Anaheim GardenWalk, the three-level, 440,000-square-foot outdoor shopping and entertainment center in Anaheim, is getting set for its grand opening with an invite-only charity event next month.
The band Chicago is set to play with proceeds donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Plans for the public grand opening celebration still are in the works. GardenWalk officials say they want it to have a local flair,with music from local high school and college bands. No face painters or clowns.
When the center holds its grand opening, about 60% of the stores are set to be open. A couple of hotels are expected to be added later. No names have been announced, but Walt Disney Co. is likely to run them.
GardenWalk has 80% of its leases signed. Some of the stores already open or set to open include Hollister, White House Black Market, Chico’s, Ann Taylor Loft, George Yu, Kay Jewelers, 24 Hour Fitness, 300 Anaheim, an upscale bowling alley, Cinemapolis, a 14-screen theater, and Pop the Cork, a wine bar owned by Anaheim City Council- woman Lucille Kring.
Given GardenWalk’s proximity to South Coast Plaza, there are radius restrictions for some retailers.
“There are some stores we couldn’t get,” said Bruce Stone, principal of Excel Realty Holdings LLC, which is developing the project.
Six restaurants have opened. They include Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., California Pizza Kitchen and Cheesecake Factory. There eventually will be nine sit-down restaurants.
Officials expect to draw tourists, conventioneers and locals. Residents are packing the restaurants in the evenings.
The wide range of possible customers made it difficult to plan the tenant mix, Stone said.
“We had to appeal to everybody,” he said.
The hope for GardenWalk is that it will be an attraction and a gathering spot because of its five lush, themed gardens, four of which have water elements. Each of the gardens, amid the stores and restaurants, has unique lighting and music. Five arbors cross the property and between the arbors, lights mimic the constellations.
“We tried to come up with an alternative for people in the area who don’t want to do Disneyland or want to do something else,” Stone said.
More people are coming to the area for longer periods of time and have an extra day or two to do something else, according to Stone.
“We’ve worked very closely with the convention and visitor’s authority,” he said.
Each garden has places to sit or walk and take photos.
The rock garden is Zen-like. Water shoots down a granite wall into a small pond. Two bronze sculptures of Kate and Ella, Katella Avenue’s namesake, are in the rock garden.
The rock garden leads to the terrace garden, a smaller garden with fountains.
Off Katella Avenue is the wonder garden with a long sheeting water feature. The garden gate garden marks the entrance off Disney Way. It has “The Greeters” bronze statues.
The gala garden is near the movie theater and is the largest garden and also can host events.
WineStyles’ Second Location
WineStyles, a national wine store and tasting center, has opened another location in Orange County at the Orchard Hills Village Center in Irvine.
The Irvine location is its second in the city. Christine Du Vall is the owner of that store.
WineStyles also has stores in Brea, Costa Mesa and Lake Forest.
Store Openings
Children’s clothing store Peek Aren’t You Curious has opened its first OC store in the former Ritz Camera location at Fashion Island.
Owners Amy Hennisch and Tina Canales are former executives for Lucky Brand Jeans and the Gap Inc.
During her tenure at Lucky, Hennisch oversaw 128 stores. Canales was a Gap vice president. Peek has a handful of stores in California.
Meanwhile, AG Adriano Goldschmied, a jeans store, has opened at South Coast Plaza. The store offers custom tailoring and a coffee bar.
Boost in Used Car Sales?
This year might be one that auto dealers look to boost used car sales. As the economy gets tougher and people are unemployed or underemployed, OC auto dealers might want to increase used car sales this year, says Jay Prassel, president of Premier Performance Group.
The company, based in Barrington, Ill., with an office in Corona del Mar, teaches dealers how to make the most of lease trade-ins and used autos. Dealers can boost used car sales with better inventory management, he said.
That means having the right amount of autos on the lot and the right inventory,having cars in stock that sell well,and turning that stock 12 times a year.
“There are dealers doing it,” Prassel said.
Still, used car sales could be tricky this year because of tighter credit, he said. The bulk of the loans for used autos last year were of the subprime variety, he said.
