Pacific City’s first stores get an optimistic greeting
Dozens of people at a time scouted the newly opened retail portion of the Pacific City development Thursday, despite construction still occurring throughout the Huntington Beach center.
Residents started casually touring the area at about 10 a.m. as crews were busy finishing installing the escalator, building wooden planters for several trees and working on retail spaces at the oceanfront site at Pacific Coast Highway and First Street.
Developer DJM Capital Partners, which owns the retail project, expected 14 businesses to open on the first day. However, only nine, including Saavy Naturals, The Wearhouse, West of Camden and Chico Hats, were ready Thursday morning.
The rest of the approximately 60 shops and restaurants are scheduled to open over the next two months.
Hugo and Debra Saavedra, co-creators of Saavy Naturals, a body-care business based in Chatsworth, were making finishing design touches to their Pacific City store. Debra was busy decorating a bathtub in the window with pastel-colored balls while Hugo was chatting with a customer.
“We’ve already had about 40 people stop by the store this morning,” Debra said. “10:45 a.m. was our first sale, and we got a picture with them.”
The Saavedras, who live in Granada Hills, said they are excited for the opportunity to have a store a stone’s throw from the beach, and they expect their business to thrive in Huntington.
“We didn’t do this on purpose, but I think the look and feel of our brand is in alignment with what they’re trying to do here at Pacific City,” Debra said. “We even have a beachy vibe in our brand, and some of our scents are exotic and tropical. I think people will really fall in love with us here.”
The Pacific City project was at a standstill for nearly a decade and was a 31-acre dirt lot for years due to developers coming in and dropping out. DJM took over the retail portion of the project in 2013 and has since partnered with developers R.D. Olson and UDR to complete the project.
Olson is building the eight-story, 250-room Paséa Hotel and UDR is constructing a 516-unit apartment complex.
Susan Welfringer, manager of the Huntington Beach Downtown Business Improvement District, toured the shopping area Thursday and said she thinks it will do great, citing its cozy and relaxing vibe.
“It’s a place that I want to stay for a while,” she said. “You wouldn’t just come for dinner and then leave. There’s other things to look at here. It’s leisurely and it feels like somewhere to hang out.”
Maureen Luttrell has lived in Huntington Beach for 51 years and said she is impressed with how DJM was able to take the stagnant dirt lot and turn it into something she believes is a good fit for the city.
“I like all the different textures and facades,” she said. “It’s much better than I anticipated.”
