No sign of panic at the stores -- yet

Marisa O’Neil

With temperatures hovering in the 70s, a blue sky made even bluer by

a stiff Santa Ana breeze, the gleaming Pacific Ocean in view and

hot-pink resort wear for sale, you’d hardly think there were only two

shopping days until Christmas.

Crystal Cove Promenade on Coast Highway in Newport Coast --

hosting both national chains and independent boutiques -- had its

share of last-minute shoppers Thursday morning. But the manic hustle

and bustle and the mad rush to buy Christmas gifts was distinctly

absent.

“I was shocked,” Corona del Mar resident Mira Stein said. “I

pulled in and was surprised there was parking.”

Traffic crawled all over the rest of town as shoppers flocked to

the malls.

Parking vultures even circled the parking lot at the Lab

Anti-Mall, hunting for spots to leave their cars just long enough to

buy that perfect gift.

But the lot at the scenic Crystal Cove shopping center had a

number of empty parking stalls and a laid-back, Southern California

air prevailed.

People sat in the sun, sipping lattes and eating posh sandwiches.

Power shopping takes some sustenance, after all.

Stein, who’s “Scrooge” T-shirt belied her cheerful demeanor, was

out searching for the last gifts on her shopping list.

Her children, ranging in age from 1 to 21, asked Santa for

everything from iPods to snowboards.

Not that they’re necessarily getting any of those things, she

added.

“I’m about halfway done,” she said of her shopping. “But I can’t

seem to not buy things for myself.”

Many of the last-minute shoppers are men, seeking gifts for the

women in their lives, said Julie Lehman of clothing boutique Pink

Wasabi.

Luckily for them, the store keeps sizes of regular customers on

file for just such shopping emergencies, she said.

One of the hottest sellers are colorful flip-flops encrusted with

real Swarovski crystals, at $115 a pop, employee Becky Conway said.

The store’s bright, Palm Beach-style resort wear is also popular

with people headed to places like Hawaii for the holidays, she said.

Not that they need to leave town, what with such nice weather

right here.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at [email protected].