Outlet Center in Camarillo Growing by 8 New Stores

Leading designer store owners were scrambling Thursday to stock last-minute merchandise and set up shop at the Camarillo Premium Outlet Center, where eight new stores will open this weekend--just in time for Labor Day shoppers.

Sales clerks and managers at Versace, Liz Claiborne, Totes, Media Merchant, We’re Entertainment, Claire’s Accessories, Naturalizer and Vitamin World worked around the clock preparing for the weekend opening.

“Any holiday weekend brings in lots of traffic,” said Mike Knox, general manager of Media Merchant.

But why would big-name stores make Camarillo their new home?

“We’ll do excellent in this area. People come here who like to shop and who have money. It’s a good mix.”

Chris Dumon, general manager of Versace, says it’s because the Camarillo Premium Outlet center is unlike other outlets--the merchandise is all top quality.

“We have all first-run Versace’s here,” Dumont said. “You can walk into any place in the world and say ‘Versace’ and they’ll know who you are talking about.”

And because the Versace name is recognized throughout the world, Dumont says his sales clerks are fluent in one--if not more--foreign languages.

“Our name is huge in Europe and Asia and when they hear we’re in Camarillo, we’ll need people to communicate with them in an effective manner,” he said.

Earlier this month, 13 other new tenants signed on, including London Fog, Calvin Klein, J. Peterman and Cole Haan. Most hope to move in merchandise throughout October and November--in time to set up shop before the holiday season.

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A few years ago no one thought of Camarillo as a place to shop, but now about half of the outlet’s shoppers regularly drive from Santa Barbara and Los Angeles to the quiet Ventura County bedroom community of 60,000 people.

“While we’re very pleased to have become a shopping resource for the local community, our dual objective is to become a viable regional shopping district so that people from L.A. think nothing of popping up the 101,” said Michele Rothstein, vice president of marketing for Chelsea GCA Realty Inc., one of the most successful upscale-outlet developers in an industry that has a checkered track record.

The company owns 19 other centers, nine of them in California. It opened its first outlet village in 1981 in New Jersey.

“We pioneered this village concept of these nice centers being marketed as a destination and an attraction,” Rothstein said. “We always knew we were doing something different, but never called it anything until a year ago when we trademarked ‘Premium Outlet Center.’ ”

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When the center opened in February 1995, the 150,000-square-foot site contained 46 stores. By January, the center will be larger than 400,000 square feet and house more than 120 stores.

The opening of this second phase, to be called the Fashion Court, increases the shopping center to about 100 stores, all of which boast leading designer and name-brand merchandise at savings of 25% to 65%.

It will also increase sales tax revenue for Camarillo. The city’s finance director, Anita Bingham, is expecting about $352,000 more in sales tax revenue from the outlet center during this fiscal year than it received last year.

Since the outlet center opened, it has generated far more sales tax revenue than anticipated--sales tax for one year reached $478,000 as of Sept. 30, 1996, when the outlet center had 60 stores operating.

This winter’s holiday season should bring the total sales tax revenue of the center to $830,000, Bingham said.

More stores at the outlet center means more sales tax. More sales tax means more money in the city’s general fund, which means more police personnel and accelerated capital improvement programs.

Although several other fees and taxes contribute to the general fund, such as vehicle code fines, building permits and business license taxes, the largest contributor is sales tax at about 36%.

Since 1995, the city has been able to hire seven additional full-time police personnel, bringing the total to 49 employees, a 17% increase, Bingham said.

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Throughout the past year, several capital improvement projects have been paid for through the general fund, including street maintenance, the widening of Mission Oaks Boulevard, Las Posas Road improvements and the new Mission Oaks bridge, now under construction. It will also fund a new interchange north of the airport, between Las Posas Road and Central Avenue.

“Those are the primary projects that the general fund will be putting money into,” said Dan Greely, the city’s director of engineering services. “The sales tax helps the general fund to be healthy so it can assist these and other capital projects. So, there is a direct connection.”

Despite some complaints, the Camarillo Premium Outlet Center does not seem to be taking business from either of its neighbors--the city’s Old Town merchants and the Oxnard Factory Outlet.

“Most of the stores are not in direct competition with previously existing merchants,” said Carol Nordahl, Camarillo Chamber of Commerce executive director.

“The outlet center tailors their advertising in a different fashion and offers a product line a little bit different from the rest,” Nordahl said. “In fact, it’s actually bringing more shoppers to the area.”

The Camarillo Premium Outlet center is apparently bringing more shoppers to Oxnard as well.

“People are willing to drive further when they know there’s a density of outlet shops,” said Peggy Wimberley, general manager of the 35-store Oxnard Factory Outlet that opened in June 1994.

“It hasn’t affected either our traffic or our sales,” Wimberley said. “People are definitely checking out the new shops, but our sales have stayed consistent.

“We draw an entirely different customer. We’re a mid-range center. People who will spend $600 on a sweater will shop in Camarillo, whereas people who are going to spend $40 or $50 will shop here.”