CLIPBOARD : Home Furnishings Market

Home furnishings and appliances was a $300-million market in Orange County during the final quarter of 1989, the most recent period for which information is available. For the full year 1989, stores in the county sold more than a billion dollars’ worth of furnishings, the most on record. The more than 2,000 such outlets in the county averaged nearly a half-million dollars each in sales.

During the fourth quarter of 1989, though, there were signs of softening in the market. Nine cities suffered declines in such sales, compared to the final quarter of 1988, with the largest drop--29%-- occurring in Cypress. At the other end of the scale, San Clemente registered a 100% increase from the fourth quarter of 1988 to the comparable period last year.

Here’s a city-by-city fourth-quarter comparison:

4th Quarter 4th Quarter Percentage City 1988 * 1989 * Change Anaheim $45,537 $44,727 -2 Brea 2,818 2,929 +4 Buena Park 7,708 6,327 -18 Costa Mesa 21,934 24,057 +10 Cypress 1,793 1,280 -29 Dana Point N/A N/A -- Fountain Valley 8,054 7,797 -3 Fullerton 11,645 12,387 +6 Garden Grove 5,683 5,247 -8 Huntington Beach 28,998 35,880 +24 Irvine 5,506 7,226 +31 Laguna Beach 1,601 1,786 +12 Laguna Niguel N/A N/A -- La Habra 12,423 13,693 +10 La Palma N/A N/A -- Los Alamitos 479 444 -7 Mission Viejo N/A 10,576 -- Newport Beach 4,683 4,942 +6 Orange 21,172 24,664 +16 Placentia 1,120 1,094 -2 San Clemente 1,359 2,682 +100 San Juan Capistrano 728 961 +32 Santa Ana 33,204 30,884 -7 Seal Beach 498 583 +17 Stanton 441 493 +12 Tustin 10,487 14,543 +39 Villa Park N/A N/A -- Westminster 15,186 13,538 -11 Yorba Linda 784 1,063 +36 COUNTY TOTAL $288,862 $307,430 +6

* Amounts listed in thousands of dollars

N/A: Information not available

Note: County totals include unincorporated sales.

Source: State Board of Equalization