With $8,000 in start-up capital provided by family and friends, Taryn Mitchell recently brought to fruition her childhood vision of entrepreneurship, opening a women’s clothing boutique in Laguna Beach.
Mitchell learned her trade on the job, working in a succession of clothing shops since she was a teen, progressing from the floor to managing and buying, most recently for Adrift, also in Laguna.
A year ago she learned her “dream spot” would become available in March 2011. The tiny orange tile cottage on Coast Highway she coveted was used as an office, its window shades always tightly drawn.
“Everyone like me wondered what was here,” said Mitchell, who redecorated the interior in crisp white and serene green, complementing an equally simple color palette in her spare inventory of 12 lines. “I don’t do the trend thing; it’s high-end timeless pieces,” she said.
Having collected emails from locals over the years, the self-named store did well immediately, but traffic has slowed in recent weeks, said Mitchell, who has high expectations about summer traffic.
“I’d be surprised if it wasn’t amazing,” she said.
Shauna Covington
Laguna Agent Tops Prudential Team
Prudential California Realty, Inc. announced that Shauna Covington remains their top revenue-producing agent in Laguna Beach, a distinction she has earned for the fifth consecutive year.
Covington, a 10-year Prudential agent, works with clients in Laguna Beach, Monarch Beach, Laguna Niguel, and Dana Point. A licensed real estate agent since 1988, she began her real estate career as sales manager for Covington Homes in Orange and San Diego counties. She set records for selling out communities before they were completed. “I became very good at visualizing floor plans, potential remodels and expansions. It’s a skill my clients appreciate today,” she said in a statement.
A peek inside the relocated Hillary boutique.
A Sample of East Coast Style
In relocating her kids boutique Hillary to Laguna Beach’s Ocean Avenue, store owner Wendy Estreicher likens the new location to New York’s Greenwich Village, albeit two blocks from the sea.
Nestled between other boutiques and cafés, Estrischer found a space with the same style as the children’s clothing lines she carries. The shop boasts high beam ceilings, distressed concrete floors and transom windows. The store carries what Estrischer describes as fashion-forward and sophisticated clothing, shoes and accessories lines that bring to Laguna a taste of Parisian and New York style.
Her lines include Little Marc Jacobs, Cordelia de Castellane, Saint James, Hartford, Stella Mc Cartney, Bensimon, and Bloch & Makie. “Many of the lines we carry cannot be found anywhere else in Orange County,” the owner said.
Estrischer relocated the shop from a previous location on Cliff Drive. She also offers personal shopping services, including one-on-one appointments and local delivery.
