LAGUNA BEACH : Survey Points Up City Shopping Drawbacks

Residents here wish for more bookstores, gourmet markets, five-and-dime stores and moderately priced, family-style restaurants, according to a survey of more than 500 people that was released Tuesday.

More than half of the respondents said they make most of their purchases outside Laguna Beach. The biggest deterrents to shopping locally were prices, parking and item availability. The least welcome new businesses were fast-food restaurants and children’s clothing stores, according to the survey.

Some respondents made unsolicited comments. In particular, they grumbled about the aging South Coast Theater downtown and requested more resident-serving businesses, especially a Trader Joe’s market.

The survey, an offshoot of discussions Mayor Kathleen Blackburn held last spring with community groups, was mailed to 3,370 registered voters in August, and 564 households responded.

The goal was to find ways to encourage residents to shop locally and to identify businesses that the city should consider trying to woo.

Blackburn said Tuesday that the results indicate residents would prefer to shop in town, given the option.

“I was pleased that people truly would like to stay in the community and shop,” Blackburn said. “And now the burden is, ‘Where do we go from here?”’

The things survey respondents said they are least likely to buy in Laguna Beach are furniture and small appliances. Residents said they are most likely to spend locally on child care, video rental, dry cleaning and art.

The survey was funded solely by community groups, including the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Laguna Beach Taxpayers’ Assn.