Coffee man Martin Diedrich, founder of Irvine-based Diedrich Coffee Inc., has re-emerged, across the street from his former chain, on Westcliff Drive in Newport Beach. There, Martin Diedrich has a new coffeehouse, K & #233;an Coffee.
The store, which opened the day after Christmas, has a roaster inside. You don’t see many of those in these parts. Martin Diedrich himself has been roasting the beans. He hopes to open more K & #233;an stores.
With its wooden furniture and brown tones, K & #233;an has a cozier feel than a Diedrich coffeehouse. On the menu: a Turkish latte topped with cardamom; Borgia, a mix of espresso, orange and chocolate flavors; and Napoli, an espresso drink with hazelnut and vanilla.
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Martin Diedrich, roaster: store opened day after Christmas |
Martin Diedrich, whose parents ran a coffee plantation in Guatemala, started Diedrich in 1983. He left the company in 2004.
Pearl Hunt
Eric Rautman and wife Erica Sueng Lim, owners of Anandia, a pearl store next to Newport Auto Center in Newport Beach, have jetted off to Asia to shop for South Sea and Tahitian pearls. They go to Asia a few times a year, in search of unique pearls. They also run a family wholesale business in Los Angeles. They return this week.
Store Openings
Luxury home theater designer Cavalti Home Entertainment has opened a store at The Bluffs in Newport Beach. Bacchus Secret Cellar Wine Shoppe & Bar, a wine shop and tasting bar, has opened at Quail Hill Village Center in Irvine. The store also serves some caviar and gourmet foods.
Eyeing 100
Santa Ana-based EZ Lube Inc. is looking to top 100 oil-change stores by the end of 2006. The company just opened its 70th shop in Mission Viejo. It also opened a training facility next to its corporate offices and signed a sponsorship deal with the Long Beach Grand Prix. Owners Mike Dobson and Rick Teasta founded EZ Lube in 1988. In 2004, EZ Lube launched its first major marketing campaign, taking a stab at Houston-based Jiffy Lube International Inc., which dominates the Southern California market.
Riding Retail Wave
Huntington Beach surfwear maker Quiksilver Inc. seems to have taken to retailing. In the company’s recent quarterly conference call with analysts, Marty Samuels, president of Quiksilver Americas, was glowing about sales at the company’s stores.
“Yes, we had a really strong quarter,” Samuels said for the three months ended Oct. 31. “And, yes, the margins are improving quarter over quarter. We had some tremendous performance in our top-end stores, especially Times Square and the Downtown Disney store. And we opened a new men’s store at South Coast Plaza here in Orange County, and it’s doing tremendously well. It had a great opening.”
Downloadable Doggy Tips
Muttropolis, the new luxury pet store at Fashion Island, is offering pawdcasts (a take on podcasts) on various pet care topics. They can be downloaded at store kiosks or online.
Chlo & #233; at South Coast
South Coast Plaza has another West Coast exclusive,Chlo & #233;, a women’s clothing store. The South Coast Plaza boutique is French Chlo & #233;’s second U.S. store. Brit Phoebe Philo designs for Chlo & #233;. Philo replaced Stella McCartney, who’s doing her own designing ventures. The clothes are known for their ruffles and lace.
L.A. Auto Show
The Los Angeles Auto Show started last week and runs through Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Among the Orange County participants: Irvine auto upstart Fisker Coachbuild LLC, which introduced its new ultra luxury Latigo and Tramonto at the show. The custom cars sell for about $200,000.
Locally, Irvine BMW and Shelly BMW are selling the cars. Newport Convertible Engineering Inc., which transforms luxury hardtops into convertibles, also plans to exhibit at the auto show.
New Lamborghini
Lamborghini OC will soon be selling a new Lamborghini, which was set to be unveiled last week. Italy’s Automobili Lamborghini Holding SPA recently debuted its latest model at a private party for dealers, customers and media at the Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills.
Honda, Toyota Most Researched
Irvine-based Kelley Blue Book named the Honda Accord the most researched vehicle for 2005. Toyota and Honda dominated the top 20 with consumers, according to the auto research company. Rounding out the top five: Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla and Ford Mustang.
The Mustang and the Ford Escape were the only Ford Motor Co. vehicles on the list. DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler 300 ranked No. 18. Chrysler’s Jeep Grand Cherokee was No. 19. Nissan, Acura, Infiniti, Mazda and BMW also were represented.
