South Laguna welcomes a shorter trip to market
A retail void in South Laguna is now full.
For nearly six months, residents have battled traffic to get to other grocery stores in town or ventured outside city limits to buy special cuts of beef or hard-to-find vinegar.
But with Gelson’s opening its fifth Orange County location April 28, Laguna Beach’s grocery store inventory is again fully stocked.
“I’m happy we’re not market orphans anymore,” said Laguna Beach resident Jayne Berberian, one of about 300 customers waiting in line prior to the 9 a.m. opening at 30922 S. Coast Hwy.
The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce held a customary ribbon-cutting. Laguna Beach City Councilman Kelly Boyd and representatives from Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s offices attended.
Encinco-based Gelson’s opened in the spot previously occupied by Haggen Inc., whose stay in Laguna was short-lived.
Haggen shuttered last fall after less than a year. The Bellingham-Wash chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed 67 California stores.
Gelson’s path to opening in South Laguna, though, was not smooth.
The property manager opposed sales of the South Coast Highway store and another location in Carlsbad, alleging the transaction would break terms of a lease and that repayment costs were incorrect.
But a U.S. bankruptcy court judge approved the sale of the store as part of a $36-million agreement involving eight Haggen properties in California.
With the legal challenge behind them, Gelson’s brought on some Haggen staff and revamped the store, adding a salad bar with full-service deli, meat and seafood counters, as well as a carving station.
At the opening a whole turkey and slab of prime rib waited on a cutting board, while bowls of creative pasta salads, including a variety with fennel, artichokes and crispy prosciutto, sat behind glass display cases.
About 75% of the upscale store’s 80 to 100 employees worked at Haggen, Gelson’s President and CEO Rob McDougall said.
Customers in line April 28 said Haggen’s prices were too high for the quality.
Berberian, 76, was pleased she doesn’t have to traverse Coast Highway to get to Ralphs or the Pavilions in North Laguna.
“It was pick which traffic jam you want to go through,” Berberian said. “Ralphs is a good market, but doesn’t have the selection [of Gelson’s].”
Berberian likes the specialty grocer’s bakery and deli.
McDougall said chefs prepare all dishes on-site instead of receiving them from a centralized kitchen, giving it an advantage over some competitors.
The store has a coffee bar. Gelson’s would like to eventually add a wine bar.
Laguna resident Don Sheridan, 65, holding his reusable grocery bag, smiled when asked what he thought about Laguna’s new store.
“I’m happy the store opened again,” Sheridan said. “I live close, so this is convenient.”
Sheridan offered a word of advice for shoppers concerned about Gelson’s prices.
“They are charging you for the quality,” Sheridan said. “Buy the best, but less of it.”
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Twitter: @AldertonBryce
