Focus On Business

 

Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce Meetings & Events

NETWORKERS LEADS GROUP
Luncheon
Wednesdays - 11:45 am
Costa Mesa Country Club
$14.00 Reservations not necessary

90-MINUTE BREAKFAST BOOST
3rd Thursdays 7:15 am
Costa Mesa Country Club
$13.00 Reservations - $18.00 at door

AFTER HOURS BUSINESS MIXER
4th Wednesday 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Locations Vary
Chamber Office 714-885-9090

Orange County's Largest Mixer


With just 9 weeks to Orange County’s best attended business networking event, make one of your first quarter goals to introduce your company to over 3000 potential business leads at Orange County’s Largest Mixer V.

March 13, 2008 at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center. Last year the, the combined networking power of 25 Orange County Chambers of Commerce and business organizations brought in a record 2000 local business people making it the largest networking event of its kind in Orange County.

Showcase your business with exhibit booth space. The standard tabletop package includes:  

  • 6-foot table, two chairs and black tablecloth 
  • Exhibitor admission for two
  • Listing in our Business Referral Directory (circ. 2500)
  • Link from www.ocmixer.com to your website
  • Invitation to the VIP kick-off event to be held in February
  • Mailing list of event attendees

Please visit www.largestmixer.com to download a tabletop application. Should you have any questions, please contact Dave Linden at 949-222-6600.

 

Costa Mesa Retailers and Restaurants Contribute Significantly to City's Coffers

Sales tax revenue for 2006 accounted for slightly less than half the general fund for the budget coming it at a whopping $45.1 million. Because Orange County is a donor county and most of our property tax revenue does not come back to us, we depend largely on sales tax revenue to fund our budget. As the holiday season approaches, Costa Mesa retailers will be doing their part to contribute to the betterment of our community. Costa Mesa offers great shopping opportunities. With over $1.1 billion in annual sales, South Coast Plaza has been trademarked as "The Ultimate Shopping Resort"(R), and is one of the largest revenue generators among U.S. shopping centers. With luxury stores like Versace, Bloomingdales, Tiffany & Co., Marni, Cartier, and others, South Coast Plaza is home to many famous brands of fashion and high end boutique stores. South Coast Plaza also offers much for the mainstream shopper as well with stores like Sports Chalet, Crate & Barrel, Sears, Macys, and the Gap.

Costa Mesa is home to lots of other types of shopping centers and retail districts.

The SoBeCa District Specialty retail projects, The LAB and The CAMP are located on South Bristol in Costa Mesa.  SoBeCa is an acronym for South On Bristol Entertainment, Culture and Arts. The SoBeCa District is the only progressive, lifestyle-culture, specialty retail shopping destination of its kind in Orange County reaching out to the community and surrounding neighborhood bringing together subcultures with common shared interests in fashion, arts and the outdoors.The owners are working to transform the entire area bordered by Randolph, Baker, and Bristol streets into a thriving sustainable green built community for artisians. For now, the Camp hosts snowboard and skate retail as well as adventure shops like Active and Adventure 16. It also hosts several cafes such as Native Foods, 118 Degrees, Old Vine Cafe, and now the hip club and restaurant Mesa. Take a Yoga class at Birkham Yoga or diving at Liburdi's Scuba, or purchase a new bike at Cycle Werks. The CAMP also hosts educational events, artists showcases, skate shows, and marketplaces periodically in its natural sustainable campground like setting. The LAB features hip alternative shops like Urban Outfitters, Arth, Great Laundry, and the ever popular consignment shop Buffalo Exchange. Get a hair cut or style at CREW salon, have lunch at Habana, Gypsy Den, or sushi at Zipangu, then head to the Artery to view the latest local artisian works. The ARTery is a series of steel shipping containers transformed into a walkthrough community art exhibition space. The ARTery is at the heart of the urban resurgence of Southern California. The ARTery is dedicated to supporting emerging artists through their exhibitions and installations. Each month The ARTery will present a Featured Artist in its main exhibition space that will last the duration of two weeks to one month. Also, local emerging artists and previous featured artists will display their artwork within The ARTery's supporting common areas. In addition to the show, each artist will be promoted through The Lab's collaborative efforts to further support the artisan community.

Just next door to the LAB is one of my favorite restaurant's Memphis. Memphis offers great food in a casual cozy ambiance. Try the meatloaf, or my favorite--Ahi Tacos. Memphis Café has received distinguished honors and top rankings from Los Angeles Times Magazine, OC Weekly, Zagat, Orange Coast Magazine, Riviera Magazine, The Orange County Register, AOL’s City Guide and many others. The owners are also working on the Westside of Costa Mesa to create a lively scene off 19th and Placentia. Check back for more information on their progress.

Also located in the heart of the westside is the skate and snowboarding equipment and apparel retail industry. Home to companies like Volcom, ABCBoards, RVCA Clothing, Vision, Arthouse, Hurley, and Cold as Ice, Costa Mesa westside culture welcomes this popular and growng industry and its creative employees. Volcom's third quarter report shows increased revenues by 49% to $91 million. Costa Mesa is lucky they are based here.

East 17th Street at the end of 55 Freeway hosts a great shopping district for everything from children's books to wine, to antiques, and lots of great cafes and restaurants like Santa Monica Seafood Company, Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant, Gauduno's, Plums, Rubys, Starbucks, and Avanti Cafe. East 17th Street is the host to Mother's Market and the17th Street Promende which features the Wine Store, Where's the Party, nail spas and interior design stores, and My First Page children's book store among others.

Directly across the street from Mother's Market is Hemphill's Rugs & Carpets. "This floor covering store has been featured in "Shopping Secrets of Southern California" and KCAL TV's Mendelson's Best Buys. According to their website, the store features over 70 name brands of carpet, hardwood floor and area rugs. They offer exclusive brands such as Ralph Lauren, Karastan, Fabrica, Glen Eden, Masland and Stanton. We then go a step further by offering products from boutique mills who offer exceptional quality and that are hard to find. These brands include Bellbridge, Carousel, Concepts International, Missoni, Schumacher, Woolshire, Earth Weave and more. Hemphill's Rugs & Carpets is also one of a very few authorized dealers of some hard to find rugs and custom carpet offerings. In addition, they offer specified and semi-custom wood floors including Richard Marshall Olde Boards along with specialized products such as cork flooring, woven vinyl and carpet tiles. Hemphill's Rugs & Carpets has the most complete selection of natural fibers anywhere. Sisal, cork, seagrass, abacca, raffia and wool. They specialize in natural sisal area rugs from Ralph Lauren, Merida Meridia, Fibreworks, Design Materials, Unique Carpets.

Great bargains can be found at the Orange County MarketPlace Orange County Fairgrounds on Saturdays and Sundays.

Check back periodically for updates on the Costa Mesa restaurant and retail scene!

Star-Vu Drive-In Opens In Costa Mesa

A 300-car theater opened last night in Costa Mesa at the OC Fairgrounds. My boys and I attended and really enjoyed this new Costa Mesa family outing. Don't worry, no clunky speakers to hang on your car door. Just tune your radio station in, eat some popcorn, and enjoy the movie. TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT ONLINE, SO VISIT http://www.star-vu.com/ BEFORE DRIVING TO THE THEATRE!

The Star-Vu, with its inflatable screen, represents a quirky new breed of outdoor cinema.