EVocal, a boutique and art gallery, opened on West 19th Street in Costa Mesa.
The store sells pricey T-shirts and hats designed by artists, handmade jewelry, CDs by independent musicians and other goodies. The store also hosts art and music shows.
Just as interesting is the location, on a street where you can get authentic Mexican food and groceries, Latin musica and “divorcios.”
That’s the point, said Brett Walker, owner of eVocal.
“We like that people have to seek us out,” he said.
Walker could’ve opened his store nearby on trendy 17th Street or at The Lab on Bristol Street. But he said that wasn’t the image he’s shooting for. He said he doesn’t expect eVocal to be one of the only funky stores on West 19th for long.
There’s a “movement” by local businesses on West 19th to turn the street into a hip shopping district, something like East 4th Street in Long Beach, with coffee houses, antique stores, art shops and boutiques. Some of the West 19th Street businesses leading the charge include Detroit Bar, Avalon Bar, Ubiquity Records and Mesa Art.
The city, which calls the street 19 West after sprucing up the area, seems supportive.
“We’ve been lucky on that end,” Walker said.
Look for more on West 19th in an upcoming Business Journal story.
Walker said he wants to put designs by artists, such as Laguna Beach’s Jesse Miller and Anaheim’s Anthony Uranga, on T-shirts and hats.
He said he’s hoping to draw the younger, hipper and wealthier OC crowd,folks who’ll gladly spend $65 to $100 on one-of-a-kind T-shirts. “Entry level” tees go for $28.
Sheva Chuck, Walker’s wife, runs the store and sells her jewelry and hand-stitched shirts there.
Walker hopes to package and brand artists through events at the store. He might introduce a line of tees with a meet and greet with the artist, along with food and a local band, he said.
The store lends itself to events because it’s large. Out the back door, there is a patio with a waterfall, and an even bigger space beyond that for bands or exhibits. There is no restriction on live music in the area, Walker said.
His mom, Beverly Walker, heads up eVocal Living, which is the home furnishings aspect of the business. The furniture in the store is custom made. Rob Mahalick, a Costa Mesa furniture maker, designed the couch, which uses a black spotted type of construction wood.
EVocal is an offshoot of Walker’s design business, Diverse Productions, about 15 blocks away. Diverse Productions has done design work for Nike Inc.’s Converse, Mossimo Inc. and others.
Originally from South Africa, Walker came to the U.S. 10 years ago at age 21 with MCD, part of surfwear designer Gotcha, itself now part of Perry Ellis International Inc. He called it a chance of a lifetime.
Big Fabric
Hudson, Ohio-based Jo-Ann Stores Inc. plans to open one of its fabrics and crafts superstores in Irvine early in August. The 35,770-square-foot store on Barranca Parkway in Von Karman Plaza is one of 164 Jo-Ann superstores, which the company says generates nearly four times the $1.6 million in net sales of a traditional 14,000-square-foot store. They account for 40% of the company’s sales.
The store is set to employ six full-time workers and 50 part timers. It is one of 25 superstores set to open across the nation this year.
This Is How I Rolls
Never mind the Mercedes S class or the BMW 760. They’re a mere $80,000 to $100,000.
If you’ve got more money than you can count, you probably have your eye on a Maybach 57 or a Rolls-Royce Phantom. The Phantom is the only model available since Rolls re-launched in 2003.
Both sell for about $350,000. They’re super luxurious. The top of the line. The next best thing to a jet. Both do well in OC.
The only other car that rivals the Maybach and the Rolls in terms of prestige is the Bentley Arnage, bargain priced at about $221,000.
As you may have guessed, Fletcher Jones Motor Cars in Newport Beach sells the most Maybachs. It sells on average two per month, according to general manager Garth Blumenthal. Last month it sold five. This year so far, it’s sold 18.
Bob Austin, spokesman for BMW AG’s Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA LLC,a 13-person operation based in Woodcliff, N.J. ,said Southern California is the No. 1 market, followed by South Florida and New York. It doesn’t disclose dealership sales numbers.
Newport European on Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach sells Rolls-Royce. But it isn’t the No. 1 dealer. The biggest seller of Rolls in the world is Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Beverly Hills, Austin said. This year, Rolls-Royce will outsell Maybach three to one, Austin said. Look for more on super luxury auto sales in an upcoming story in the Business Journal’s yearly “OC Wealthiest” special report.
