Centre tenants will miss Waterfront owner

Tenants at South Coast Home Furnishings Centre in Costa Mesa expressed sadness at the pending departure of shop owner Don Logan, who has announced plans to move out of the complex following a lengthy dispute with management.

Logan, who co-owns the Waterfront Furnishings boutique with his mother, Katherine Logan-Brown, said Thursday that he and his attorney had reached a settlement with the shopping center’s owners. The center served Logan with an eviction notice in November and planned to begin a jury trial this week, but the sides worked out a confidential agreement out of court.

Chris Louis, the president of the center’s management team, declined comment on the agreement Friday, but as word spread among tenants that Logan was moving out, a number of employees said they were sorry to lose him. Logan, who clashed with the center’s owners shortly after opening his store in August, started a merchants association to advertise for himself and other stores because he felt management was skimping on promotion.

“Don is a great person,” said J. M. Smaili, the owner of the White Orchid furniture store. “He’s very caring, and he spearheaded the campaign to get the landlord to pay attention to some of the issues at the center. The bottom line is, the center has not been marketed in an appropriate manner. Our businesses continue to suffer, and management has not come forward with any realistic plan to successfully market the center.”

Hilda Salcedo, a saleswoman at Salmo’s, also credited Logan for helping to galvanize the tenants while they struggled to attract customers.

“I’m sad to hear that he’s leaving,” she said. “He’s the one with the voice.”

Logan, who plans to move by the end of January and is considering reopening his shop in Solana Beach, said he hoped to still be a presence at South Coast Home Furnishings Centre by providing his exclusive products to other stores. Much of his inventory, he noted, comes from personal contacts he made over the years in Thailand.

“We’re the importer, we’re the warehouse and we’re the retail store,” Logan said. “So in the immediate future, we’re going to focus on polishing our wholesale business and continuing to allow the local consumers to enjoy the Waterfront brand.”

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at [email protected].