Triangle Square advertises quietly

Lolita Harper

Three posters on the third level of the troubled Triangle Square

announce its new game plan to boost foot traffic: weekend community

activities.

The problems is, nobody is around to read them.

An afternoon walk on the upper level of Triangle Square is a

lonely one. The third level is nearly deserted, not only of patrons

but stores to patronize. Large white sheets of butcher paper line

most of the storefronts.

A handful of stores, including the popular Yard House, Nike Town

and the Gap, remain in the troubled center, which opened 11 years ago

in an effort to revitalize Costa Mesa’s downtown. For years,

officials have tried to give the center a new lease on life, even

though many businesses were canceling theirs.

That revitalization effort has picked up in recent months. Now

before city leaders is a planned condominium complex for 1901 Newport

Blvd. being touted as central to bringing life to the area. Other

talks about how to improve the downtown area and neighboring Westside

remain front-line issues for a number of city committees.

The center’s most recent attempts to attract customers are an

upcoming artist exhibit June 7 and a farmer’s market the second

Saturday of every month.

No news release was ever sent about the upcoming activities, and

repeated calls to Triangle Square Management for more information

went unreturned. Three messages left for center owner Kenny Won, at

CGM Management in Temple City, were not answered.

A recording on the general line for Triangle Square describes the

June 7 event as an “artist circle exhibit,” sponsored by center

retailer Color Me Mine. A cheerful female voice describes local

artist work on display and helpful demonstrations and techniques by

the professionals from the shop.

Color Me Mine owner Laurel Adamson, who bought the Costa Mesa

store not too long ago, said she wasn’t exactly sure of her role in

the event.

“I can’t understand why [CGM management has] not returned your

call,” Adamson said. “I haven’t finalized my plans yet, and as far as

the center is concerned, I know they are trying to bring people in.”

Adamson said her portion of the artist showcase will be mainly

painting demonstrations for children. Most likely, her staff will

teach children how to paint their own rendition of Vincent Van Gogh’s

“Starry Night.”

“It is a kid-oriented program, but the outcome is very

impressive,” Adamson said. “As far as what the rest of the center is

doing, I don’t know.”

EMPTY STORE FRONTS

While anchored by big-name stores Nike Town, Barnes & Noble and

Virgin Megastore, Triangle Square has struggled to retain tenants

since it opened in 1992. It has undergone numerous changes in

management and marketing staff.

Anchor store North Face did not renew its contract and left the

center. The 4,200-square-foot space it occupied in the building’s

basement remains vacant.

Residents have complained about poor parking, safety and bad

directional signs throughout the years. After years of failure,

public and private officials place the blame squarely on poor

management.

“Personally, I am not quite sure what is going down over there,”

said Planning Commissioner Bill Perkins, who has tried to remain

involved in the center’s revitalization. “I call down there and don’t

get return phone calls. I go down there, and they won’t meet with me.

I think there needs to be more cooperation from the management and

those interested in the community and the city.”

Perkins did not know about the farmer’s market or weekend events.

Gloria Zigner, a longtime public relations and marketing expert,

said she is not aware of the intricacies of the center’s marketing

strategies, but offered a few general suggestions.

“They need to get their tenants in sync, so that everybody is on

the same page and knows their individual challenge,” Zigner said.

Zigner recommended using the popularity of the Yard House as a

spring board for similar entertainment activities.

A LACK OF WORK

Permits for a restaurant and bar on the third level were pulled by

Won last year. City officials approved an alcohol license for Fugu,

to go into the space left by Sfuzzi. The same white paper that lines

the fronts of other empty stores covers that empty restaurant space,

and the Pilot could find no evidence of a work crew on site.

The status of the venue is unknown.

“I just thought it was taking an awfully long time,” said Perry

Valantine, Costa Mesa’s director of planning.

Regardless of other marketing strategies, Zigner said it is

crucial that management not shut out the community and its media.

Center officials need to repair their relationship with residents and

policy makers to make the center remotely successful.

“They need to lay their cards on the table,” Zigner said. “Service

is important, and they need to make them feel like a part of the

community.”

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and

covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or

by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.