Laura’s House of Treasures Thrift Store, which closed in San Clemente, has reopened in Lake Forest with an upscale bent and a new name, Portobello Road.
The store, which benefits Ladera Ranch-based Laura’s House, an emergency shelter for abused women, negotiated a creative lease for its 6,000-square-foot space.
Board member Daniel Sussman figured since there’s a lot of empty store space these days, Portobello Road might be able to lease at a discount until a landlord was able to find a tenant at the market rate.
Sussman, president of Seven4one Inc., a Laguna Beach hotel, said he was inspired by those pop-up Halloween stores.
Sussman first looked in San Clemente, where the store had been for 15 years. He broadened the search when that didn’t pan out.
He said he wasn’t sure he’d get any bites. But the landlord at Twin Peaks Plaza in Lake Forest was open to offering a discounted lease for the meantime.
“It was a little bit of a gamble on our part,” Sussman said.
The landlord has the right to pull the plug at any time, he said.
At first, Sussman figured Portobello Road might be able to stay for six months to a year. But given the state of the economy, he’s thinking the store might be able to stay for up to 18 months.
Portobello Road, named after a large flea market in London, sells high-end clothing, such as St. John suits, handbags, housewares and accessories.
“You’d never know it was a thrift shop,” Sussman said. “Ninety percent of what is donated doesn’t make it to the sales floor.”
Only the best of what’s donated is sold. The rest is given to other nonprofits.
Portobello Road also hired luxury retail veteran Paolo Scarfo as its general manager.
Scarfo worked for several boutiques, including Christian Dior on Fifth Avenue in New York.
Portobello Road, which had its grand opening this month, is targeting sales of $350,000 for this year. Next year, it’s aiming for $1 million. In its former location, the store generated $450,000 in annual sales, a good chunk of its $3 million budget.
Bridal Flagship
Jenny Lee Bridal LLC, a designer of wedding gowns and evening dresses, has opened a boutique at Crystal Cove Promenade in Newport Beach.
The store is Los Angeles designer Jenny Lee’s flagship. Lee has boutiques in Costa Rica, Toronto and Hong Kong.
Beauty Fundraiser
Newport Beach-based cosmetic chain Planet Beauty Inc. plans to host a “beauty night” at its Newport Beach store on Thursday, a fundraiser for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Kia Surge
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| Heidler: “Never seen sales like that before” |
Kia Depot in Santa Ana is seeing big gains in sales this year.
Sales started rising in February, said K.C. Heidler, executive vice president of Kia Depot and Suzuki Depot, which sits on about 3 acres on Grand Avenue in Santa Ana.
“We’ve never seen sales like that before,” Heidler said.
Kia Depot opened in 2007.
In March, the dealership sold 101 Kias, up from 16 a year earlier.
In May, it sold 193 Kias, including 50 to a fleet buyer, making it the No. 1 Kia dealer in the Western region that month and No. 2 nationally.
For the year through May, Kia Depot ranked No. 13 nationwide.
The dealership also is seeing buyers with good credit, according to Heidler. In May, the bulk of buyers had credit scores of more than 700.
Heidler attributes the bump in sales to a few things. The main reason is Kia is priced just right for a downturn. But Heidler said the Kia nameplate,part of South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co.,isn’t as frowned upon as it once was.
“The Korean product has really moved up,” he said.
Kia’s quality and safety now is comparable to Japanese autos, according to Heidler. Kia requires its dealers to visit South Korea headquarters periodically to keep up on the products and marketing, he said.
But it’s unclear whether Kia will be able to maintain the pace of sales once the auto market rebounds.
Irvine-based Kia Motors America Inc. is trying to gain market share now, he said. Some of the dealers with failed franchises are looking to convert their dealerships into Kia dealerships, according to Heidler.
Kia Depot also is pushing parts and service, Heidler said. Weak parts and service has been the downfall of many of the dealers that have had to close, he said.
“When sales are down, a good dealer can make up for it in parts and service,” Heidler said.
