A 1970 280 SE Mercedes-Benz from Orange County has become something of a celebrity for the automaker.
George and Luzstella Koschel put more than 1 million miles on the car and then sold it to Mercedes, which displayed the car at the 2005 North American International Auto show in Detroit earlier this year.
Mercedes has latched on to longtime owners such as the Koschels as a way to tout durability and promote the brand.
Fletcher Jones Motorcars in Newport Beach has begun promoting what it calls the High-Mile Club for longtime owners.
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Koschels and their Mercedes: more than a million miles on it |
Mercedes veterans are encouraged to go online, fill out an application and come into the dealership to get a free odometer reading. Once certified, the vehicle gets a grill ornament that recognizes one-quarter, one-half, three-quarter or 1 million miles. For $100, customers can get a “birth certificate” for their Mercedes, which comes bound in a black case.
Beach Cruisers
Tucked between luxury Bentleys, Ferraris, BMWs and other pricey cars on Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach is another kind of dealership.
Me and My EV sells and rents electric cars.
At first, it seems the cars,essentially golf carts,are a bit out of place.
But they’re a hit in coastal communities such as Emerald Bay and Balboa Island. Customers can decorate them with fancy wheels and snazzy paint, just like they can their favorite sport utility vehicle.
The carts go for upwards of $10,000.
Fashion Island News
Another Asian import is coming to OC, this time to Fashion Island. It’s cosmetic chain Thefaceshop from South Korea.
A few Asian retailers have come to the county, including two shops at The Lab, Arth, a hat shop, and Great Laundry, which sells T-shirts and Japanese toys.
The Fashion Island store is the first on the West Coast for Thefaceshop, which sells natural cosmetics.
Another is planned for New York with as many as 300 U.S. stores in the next few years.
Thefaceshop, a discount store in Asia, is popular with teens and young adults, according to regional news service Asia Pulse.
In other Fashion Island news, Yakety Yak, a wireless phone boutique, plans to open at the lower level in the Atrium. Yakety Yak Holdings Inc., started in Arizona in 1999 and now based in Newport Beach, has 20 stores with more on the way via franchise licenses. Yakety Yak hopes to open about five more stores in OC.
Marion Halfacre, owner of Traditional Jewelers in Fashion Island, was inducted into the National Jeweler Retailer Hall of Fame during an awards dinner in Manhattan.
The 6,000-square-foot Traditional Jewelers has been at Fashion Island since 1991. Halfacre opened his first store in 1975 in Mississippi. Traditional Jewelers also has a salon store at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel.
Porsche Store Redo
Like their auto inspiration, Porsche Design luxury men’s stores have seen sales stall. So the company is revamping its two U.S. stores, the one at South Coast Plaza and the other on Rodeo Drive, according to Women’s Wear Daily.
The redesign of the stores is expected to be finished in time for the holidays. The stores sell sunglasses, leather goods and smoking accessories. The revamped stores are set to carry an assortment of goods, including men’s shoes, jeans, luggage and belts.
The retailer also signed two leases in Dallas and New York.
Quiksilver Men’s
Quiksilver Inc. opened its first store for young men at South Coast Plaza next to its store for girls and young women, Roxy. Clive Wilkinson Architects of Los Angeles designed the men’s store. Quiksilver recently opened another flagship store in France.
Bits and Pieces:
Downtown Disney is set to be the home to the first Anne Geddes store. Geddes is an Australian photographer known best for her baby photographs. The 2,700-square-foot store is set to sell items from the Anne Geddes line, such as baby clothing, diaper and tote bags, coffee-table books, calendars and datebooks and a newly launched bedding line made in Italy Nordstrom recently opened the “Designer Shop,” which sells regularly priced designer fashions, next to the Nordstrom Rack at Metro Pointe in Costa Mesa Goodwill of Orange County opened a new store in South Brea. The 13,200-square-foot store accepts slightly used household items and clothing and sells them. Revenue from Goodwill stores goes to fund training and job placement programs.
