GREER WYLDER -- Best Buys

A holiday open house at Teacups & Tulips will take place from noon to

5 p.m. Sunday. Desserts, seasonal spicy cider and specialty teas will be

complimentary. Teacups & Tulips is filled with antiques and collectibles

in the rambling house that occupies 3,500 square feet, complete with two

tea rooms and 12 rooms of furnishings. There are items available for

every budget, including historical collector miniatures from Sheila’s,

chintz bone china from Herman Dodge and classic cake plates from L.E.

Smith Glass. Each room has its own uniquely decorated tree with ornament

and wreaths of every style represented from Victorian to whimsical. The

tearoom has traditional teas, a tea menu, award-winning scones, homemade

soups and breads all prepared in Teacups & Tulips kitchen. Tea is served

by reservation. It’s at 400 Westminster Ave. in Newport Beach.

Information: (949) 650-5223.

South Coast Plaza has opened a ton of new stores in the last year. The

latest stores and boutiques include:

* Pottery Barn -- The home furnishings store carries its complete line

of furniture, linens, bedding and accessories. The new location is more

than 16,000 square feet and encompasses two levels.

* El Portal -- This new store carries one of the largest and carefully

edited selections of travel, fashion and business accessories with

world-famous brands such as Coach, DKNY, Tumi, Hartmann and Samsonite.

* Tumi -- This company was founded in 1975 as an importer of leather

duffel bags, and is now a leading international brand of prestige

luggage, business cases and accessories. This location is Tumi’s first

free-standing boutique in Orange County.

New stores that are scheduled to open this month are:

* Dupuis -- This store will carry handcrafted, timeless home

furnishings and accessories from Central and South America. Its

furnishings can be found in some of the most exclusive homes in Mexico.

* Loro Piana -- This new apparel shop will carry Italian cashmere

fabrics, accessories and clothing for men and women. As a manufacturer,

this company supplied these fine products to stores around the world and

now Loro Piani has its first West Coast store.

* Tourneau Watch Gear -- After nearly a century of selling luxury

watches, Tourneau, America’s largest watch retailer, is now focusing on a

younger client with Tourneau Watch Gear. Watch Gear’s only Southern

California location will carry Fossil, Gucci, Movado, Raymond Weil,

Swatch and Tourneau.

* Laundry by Shelli Segal -- The designer carries a contemporary

collection of sportswear and dresses for women. The store is decorated

with a modern look with a 1960s chic retro feeling.

* Friends -- Geared toward teen and preteen girls age 7 to 18, the

clothes are mostly fashion forward, with styles ranging from jeans to

glamour.

* Louis Vuitton -- The new 5,500-square-foot location will carry an

expanded collection of Louis Vuitton merchandise, including the exclusive

and highly sought ready-to-wear and shoe collection. The store also will

have the full line of luggage, handbags and accessories.

Dating back to the ‘60s, there has been an unofficial, yet amazingly

reliable, Helen Grace Chocolates Jellybean Election Poll that has

accurately foretold the presidential elections. According to the latest

figures, the Jellybean Election Poll has George W. Bush in the lead with

a 2.2% margin over Al Gore since the last presidential debate.

The tradition started in 1960, before jelly beans were sold, and the

store used banana splits instead of jelly beans. And that method

predicted John F. Kennedy’s narrow victory over Richard Nixon. More

recently, the poll officially used jelly beans as its platform, and

amazingly foretold elections, including the 1980 Ronald Reagan victory

over Jimmy Carter, and the 1988 George Bush win over Michael Dukakis. To

participate in this poll, you can stop by Helen Grace’s store and get a

ballot by purchasing $5 or more of candies, and get a free half-pound bag

of jelly beans. Helen Grace Chocolates is in the Westcliff Shopping Plaza

on the corner of East 17th Street and Irvine Avenue in Newport Beach.

Information: (949) 631-8700.

Britt Ltd. has its latest fall/holiday collection available in the

Lido Marina Village. Fashion designer Britt has knits from Germany and

Italy that can be turned into wraps, ponchos and capes. The “After Five”

fabrics glitter and gleam and are part of her “one-of-a-kind” collections

for holiday parties. Britt also has her largest assortment of

accessories, jewelry, rings and shoes. Britt also offers custom orders.

Britt Ltd. is at 3442 Via Oporto, Suite 103 in Newport Beach.

Information: (949) 675-2174.

* BEST BUYS appears Thursdays and Saturdays. Send information to Greer

Wylder at 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627, or via fax at (949)

646-4170.