Out of Business From Recession in OC (Santa Ana, Anaheim: leases, home)

[missionhome]

Retail is obviously taking a big hit on a national scale throughout our country and right here in Orange County. Shopping centers are showing more and more vacancy as businesses close. The Mission Viejo Freeway Center for example has two big box leases with vacancies as Comp USA and Linens N Things are both gone. It is a similar story throughout the county. I am going to start with some of the OC retailers I know are gone, and you can reply with places you have seen go under as the economy gets worse.

Ann Taylor (Westfield MainPlace Santa Ana)
Berean Christian Stores (Fullerton)
Bombay (5 stores)
Busy Body Home Fitness (Tustin & Costa Mesa)
Carino’s Italian Grill (Orange & Lake Forest)
Circuit City (11 stores)
Club Libby Lu (Anaheim)
Demo (4 stores)
El Torito (Mission Viejo Kaleidoscope)
Hilo Hattie (Block at Orange)
It’s a Grind (Mission Viejo & Laguna Hills)
KB Toys (Westminster Mall)
Levitz (5 stores)
Linens N Things (Brea, Mission Viejo, Rancho SM, Costa Mesa, Orange, Tustin, Fullerton)
Longs Drugs (Fullerton)
Macaroni Grill (Costa Mesa)
Mervyns (13 stores in OC)
Plummers (Santa Ana)
Ron Jon’s Surf Shop (Block at Orange)
Sharper Image (Irvine Spectrum, Shops at MV, Mainplace, Fashion Island)
Shoe Pavillion (Tustin, Irvine, Lake Forest, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach)
Starbucks (10 stores)
Steve & Barry’s (2 stores)
SunCoast Motion Picture Company (Brea)
Virgin Megastore (Block at Orange)
West Coast Furniture (La Habra)
Whitehall Jewelers (Shops at MV, MainPlace, Westminister, and Brea Malls)
Wickes (2 stores)
Wilsons Leather (Brea)
USA Baby Child Space (San Juan Capistrano)

Family Nissan (Rancho Santa Margarita)
Urban Chrysler Jeep Dodge (Foothill Ranch of Lake Forest)
Douglas Hyundai of Irvine (Irvine) (Santa Ana location still open)
GMC Irvine (Irvine)
Saturn Irvine (Irvine)
Lamborghini OC (Santa Ana)
Saturn San Juan (San Juan Capistrano)
Phillips Buick, Pontiac (Laguna Hills)- (Phillips Mazda remains open)
Probably more...

[Fontucky]

I believe it was last year when the Boston Market in SJC shut down. Does last year count?

[antibes]

I feel so incredibly sad and devastated to see all this! I have close friends all over California. I am very worried about them. I left the U.S. four years ago, because I could see the development of things were going downhill and that the dollar would eventually collapse. No one believed in it. I was told the U.S. was basically "immortal" and nothing could ever happen. Trust me people, you are not immortal. Your economy is even worse than anyone in Washington admits to you! Your country is flat broke. Europe is a bit more stable particularly in the north with the socialized nations (Germany is holding up the euro; Merkel - a sensible woman of course - is handling things well for the country. The UK is doing extremely bad much due to excess business with the U.S.)

People, George W. Bush has sold you out. The man should be shot! He signed the free trade agreement with China, which killed about 80% of your own production, your jobs, your salaries. He also encouraged outsourcing of jobs, which added even more burden onto the population and put so many into unemployment or forced them to take poorly paid jobs that could not cover all bills. This is the core reason for the economy; the problems from the banking sector only has come afterwards.

If you look at anything you buy nowadays, you will find that 85% of everything in the U.S. are being made in China. No country can exist on this kind of trade exchange. The U.S. has lost all its trade and production to a third world country. Your jobs have been handed to someone who does the same work for $200 a month!

Don't believe the banks are the main cause for this whole mess. Its three things: 1) Free trade agreement, 2) outsourcing, 3) too much monies poured into the Iraq war, 4) banks

Whatever you do, demand that your government puts a plug on outsourcing and free trade ASAPS!

I'm devastated to see the U.S. in this condition. Just devastated.

[buckeyenative01]

I'm not sad to see Sharper Image go. Any place that thought they could get away with selling gold-plated kazoos for $16 in this economy is batsh*t insane.

[Sassberto]

many if not most of these companies has been in the tank for years.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

many if not most of these companies has been in the tank for years.

Yeah downturns mostly weed out the ones that needed to go anyway.

[hsw]

Agree, deep recessions are great for "cleansing" economy of weaker companies and workers...and upgrading to better, harder-working workers and better-managed employers...ultimately benefits the consumer of any goods or services...

Need to fire more government workers, arguably some of most overpaid, yet laziest/most inept employees in country...the best refuge for lazy/inept people to escape a deep recession

Suspect most US middle-income consumers were spending money they didn't really have on various junk from retailers...prob healthy for consumers to shop for stuff that offers better value/utility...and save more for retirement, kids' education and weak economies when job is esp at-risk

[buckeyenative01]

Hey now, government jobs are the only type of openings that I've found thus far in my quest to move from Phoenix back to LA/OC

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by missionhome

El Torito (Mission Viejo Kaleidoscope)

Wow, El Torito finally pulled out of Kaleidescope? I went there many a time back when I lived there. Is there anything left at the Kaleidescope now? I remember that gym used to change hands about once a month, as well as most of the restaurants there. About the only stable tenenats other than the theatre were Bristol Farms and Roccos Pizza.

[missionhome]

Originally Posted by Moose Whisperer

Wow, El Torito finally pulled out of Kaleidescope? I went there many a time back when I lived there. Is there anything left at the Kaleidescope now? I remember that gym used to change hands about once a month, as well as most of the restaurants there. About the only stable tenenats other than the theatre were Bristol Farms and Roccos Pizza.

Tenants still at the K-Scope: AT&T, Bristol Farms, Burke Williams Spa, C&C Pet Supply, Edwards Cinema, Ego Salon, Flame Broiler, Howie's Game Shack, Islands Restaurant, Jump n' Jammin, Laser Quest, Nine Star, Play N' Trade, Rocco's Pizzeria, Yogurtland.

Closed (in last year): Bally's Fitness (in the gym spot, gone for a while), Kaleidoscope Gallery, Kelly's Coffee and Fudge, Riptide Sushi Restaurant, Versachee Italian Restaurant, El Torito Grill, Color Me Mine.

Vacancies per Floor: Entertainment Level (8 of 15 spots), Plaza Level (7 of 14 spots), Market Level (1 of 3 spots).
Total Vacancies: 16 of the 32 spaces available for lease are no longer occupied.

Poor Kaleidoscope, the place has been doomed from the start.