Mall Puts Fun First

The Block, which opens today in the city of Orange, has BIG written all over it.

The 811,000-square-foot, $165-million center is the largest entertainment complex ever built in Orange County. It will include the nation’s largest skateboard park, the state’s largest surf shop and the county’s biggest multiplex cinema.

A product of the Mills Corp., which developed the larger but less splashy Ontario Mills center, The Block is expected to generate sales of at least $250 million a year, yielding $2 million in annual sales and property tax for the city.

It features a sprawling seven-venue nightclub, Graham Central Station, and dueling entertainment centers: GameWorks and Dave & Buster’s. Many of the tenants are newcomers to Orange County, including the Florida-based Ron Jon Surf Shop and Hilo Hattie--The Store of Hawaii, a Honolulu transplant.

But so far, the Vans Skate Park has hogged much of the spotlight. With its “street course,” vertical ramp, and two deep skating bowls that look like empty swimming pools, the park is destined to become The Block’s youth magnet, despite the $7 to $14 per session fees that customers must pay to skate there.

More than 10,000 people--most from Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties--already have paid $50 for annual membership, which entitles the bearer to the lesser fees, said Neal Lyons, senior vice president of the Santa Fe Springs-based Vans Inc, which developed the park. Five membership inquiries came from Russia, he said.

Buoyed by such enthusiasm, Vans has signed a lease to build a second skate park, in Florida.

Ron Jon, which is based in Florida, also is stirring interest as it plops itself into Orange County, the center of the surfwear universe.

“We’re supposed to be the Silicon Valley of surf in Orange County, and it took Ron Jon to come here to open possibly the world’s biggest surf shop,” said Peter Townend, marketing director for the Irvine-based Rusty apparel, which like other surfwear makers will sell its clothes at the new store. Townend welcomes the new retailer, which he thinks will introduce more inlanders to the surf culture.

“To me, it’s portraying that surf is cool in an urban culture,” he said. “I mean Orange is not the beach.”

Meanwhile, Irvine Spectrum Center, Orange County’s trail-blazing entertainment-based shopping center, is keeping its eye on The Block, which will be its first heavyweight contender.

“I think there’s always going to be a little apprehension when any competitor comes into the market that’s brand new,” said Rick Evans, president of the retail division of the Irvine Co., the Spectrum Center’s owner. But Evans thinks the dozen miles between the two centers will soften the blow.

While The Block claims to have “something for everybody,” it has clearly targeted young spenders when making some anchor selections.

“That Generation X-Y market has tremendous disposable income,” said Laurence C. Siegel, Mills’ chief executive. “We’re very happy to cater to that market.”

At least one analyst, real estate expert Sanford Goodkin, said the skate park could be a double-edged sword, if other customers are irritated by too many noisy skateboarders.

“I don’t think it is something that will have universal appeal at all,” he said. “I think it will have just the opposite.

“It will bring out the kids, but how will it do in Year 2?” he asked. “While it may be unique, it will not have enough critical mass in terms of drawing an audience that keeps on coming back and that has spendable income.”

But Townend said drawing youth to the center will be a boon to the other businesses there.

“Ron Jon and everybody else in there is going to be the beneficiary,” he said. “A lot of the retail I’ve seen in there is very youth-oriented.”

Siegel’s enthusiasm was unbridled Wednesday as he showed off the splashy signs and eye-catching storefronts, including the faux wave at Ron Jon’s entrance and the huge fake lei that drapes Hilo Hattie.

“This is really 21st century retail,” he said. “There’s nothing like it in the country.”

As he toured the grounds Wednesday, workers scrambled to prep the center for opening day, sweeping, painting and shoving fresh plants into the ground.

The Block has supplied Orange County with 2,500 to 3,000 jobs during its 18 months of construction. Ultimately, it will offer 3,500 full- and part-time jobs.

The Block will be 75% leased when it opens today, but Siegel said an additional 10% of the project will soon be leased. One anchor slot remains vacant.

Mills executives estimate that The Block will have 12 million visitors next year, including thousands of busloads of tourists.

Irvine Spectrum drew 5 million visitors last year, before doubling in size this year when it added the second of its three phases.

Unlike the Spectrum, which has leaned heavily on themed architecture to give what industry insiders call “a sense of place,” the Block has used more classically designed buildings and prettied them up with colored awnings and jazzy facades.

Block officials say they will keep the center fresh by regularly updating images on the billboards and towering internally lit vertical signs that are scattered throughout the project.

Keeping things fresh is a key component in the success of entertainment-based shopping centers, Goodkin said.

“The difference between entertainment and regular shopping centers is the ability to change with the times and change quickly,” he said. “You can’t be comfortable in shopping centers anymore.”

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NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Boasting a megaplex movie theater, dueling video arcades and an indoor skateboard park, the Block at Orange opens today as the largest entertainment complex in Orange County. The 800,000-square-foot open-air mall blends a heavy dose of “eatertainment” with a smattering of retail, mixing nightclubs, restaurants and coffee shops with booksellers, music stores and fashion boutiques.

Downtown Renovation

The Block replaces the City built in 1972 and shuttered in 1994.

A REALLY BIG SHOW

AMC 30 Film City becomes Orange County’s largest magaplex, with amphitheater-style auditoriums, love seats and digital sound systems in every theater.

Colossus: Theaters 14-17, seat 400-600

North Gallery: Theaters 18-30 seat 100-200

Rotunda features famous film quotes on the floor, a movei star mural up above.

South Gallery: Theaters 1-13 seat 100-200

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All You Can Eat

Restaurant Row includes Tu Tu Tango, Wolfgang Puck, Grand Cafe, Corner Bakery, Market Broiler, Left at Albuquerque and Alcatraz Brewing Co.

Block Party food court includes Cafe Galileo, Ben & Jerry’s, Jody Maroni’s, T-Wraps, Jamba Juice, Twin Dragon, Ranch 1, Rubio’s Baja Grill, Quizno’s Subs, Richie’s Neighborhood Pizzeria.

Ride the Big One

A legendary surfing spot off the Maui coast called Jaws inspired the massive man-made wave that frames the entrance o Ron Jon Surf Shop.

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SIDEWALK SURFING

The world’s largest skateboard park hopes to bring the alternative sport into the mainstream with bowls and street courses for beginners to experts. Fees run $7-$14 per two-hour session.

How High Will They Fly?

A side by side comparison of the park’s vertical features.

Half Pipe: 12 1/2’

Combi Pool: 11 1/2’

Intermediate Bowl: 7’

Peewee Pool: 3’

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By Comparison

How the Block stacks up against Irvine Spectrum Entertainment Center.

Block

Sq. ft.: 811,000

Acres: 75

Stores: 107

Theaters: 30

Parking: 7,700

Cost: $165M

Taxes: $1.2M

Jobs: 3,000

Annual Visitors: 12 M

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Spectrum

Sq. ft.: 500,000

Acres: 83

Stores: 84

Theaters: 21

Parking: 6,800

Cost: $115 M

Taxes: $500,000

Jobs: 2,000

Annual Visitors: 10 M

Sources: The Block at Orange; Tony Adamson, AMC Theaters; Staci Levine, Vans Skatepark; Joe Toohey, Ron Jon Surf Shop; Rick Evans, Irvine Spectrum Entertainment Center

Graphics reporting by BRADY MacDONALD / Los Angeles Times