Signs of the times

To sign or not to sign; that is the question.

The owners of a Laguna Beach boutique are hoping to turn high gas prices into sales at their shop — and at other retailers in the city who cater to locals rather than tourists.

Sue Palmer and Erin Barry, the mother-daughter team behind the Erin Ashley boutique, think merchants can up their bottom line by posting a sign in their store windows that reads “Shop local...save the gas.”

“We want shoppers to know that you don’t have to leave Laguna for anything. It’s all here in town,” said Barry, who has posted a sign in her store window.

Richard Holmes, Palmer’s husband and the store’s public relations director, said the marketing campaign is mutually beneficial for both merchants and consumers.

Residents who stay in town and “shop local” will not only help retail merchants survive the economic downturn, but also save money by not using gas to leave town.

“Considering the cost of gas, there is a significant and compelling reason to shop local: It’s cheaper,” Holmes said.

The free signs, measuring 6 inches by 3 feet, are available from Laguna Digital, whose owner, Mayer Haghi, agreed to donate the signs to the cause of helping local businesses.

“With gas prices so expensive and shops’ sales behind from previous years, I think this is a great idea,” Haghi said.

  Sign permit needed

But there’s a catch: The city imposes restrictions on store signs, and even a temporary sign requires a $55 permit before it is posted.

In order to legally display the “shop local” sign, store owners must obtain a temporary sign permit at city hall.

Palmer acknowledged she has not obtained a permit for her sign but maintains a permit is not required. This is disputed by city officials and the municipal code.

According to the Community Development Department informational guide, “A sign permit is required whenever you are constructing, moving, altering, establishing, painting or creating a temporary or permanent sign in any area of the city.”

“All signs need a permit,” said Planning Department Manager Anne Larson. “However, each applicant is determined on a case-by-case basis.”

  Signs ‘redundant’

Veteran Planning Commissioner Norm Grossman does not agree with the effectiveness of a sign campaign and warns shop owners against posting them without the required permit.

“Every business having the same sign in the window, after a couple of weeks, becomes desensitizing and redundant,” Grossman said. “It would not make any difference after a while.”

Grossman feels that the concerns of business owners are valid, but he said believes they need to include the city in finding solutions.

“I think it’s great that they are trying to send this message, but I feel that the planning commission and the city need to be involved, because there are solutions other than decrying city ordinances,” he said.

Cathy Wilkinson, owner of the bath and body store, Bubbles, located in the Hotel Laguna, and a board member of the Chamber of Commerce, thinks the sign idea is a good one.

“I’m certainly into a [“shop local”] sign, because I am surprised when I meet locals that don’t even know what shops there are here in town,” Wilkinson said.

  People are shopping locally

For one merchant, rising gas prices have already translated into more sales — without the need for signs.

Tom Williams, the owner of My Laguna Office, believes the rising cost of gasoline is the reason his sales have increased 30% compared to last year.

“I’ve been here for three years next month, and people are discovering me for the first time by locals not leaving town to shop elsewhere,” Williams said.

Williams says he has tried in the past to encourage locals to shop in Laguna Beach using a sticker program, but was stopped by the city’s regulations.

“You can’t just put up signs,” Williams said.

  City ‘spoiled’ by MTV

Most agree that business has declined in Laguna Beach for various reasons.

Longtime merchant George Nelson said he has seen a decrease in tourism since the MTV reality show, “Laguna Beach, the Real Orange County” went off the air, replaced by a show based in Newport Beach.

“For over three years we were spoiled with an MTV reality show that generated a lot of foot traffic and business,” said Nelson, owner of Fawn Memories on Forest Avenue.

“For the past nine months, in general terms, the town is off. How much would depend upon the individual business.”

But, while Nelson relies on tourism to keep afloat, Palmer and other shopkeepers say they need locals to open their wallets.

“Most tourists buy a T-shirt and an ice cream. The locals are our bread and butter,” said Palmer.

Business owners can pick up a free, laminated “Shop local...save the gas” sign by visiting Laguna Digital Lab, 1705 S. Coast Hwy., during regular business hours.

For more information, call (949) 494-2030.

The city of Laguna Beach municipal code states:

“Administrative approval by the Community Development director will be given to signs in compliance with an approved master sign program, temporary signs, or signs that meet each of the following conditions: sign font does not exceed eight inches, and does not cause the maximum allowable total sign area to be exceeded (10% of the window area and up to a maximum of 10 square feet per window except in the downtown area where the maximum is five square feet per window).”

For more information about the sign ordinance, visit www.lagunabeachcity.net

SARAH NOONE can be reached at (949) 494-4321, ext. 12 or at [email protected]