David Orgell Closes South Coast Store
David Orgell--the classy crystal, china and silver retailer--has quietly but abruptly closed its South Coast Plaza store.
The 4,500-square-foot store, whose parent company last month filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, closed in the midst of the holiday shopping season, much to the surprise of loyal customers.
With the demise of the Costa Mesa location, David Orgell, considered an upscale retailer, has only one remaining store--the flagship on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
The closure about two weeks ago came as no surprise to those in the retail industry since the company filed for protection from creditors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles.
The company was the creation of prominent Beverly Hills jeweler and businessman David Orgell, who died in September, 1987. Since then, the chain has been headed by his son, Peter Orgell, who declined comment Monday.
The Los Angeles law firm handling the bankruptcy filing could not be reached for comment.
In its heyday, David Orgell had stores not only in Beverly Hills and Costa Mesa, but also Northridge, Sherman Oaks, and at Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles. The South Coast Plaza store opened about 10 years ago.
Word of the chain’s financial problems surfaced some time ago among retailers. Once one of the top places in Beverly Hills for luxurious wedding gifts, the company more recently has been featuring lower priced knickknacks in its advertisements.
South Coast Plaza spokeswoman Maura Eggan declined comment on the closure and said she does not know who will occupy the now boarded-up site. David Orgell was in a highly desirable location, next to Ann Taylor and near Gucci, between the Jewel and Carousel courts on the mall’s second level.
