35 and counting

Christine Carrillo

It was Sept. 9, 1967 and, as Richard Marowitz remembers, the

“Flight to Fashion Island” gala was one of the finest parties in

Newport Beach history. More than 18,000 people filled the center

listening to the live big-band sounds that echoed throughout the

909,000-square-foot property, creating a heightened excitement among

business owners that were scheduled to open their shops the following

day.

Having to pay no more than a $5 entrance fee, people throughout

Orange County gathered together for the black-tie event and enjoyed

the festivities, reveling in the anticipation of an open-air retail

mall that included four department stores, 52 specialty shops and two

restaurants.

“It was absolutely the most incredible center when it first

opened,” said Marowitz, whose store, Newport Children’s Bootery, was

one of the original tenants when the center first opened. “It was a

place to really doll up and show off.”

And with an emphasis on individually owned and specialty shops,

Fashion Island established its signature appeal within Orange County.

“We have a very popular and active specialty retail program ...

that adds an interesting selection to our product mix but also adds

to the atmosphere,” said Tanya Thomas, vice president and general

manager of Fashion Island. “It’s always evolving and it’s an ongoing

program that changes with the seasons and the trends.”

The program even evolves with each year but has managed to hang on

to that specialty cornerstone that has helped the center keep its

charm alive.

“We have a very traditional environment and a very Old World

environment,” Thomas said. “It’s a premiere retail center and ...

it’s such a very important part of the community.”

And as a part of the community, it has provided residents of the

Newport-Mesa area with a variety of memories over the last 35 years.

“I happen to have roots in that center that I don’t think many

people can talk about,” said Steven Marowitz, who purchased the

children’s shoe store from his father, Richard, 12 years ago. “It was

my place to ride my bike and get away when I was a kid and I hope it

maintains its history.”

Since then, the center has expanded to include more than 200

specialty shops, an array of both casual and fine dinning restaurants

and a seven-screen movie theater, all increasing its square footage

to the current 1.3 million.

“It’s not just a place to shop, it’s a place to go,” said Richard

Marowitz, who founded the Fashion Island Merchants’ Assn. and the

Newport Center Assn. “What it does is it allows people to stay for

longer periods of time, which is very critical.”

The center has undergone many changes during its 35 years, with

one of the major renovations occurring in the late 1980s when it

underwent a $175-million face-lift and expansion. As architects

leaned toward creating a new design that would evoke an Old World

look and feel similar to that of a European village, they included in

their expansion two fountains, “Iris Fountain” and “Pop Jet,” which

have today become a constant playground for children. The expansion

also encompassed an additional 70,000 square feet of retail space for

60 new stores and a seven-screen Edwards Cinema, eight outdoor kiosks

and a 1,300-space parking structure.

But, of course, the expansions and renovations didn’t stop there,

and the open-air center that had once focused on retail took on a

much larger focus, providing visitors and customers with an array of

experiences.

With signature events like the six-week concert series, the

holiday program with the annual lighting of the Christmas tree

ceremony, Project Playhouse and the Spring event, which is still in

the development stages, visitors can go to the center for much more

than the various retail items that can’t be found anywhere else in

Orange County, and in some cases even outside it.

But the different events are just one of the growing appeals of

the center. The other is its premiere dining locations.

“We knew it was going to be exactly the right real-estate for us,”

said Randy Schoch, the owner of Roy’s Pacific Rim Cuisine, which

opened at Fashion Island three years ago. “It has just about the

perfect mix of retail and restaurants.”

Out of the 28 Roy’s locations nationwide, the Fashion Island

location has proven to be the most successful, Schoch said. As a

result, he is scheduled to open a second restaurant, Thaifoon: A

Taste of Asia, at the center on Nov. 1.

In addition to the restaurant opening, Neiman Marcus, the only

store of its chain in Orange County, is also undergoing a renovation

and expansion of 33,000 square feet on its third level that will be

completed in 2003.

Today, Fashion Island welcomes about 14-million visitors annually

and bears more than 1,300 terra cotta tiles decorated by local

children gracing paseos throughout the center and reflecting its

local appeal.

“Fashion Island is truly a unique place,” Thomas said. “It’s much

more than a shopping center; it’s much more of a town center.”