RETAIL ROUNDUP:

After purchasing the Macy’s Women Store building at Fashion Island from Federated Department Stores Inc. at the end of last month, the Irvine Co. is just about ready to start construction on a new Italian-inspired outdoor plaza to take its place.

The developer plans to begin building the revamped shopping center in mid-February.

Despite speculation that a Nordstrom may have been in the works as a replacement for Macy’s, the Irvine Co. will not add another department store to the old Macy’s site, Irvine Co. spokesman Bill Rams said Thursday.

The developer will not release the names of any stores interested in the space, but plans will most likely include smaller boutiques, some of which will probably be exclusive to Newport Beach and Orange County.

“Fashion Island is certainly known for having some of the best exclusive boutiques around,” Rams said.

As soon as the leases are signed, the Irvine Co. will let shoppers know what new shops to expect.

One of Fashion Island’s advantages over other local shopping centers is its outdoor arena, which will be expanded. But any concerns that adding more retail space would add to traffic congestion will be put to rest. The Irvine Co. is not adding any new retail space, but rather breaking up the 80,000-square-foot department store building into multiple stores using the same amount of space.

Plans for the “Italian piazza” include circular walls surrounding a courtyard and fountain — another Fashion Island must since the center has six existing fountains and the ever-popular koi pond. To get to the shopping area, guests will be able to take stairs, an escalator or an elevator. The proposed plan is slated to be finished at the end of 2008.

What could be causing traffic these days on Newport Center Drive is the parking structure the Irvine Co. began building this month. Anyone who found it difficult to find parking during the holiday season can rest assured that by next year’s holiday rush, Fashion Island will have a three-story parking structure, adding 500 spaces.

Entrance to the shopping center is blocked at Santa Rosa Drive and Newport Center Drive.

Retail public relations and marketing

The buzz business has another Newport-Mesa player, but this one is a little different.

Public relations firms in Orange County, and especially Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, have been on the up and up, with boutique firms with specific niches seemingly most popular among certain local industries.

A new public relations and marketing retail concept called PRstore is entering the marketplace in Newport Beach. Start-ups, small businesses and burgeoning entrepreneurs can shop PRstore’s Campus Drive showroom to customize their own marketing or public relations campaign.

The a la carte marketing menu includes advice and promotional products, which can include shopping for a new logo and getting help writing a news release.

The PRstore does not charge retainer fees and encourages business owners to walk in without an appointment.

The Newport Beach PRstore, opened by resident Dan Neavitt, is part of a franchise based in Charlotte, N.C. The store has been open since November but will celebrate its official grand opening Feb. 7.

Kids go Blankstyle

For some, being a walking billboard isn’t necessarily the fashion ideal anymore, and Costa Mesa store Blankstyle is catering to people who come from that school of thought.

The store, which is in the Camp shopping center on Bristol Street, has been offering customers high-quality shirts, dresses, sweatshirts and other articles that are void of visible logos or branding. Blankstyle added designer jeans to its roster when its first store opened last summer.

But what’s next? The world of baby and kids fashion is seemingly growing alongside its grown-up counterparts as parents want to spend the cash to have their children look just as fashionable as they do. So now the Costa Mesa store is offering Blankstyle for Kids. Threads for the little ones are available now through the store’s website and the shop is planning on setting up a Blankstyle kids corner in February, co-owner Luke Kupersmith said.

In other Blankstyle news, the store is shedding some of its shirts with a half-off T-shirt sale and party from 8 p.m. to midnight on Saturday. For more information, go to https://www.blankstyle.com or call the store at (949) 645-1815.