Trader Joe’s expansion in Orange should be done before Thanksgiving, store employees say.
A new, larger sign recently went atop the grocery store building at 2114 N. Tustin St., where ongoing construction is turning two stores into one.
The Trader Joe’s at the Village at Orange shopping center (the company’s 46th store) is expanding into the shuttered CVS next door. The former drugstore will become the grocery store while the current store becomes inventory and storage space, an employee told shoppers.
Monrovia-based Trader Joe’s has been on an expansion kick over the last year, adding at least eight new stores to the region. A new store is also coming to Costa Mesa, and earlier this year a store opened in Ladera Ranch.
For Orange shoppers, the bigger space at the corner of Tustin Street and Meats Avenue will help with the seemingly ever present crowd, which swells to long lines and jammed aisles (and parking lot), especially during the Chapman University school year.
MV shopping center pivots to home design
A Mission Viejo retail center has been rebranded, pivoting from a little bit of “this and that” to furnishings and home design.
The 25-year-old Mission Viejo Town Center is now called LOCAL.The work by property owner Burnham USA Equities in Newport Beach started three years ago and is now complete with upgraded exteriors finishes and native landscaping.
New merchants — which replaced DSW Shoe Warehouse, Jos. A. Banks and Pier 1 Imports — include the home design brands Ferguson Home, Terra Outdoor, Joybird and Woodbridge Interiors. The juice brand Pure Green is still to come this winter. Also at the center are Holland House Salon, Sleep Number, Ra Yoga, Pure Barre, Starbucks and Walgreens.
In case you’re not familiar with the newer retailers …
Ferguson Home: Its 20,000-square-foot showroom offers bathrooms and kitchens (both indoor and outdoor), as well as lighting and more in upscale finishes and appliances.
Joybird: Sells mid-century modern furniture inspired by designers of the 1950s and 60s.
Terra Outdoor: Based in Mill Valley, it offers furniture and features for outdoor spaces in its 7,000 square-foot showroom
Ra Yoga: Offers a variety of heated and non-heated yoga classes including vinyasa, hot yoga, yoga with pilates (called yogalates), strength (yoga with weights), prenatal yoga and more.
Pure Green: It sells smoothies, acai bowls, oatmeal bowls, toasts and cold-pressed juices.
Address: at 28311-28391 Marguerite Parkway
New farmers market in Dana Point
A farmer’s market debuts this Wednesday (Sept. 24) at the Dana Point Harbor.
Dana Point Harbor Farmers Market will take place weekly from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays. At least 25 vendors will feature locally grown produce and artisanal goods.
Local vendors in the lineup include: Black Sheep Farms, Bee Ladies Honey, Eben Eggs, Bread Artisan Bakery, Fresco Pasta, Jaime’s Savory Almonds and Beyond Oats.
The market includes free, four-hour parking in the adjacent harbor parking structure. For additional parking information, go to danapointharbor.com.
Find the market in the parking lot at 34555 Golden Lantern St.
On the move
Scott Norris is the new president at the formal wear outfitter Friar Tux in Anaheim. The veteran in men’s apparel and the retail industry brings two decades of experience to the company. Norris spent nearly 20 years at Men’s Wearhouse and most recently held an executive role at The Black Tux. At Friar Tux, he will be tasked with strengthening its digital channels and e-commerce platforms while expanding the brand into brick-and-mortar markets, the company said.
Peter Rooney recently joined Irvine-based SecureAuth, a workforce and customer identity and access management solutions company, as its chief customer officer. Previously, he was senior vice president of technical operations at Digital Guardian for eight years. Before that Rooney held senior management positions at Oracle.
On board
Family law specialist Shannon R. Loeser recently joined the board at the nonprofit Radiant Futures, formerly Women’s Transitional Living Center, in Fullerton. She practices law from her law firm in Laguna Niguel.
Boat parade marshal is NB native
Actor and Newport Beach native Ted McGinley is this year’s grand marshal for opening night of the 117th annual Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade.
McGinley starred in the TV shows “Happy Days,” “The Love Boat,” “Married…with Children,” and “Shrinking.”
“This harbor and community shaped who I am, from my days at Newport Harbor High School to lifeguarding and playing water polo here,” he said in a statement. “Being part of an event I have enjoyed firsthand, whether from home or on the water, and seeing the joy it brings to generations of families, truly feels like coming home.”
The 14-mile boat parade takes place nightly at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 17-21 in Newport Harbor.
Good works
Higher Ground Youth and Family Services raised $565,000 at its fundraising gala. The money will go toward expanding the nonprofit’s programs and services to youth and families in need. For more information, go to highergroundoc.org
Hoag Hospital Foundation’s fourth annual H.E.R. Summit raised $300,000 to expand women’s health services at Hoag’s new Sun Family Campus in Irvine, which is opening in 2026. The summit featured keynote speaker Mary Claire Haver and Hoag experts who discussed heart health, menopause, breast cancer, fertility and more.
Judicial appointments
Susel Carrillo-Orellana was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as a judge in the Orange County Superior Court, filling the vacancy left when judge Lon F. Hurwitz retired. She has served as a commissioner at the Los Angeles Court since 2024 and also worked at the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Central District of California as a director of recruitment from 2023 to 2024 and as a deputy federal public defender from 2012 to 2024.
Milestones
Mark Hilbert of Newport Beach was been named Chapman University’s Outstanding Volunteer of the Year for 2025. He was honored during the school’s annual volunteer awards ceremony held Sept. 9. Hilbert founded the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman with his late wife, Janet, in 2016. He recently oversaw a massive expansion that grew the museum from 7,500 to 22,000 square feet, according to the university.
Status Update is compiled and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.
