At Home in South Coast Plaza

About 1,000 guests kicked in $30 each Wednesday evening to nosh and listen to music while ogling fine furnishings at the grand opening of Crate & Barrel’s new digs at South Coast Plaza. The event was a benefit for Friends of Mission San Juan Capistrano, a support group that raises funds for the historic mission.

While visitors supped at eight buffet bars and heard the music of two live bands, Crate & Barrel founder and CEO Gordon Segal called the new 42,000-square-foot emporium in Costa Mesa “a beautiful thing to behold.” He also announced that a percentage of November’s furniture sales at the store will go toward the mission’s educational programming. Crate & Barrel declined to disclose the percentage that would be donated.