SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Merchants Complain of Lost Sales

Shopkeepers near the Franciscan Plaza shopping center being built near Mission San Juan Capistrano are complaining that their holiday business in particular has suffered because of the construction.

Although the merchants concede that the Plaza--which will include the five-screen, 999-seat Edwards Cinema tentatively scheduled to open Friday--will probably draw more customers to the 50 stores on streets around the mission, many said they lost money during the 16 months of construction.

The antique shops in an arcade at the brick Provincial Building just south of the plaza said they were the hardest hit.

“It’s virtually destroyed our business,” said Carol Haglund, owner of a shop specializing in antique paper products. “It’s (the developer) that is going to be the millionaire and me that’s going to be the pauper.”

“We’re not having any Christmas,” shop owner Rita Killingback said. “Christmas business now is less than it was on a Monday when things were normal.”

The arcade shop owners said the problems began last year when the sidewalks linking their building with the mission were ripped up and scaffolding was erected that obscured their storefronts. And even after Thanksgiving this year, portions of sidewalks were torn up for the installation of a traffic signal on the street leading to the main entrance of the train station and a large city parking lot.

“It’s been a major, major problem for everybody,” said Chris McLaughlin, owner of a jewelry store across the street from the plaza. “One day you’re supposed to be told what’s happening in the downtown, and the next day you’re surprised by a jackhammer tearing up the sidewalk in front of your store.”

Plaza developer Paul Farber said the inconveniences are side effects of building a large project on a small site and complying with city requirements to upgrade the sidewalks.

“We’re moving as quickly as we can,” Farber said. “In another week, the construction will all be brought inside, except for the landscaping.”

The shops and restaurants in the plaza are scheduled to open next month, Farber said. Whether the theater and four-level parking lot behind it will open Friday depends on whether they get a final inspection clearance from city and Fire Department officials. The chances for that are good, however, said Jeff Parker, assistant to the city manager.

Mike Darnold, for 20 years the proprietor of the El Peon gift shop near the mission, was one of those who are not complaining. Store profits this year are up 12%, he said.

“The parking has always been bad,” Darnold said, adding, “the structure at Franciscan Plaza is only going to help us. It’s like getting a liver transplant or a vitamin shot. It’s a booster.”

David Swerdlin, who has owned a photography studio near the mission for 10 years, said tourist business resulting from the mission has slacked off since the 1970s, and he has hopes for the new business the theaters may bring.

“Ten years ago, this town used to be a nice little oasis halfway to San Diego,” Swerdlin said. “Now it’s lost in a forest of buildings on the freeway, and the mission is not that big of a draw. The theaters are a nice start to bring in residents.”