BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:

Katherine Logan-Brown tries to avoid selling merchandise made in China — unless it’s the really expensive kind.

The co-owner of Waterfront Furnishings, one of the three dozen outlets in the new South Coast Home Furnishings Centre on Hyland Avenue, imports her furniture directly from exclusive manufacturers in Thailand. Unlike many business owners, she doesn’t rely on products built cheaply in Chinese factories, but her store does feature some prominent items from other parts of the country. In glass cases around the wall of Waterfront Furnishings are reproductions of a copper blade, a ceremonial sword and other antiques.

“Our customers are people who have traveled, people who are well-read and well-educated and know good quality,” said Logan-Brown, who co-owns the store with her son, Don Logan. “Because we import directly from manufacturers, we keep our prices low, and our customers are people who can appreciate getting high quality at a low price.”

The South Coast Home Furnishings Centre, which began opening in increments a year ago and had its grand opening Nov. 17, offers furniture and decorations to accommodate all tastes. In addition to Wickes, La-Z-Boy and other common chains, the shopping center contains a “designer promenade” consisting of Waterfront and other high-end specialty stores.

Birtcher Development and Investments, an Irvine-based firm, laid the groundwork for the furnishings center last year when it opened Wickes the day after Thanksgiving. Other tenants moved in over the coming months, with the bulk setting up shop this summer. In August, Birtcher sold the property to an outside buyer, known as South Coast Home Furnishings Center LLC, for more than $100 million.

Retailers at the center, many of whom had moved out of regular malls or shopping centers, said they were waiting to see how their businesses would fare in an all-furniture location.

“It’s a unique concept for retail to some degree,” said Tom Wesley, a salesman at Munro’s Fine Furniture. “We’re still in that look-and-see mode, so it’s hard to tell. It usually takes a year and a half till you have a grasp.”

Gary Lozonne, the assistant manager at Wickes, said it was tough sometimes to lure buyers from the competition close by, but added that it might help his business in the long run.

“It’s a daily thing,” he said. “You’ve got to make sure what everybody else is offering so you can stay in the game.”

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at michael.miller@latimes.com.