Italian Harp Maker Trades Chicago for Magic Kingdom

Orange County Business Journal, Oct 31-Nov 6, 2005 by Cruz, Sherri

South Coast Plaza Tree Does Double Duty on Way Down; Tuttle-Click Buys Ford Dealership

MARKETPLACE

Italy's Salvi Harps, a maker of elegant musical harps, has moved its only U.S. distribution center and store from Chicago to Anaheim.

Harp World Inc. has about 50 concert and folk harps on display off the Santa Ana (I-5) Freeway. They're in a 5,000-square-foot showroom set up by Victor Salvi himself.

Victor Salvi built his first harp in 1954. The company is marking its 60th year in business.

Why Anaheim?

"The requirement was Southern California," said John Dorsch, vice president of Harp World.

In the 1970s, the store was in Santa Monica.

"We talked about Orange County," he said.

Then Dorsch pinpointed Anaheim, a city he was familiar with because he regularly attended the annual NAMM music trade show in Anaheim.

"We know that this will be a growing area," Dorsch said of Anaheim.

The store is near Anaheim's Platinum Triangle, an area around Angel Stadium of Anaheim earmarked for redevelopment as high-rise condominiums and shops.

And it's easy to give people directions: "You tell them it's close to Disneyland," he said.

Harp World ships instruments to music stores. The business needed to be a healthy distance from one of its major customers, Sylvia Woods Harp Center in Glendale.

"We didn't want to affect their business negatively," Dorsch said.

Salvi is high end. Its most expensive harp-a Victor Salvi Anniversary harp-goes for about $90,000. Others start at $800.

Celtic music is rekindling interest in harps, according to Dorsch.

There's even "harp circles," in which players sit in a circle playing together, similar to drum circles.

South Coast's Tree

South Coast Plaza's 95-foot white fir holiday tree arrived in town last week.

The tree, yanked from the Mount Shasta area, served as a moving advertisement. The tree was wrapped in 30-foot banners that read, "Follow me to the South Coast Plaza."

No word on the details of Fashion Island's tree. But the Newport Beach mall is set to have its lighting ceremonies Nov. 18 and 19.

Meanwhile, The Irvine Company is getting set to open its ice rink near the giant wheel at the Irvine Spectrum Center. The rink, 40feet wide and 72-feet long, is set to open Friday through Jan. 16.

A DJ is planned for Friday and Saturday nights. Former Mighty Duck goalie Guy Hebert is slated to be on hand for a goal-tending clinic Dec. 3 and 4. The $550 clinic is a fund-raiser for Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Back at South Coast

Giuseppe Zanotti is set to open a new 1,200-square-foot shoe and handbag store at South Coast Plaza on Nov. 15. Designer Zanotti is known for his "red carpet" shoes with touches of gold, jewels and other embellishments. The shoes go for about $400 to $700. Wearers include Naomi Campbell, Beyonce Knowles, Madonna and Britney Spears.

Zanotti has three other U.S. locations in Las Vegas, New York and Miami.

Bella Terra Update

Cost Plus and REI recently opened at Bella Terra in Huntington Beach.

Coming in November is a number of restaurants and the mall's centerpiece, Century Theatre. The 20-screen theater has stadium seating, a cafe and a game room. The mall is about 90% filled.

DJM Capital Partners Inc. recently bought Bella Terra, a 48-acre, 777,000-square-foot mall, for $228 million.

Ritz on Fast 500

Irvine-based photo shop retailer Ritz Interactive Inc. came in at No. 379 on the 2005 Deloitte Technology Fast 500, which ranks the fastest-growing technology companies in North America. Rankings are based on percentage revenue growth for five years, from 2000 to 2004.

Ritz Interactive recently filed to raise up to $34.5 million in an initial public stock offering. In addition to photography, Ritz operates online stores such as boatingonly.com and fishingonly.com.

Tuttle-Click Buy

Tuttle-Click Automotive Group, based in Irvine, acquired Valley Park Ford of Chatsworth in October. Jim Click is running Tuttle-Click these days. Bob Tuttle, Click's partner, is serving in London as U.S. ambassador to Britain.

Car Buying School

Automotive consultant Donna Kane of Hyundai Motor America Inc. in Fountain Valley is presenting "Power of the Purse" at the Westminster Mall this weekend. The workshop aims to teach women and men car buying basics such as warranties, financing and how to use online research tools such as KBB.com or Edmunds.com.