking to

upgrade its retail offerings.

“That’s where the opportunities come, when you have an opportunity

to improve or update your merchandising mix,” said Tanya Thomas, the

center’s general manager. “In the business of retail, the products

are always evolving.”

Between now and August, when the second round of stores opens,

shoppers will notice two significant changes at Fashion Island: a

revamped lane of children’s shops and a new food court.

The four new children’s shopsbabystyle, First Cut, Pamplona and

The Picture People -- are set to roll out beginning the second week

of April. They are part of the center’s reconfiguring of the

children’s retailers near Long’s Drugs.

First Cut, which replaces Trade Secrets, could make the biggest

splash. It’s a state-of-the-art haircutter for children and

teenagers, with a twist.

Store owners Lance and Leora Fogel have set up 13 cutting

stations, equipping each with an 11-inch flat screen television

complete with DVD player and video-game console with wireless game

pad. The interactive atmosphere entertains restless children while

stylists work.

“The concept is to offer a place where kids want to come,” Lance

Fogel said. “We’re trying to offer a place that’s so exciting that

that’s exactly what they want to do.”

The sensory overload should also be apparent in the Pop-vivid

colors on the rocket fuselage wall panels and ‘50s diner motif.

AN OPENING COUP

European children’s clothing designer Pampolina is also set to

open early next month. Getting the retailer is a bit of a coup for

Fashion Island, as it is opening its first store in this country.

Pampolina, formerly Rag Baby, is near Haagen-Dazs.

The Picture People, also set for early April, is a Hallmark-owned

chain that specializes in children’s portraiture.

Opening festivities for babystyle have been pushed back to July.

The store, only the second in existence, is the outgrowth of an

Internet retailer and catalog-order business. It replaces Museum Co.

Forever 21, a clothing store for teen and young women, is expected

to open in August near the Koi pond. It replaces a Hallmark. Judy

Lee’s, a women’s clothing outlet, should also debut at that time.

Judy Lee’s offers upscale dresses in an array of colors, including

many of the more off-the-beaten-track shades. The shop is ideally

suited for the outdoor Fashion Island, Lee said.

“I like outdoor malls,” Lee said. “It’s a pleasant place where

people can hang out and have a good day.”

TO HANDLE THE HUNGER

The shopping center is also retooling the food court area at

Island Terrace. In early June, the center will unveil a new eating

patio that will bring a Red Robin and Wahoo’s Fish Taco to replace

Mardi’s, Tacos & Co., Sbarro and Panda Express.

Mall managers declined to discuss lease rates.

Along with the new shops, Fashion Island is adding 20 colorful

murals and hand-painted images to public areas. On Friday, artists

hired by Duffy Fenton Art in Hawthorne were adding the final touches

to the murals, which are designed to resemble the “old world” signs

of 15th-century Italy.

“We’ve done milk wash to take down the brilliance [of the

colors],” said Bridget Duffy, from a perch in the air on a scissor

lift. “We wanted an aged look, to speed up Mother Nature.”

* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment, business and politics. He

may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

[email protected].