A welcome Lido shuffle
Once a somewhat typical tourist mishmash of shops and eateries on Newport Bay, Lido Marina Village has morphed into an eye-catching collection of trendy boutiques and tasty dining options (including Orange County’s first Nobu), with a restoration that keeps much of its historic look and feel.
With the renovation of the shopping, dining and office areas of the village basically complete, we decided to chat with the new look’s developers at DJM Capital Partners of San Jose. They are the folks who dreamed up two Huntington Beach shopping-dining-entertainment centers: turning a dead mall into the Bella Terra center and building from the ground up the Pacific City complex.
Stenn Parton, DJM’s director for acquisitions and development, discussed the thinking that went into renovating Lido Marina Village. The 31-year-old Santa Barbara native is a graduate of USC’s Price School of Public Policy and lives in Venice with his wife and 2-year-old daughter.
Coast: If the shopping center is dead, why bet on Lido Marina Village?
Stenn Parton: Retail of the past is dead; the future of retail is bright. We think the future of retail is about experiences – unique, one-of-a-kind, memorable and shareable experiences. Lido Marina Village represents exactly that.
Coast: So many trendy merchants. Who/what was DJM looking for?
SP: All our retail and restaurant partners are firsts to Orange County. We wanted to create an environment and offerings that our customer is more likely to find on the street than in a mall.
Coast: Why go old-school with the look and feel?
SP: A classic is always cool! It was originally built in the 1930s and 1940s as residences. We didn’t need to fabricate authenticity. We had it; our job was just to restore it to its original charm and character.
SEE: How DJM helped redefine the local mall
Coast: Who’s the architect? How’d you find them?
SP: Steven Jones and Amanda Malson of Better Shelter were our designers. My wife and I had been following his work; he has a great California casual style we loved. We first met at an open house he was flipping in Los Angeles. When we walked in, I saw some of my favorite surf photography on the walls. We started talking about surfing and realized we had mutual friends. Steve was the head of visual merchandising for Quiksilver for over 20 years. Coastal California architecture was in his DNA. We met with a bunch of architects on Lido, but Steve Jones was a natural fit.
Coast: Food is a growing part of all centers. Why?
SP: We need to eat every day, and people are eating out today more than ever. Offering interesting and unique food and restaurants is key in today’s retail world to drive consistent traffic to our centers. Food has become an anchor.
Coast: Certain mall operators have a certain repetitive style, but this village, Pacific City and Bella Terra are all very different.
SP: We believe the environment should reflect the personality and DNA of each community they reside. Each community is unique and we believe each project should be as well.
Coast: The old bank building … Wow! How did you do that ceiling?
SP: We were lucky. We didn’t do anything but choose to pull away 50 years of drop ceilings that hid that beautiful bow truss. We knew we would need a special partner for the space. When (women’s retailer) Elyse Walker was interested, it was a perfect fit!
Coast: Final, tough question: Where’s your favorite spot in the village?
SP: That’s like asking who’s your favorite kid! We feel blessed to get to work with all of our amazing retail and restaurant partners.
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