South Coast Plaza Annex Readies for Macy’s Overhaul

With the holiday shopping season winding down, South Coast Plaza is gearing up for the second phase of its renovation of the former Crystal Court.

Construction is about to begin at the former Macy’s clearance store, which closed last Monday and will reopen in August as a Macy’s home store. At 185,000 square feet, it will be the chain’s largest home furnishings store in the West.

In mid-January, workers will resume construction of the 611-foot pedestrian bridge over Bear Street, which will link the annex to the main section of the mall. Work was halted during the holiday season to minimize confusion for shoppers.

The old Crystal Court annex, which now shares the name South Coast Plaza, has been in the midst of a major renovation intended to boost sales. Historically, that section of the mall has not performed up to expectations.

The first phase of the project concluded in the fall with the opening of a large Crate & Barrel home furnishings store and a Borders Books, Music & Cafe.

“We have been up 30% to 40% in foot traffic over there consistently since Crate & Barrel opened,” said Debra Gunn Downing, the mall’s marketing director.

Meanwhile, the smaller Crate & Barrel store in the main section of the mall will close Monday and its merchandise moved to the larger, new store. Louis Vuitton later will open a 7,000-square-foot store at the vacated Crate & Barrel site.