Paul Frank to Open Store at South Coast Plaza
Designer Paul Frank is preparing to open a boutique at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., as early as summer 2003. This is Frank’s first foray into shopping malls.
The 1,500-square-foot store will be located in the Crate & Barrel/Macy’s Home Store wing and will offer apparel and accessories for young men and women, including sleepwear, swimwear, watches and eyewear. The store’s deacute;cor will feature brightly colored murals of Paul Frank’s funloving animal characters, including Julius the Monkey, as well as collectibles and custom- designed fixtures.
The eccentric designer said he wants to create a world of fantasy for his customers.
“I’d like to do for my stores what Walt Disney did for Disneyland,” said Frank, whose Paul Frank Industries is headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif. “I’d like to create an environment where people can get away from the rest of the world and just shop.”
The designer currently has flagship stores in Costa Mesa, Calif., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, New York, Tokyo and London. Another store is opening in Chicago this month. Specialty retailers such as Kitson in Los Angeles, Colette in Paris and Harrods in London sell Frank’s apparel and accessories. Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s West, Urban Outfitters and Pacific Sunwear also sell the collection.
The Paul Frank store is one of several new South Coast Plaza retailers. Other retailers that have opened stores at the center include Mimi Maternity, Kiehl’s, Eileen Fisher and Roberto Cavalli.
“We pride ourselves on having positioned South Coast Plaza as Southern California’s premier shopping destination, offering an unmatched variety of unique retailers,” said Debra Downing, executive director of marketing for the upscale shopping mall. “These newest additions, many exclusive to the West Coast and Orange County, complement our already impressive list of unique and exclusive fashion, accessory and gift boutiques.” —Claudia Figueroa
