For the locals of Newport Beach, Fashion Island used to be the go-to mall for hanging out with friends, going shopping, and grabbing food. It was home to favorites like Bath and Body Works, Forever 21, Lemonade, CPK, Cheesecake Factory, Lush, Atomic Creamery, Subway, and tons of others. These stores and restaurants were staples of everyday life in Newport, especially for students at CdM.
Over the years, much of that has changed. Fashion Island has been steering away from the affordable shops and restaurants, transitioning to high end stores. For many teens, this has made the mall feel less accessible than before, making the mall less popular among students.
Brooke Morris, a junior, said, “I miss San Lorenzo the most. I think they are adding too many irrelevant stores, and they need to add more popular ones to shop at.” Also, Christian Acheson, 12th grade, said, “I miss CPK the most. Their mac n cheese was my favorite”.
Despite this shift, some newcomers have managed to bring back some excitement to the mall. The recent opening of Joe and the Juice has been drawing crowds with lines out the door for their sandwiches, juices, and smoothies. And even bigger changes are on the horizon: Ralphs Coffee, a high-end coffee shop by the New York-based fashion brand Ralph Lauren, is set to open its only location on the West Coast at Fashion Island. Catherine White, 12th grade, says, “I am so excited about Joe and the Juice opening at Fashion Island. I’m glad I don’t have to travel so far to get it anymore.”
While new options are welcomed, many feel that the transition towards upscale stores and restaurants has priced out the younger crowd for daily shopping, and even for little kids. Popular stores for little kids, like the toy store, Pinkberry, kids’ clothing shops, the pet store, and stores for teens like Bath and Body works have been replaced by bland luxury stores that no one shops at.
So what happened to all of the fun at Fashion Island? High rent is one explanation. Many businesses cannot keep up with the rent prices to keep a store open at the mall, leading to frequent closures and turnover. In other cases, closures were part of nationwide trends. Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy, closing all locations across the country.
The rise of online shopping has also impacted the way malls operate. Over the last decade, platforms such as Amazon have pulled shoppers away from physical stores due to the convenience of online shopping. The consequences of this have been devastating. Entire malls, such as the Westminster Mall have shut down, while other household name brands like Bed Bath & Beyond, Sears, and Toys R Us have completely disappeared. These closures have not just reshaped shopping habits; they have also left thousands of people without jobs, leaving many struggling. As Fashion Island continues in this direction, many are left wondering what the future holds for this mall. Will these stores be able to carry the mall forward, or will some favorites come back?
If locals want to preserve the shopping and dining experiences they grew up with here, one thing is clear: malls depend on in-person customers to stay in business. Supporting them could be the only way to ensure Fashion Island doesn’t lose its place among teens in Newport Beach altogether.
