Denise O’Donnell (kneeling) is the new owner of Three Dog Bakery on Del Mar. O’Donnell had shopped at the business and decided to buy it in October when the previous owners were planning to close the business. Her employees include Shannon Eckelberger, left, Lindsay Jagich, Lauren O’Donnell and Meghan Finn. Photo by Jim Shilander
Compiled by Jim Shilander
New Developments
The owners of Bliss Boutique have opened a new store to appeal to the other half of the clothes buying population.
Johnny D’s, located at 211 Avenida Del Mar, has long been a hope for Cindy Rosier, one of the owners of Bliss Boutique.
“When I found the right space, I always knew I would open a men’s store,” Rosier said. She had tried selling menswear at Bliss, but since that store was known for selling women’s clothes, there was some “backlash,” Rosier said.
Rosier said she believed the city needed a store to purchase the kind of casual men’s wear being offered by Johnny D’s. “We get many people asking us about it,” she said, which lead her to understand the need. “We’re trying to reach a larger demographic.”
The store will have it’s own brands, such as Jeremiah, Tommy Bahama and Seven Diamonds, Rosier said. It will offer shirts, pants and leather accessories as well.
“It’s mostly very casual,” Rosier said. “There’s some dress shirts, but the kind you might go out in, not formal wear.”
Denise O’Donnell has gotten to do something that not many fans of a business get to do, rescue it from going out of business.
O’Donnell is the new owner of the Three Dog Bakery franchise on Del Mar, after taking over the business on October 15.
“I’d been a customer for 2.5 years,” O’Donnell said. “I love dogs, and I had wanted to do something for the city, and I love Del Mar. I had kind of a dream of having a shop on Del Mar someday.”
That someday came much sooner than O’Donnell might have thought. She found out earlier this fall that the then owners of the shop, Claire and Matt Mardesich, had decided to close. “I didn’t want to see it go out of business, and it’s a great place for a business like this,” O’Donnell said. “I called the next day and said I wanted to buy it. The store employs seven people, so that would have been seven people losing jobs. There would be an empty spot on Del Mar, and I didn’t want to see that. I spend my money here more than any of the other retail areas in town.”
O’Donnell said she’s been happy to get to know the customers and employees at the store in a different way since taking over.
“I’ve learned just how great the people are here. This has been a dream come true.”
The store makes many of the treats for pets in house, as well as providing an outlet for the natural treats made by the company.
“The people who come in here are coming in to get something good for their best friend,” O’Donnell said.
Jeff Gourley, the owner of Nomad’s Canteen, spent more than 20 years traveling the world as a diving instructor. Much of that time, he served as a cook for the parties he was traveling with, leading many to tell him he needed to open his own restaurant. Now he has.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Gourley said.
The menu, Gourley said, had been born out of his travels, and includes many of his favorite dishes from the South Pacific, Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as fusions of different flavors.
Gourley, who serves as chef for the restaurant, has been preparing food professionally before opening, having done a number of catered events.
In addition to the different styles of food, Gourley said he wanted to have a wide selection beer and alcohol at his restaurant. Nomad’s has 32 beers on tap, as well as an extensive wine list. The restaurant is also open seven days a week, from 11:30 a.m. to midnight. The late hour, Gourley said, often brings out some of his fellow downtown restaurateurs, fresh off closing their own establishments.
The restaurant is located at the corner of El Camino Real and Avenida Cabrillo.
David and Kim Miller have taken over CleanRite Laundry in the Camino Plaza Shopping Center on South El Camino Real.
As part of the taking over the business, the Millers have expanded the attendant hours, allowing for more customers to drop off their laundry. The business has also added the ability to accept debit and credit cards to pay for service as well. The business is offering gift certificates for drop off laundry service.
The Shore has announced the creation of a new menu at the restaurant, which will emphasize seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. There have also been additions to the burger, including kobe beef and a lamb burger.
Giving Back
Local architects have banded together to help the three communities in South Orange County. The Architectural Guild of South Orange County, which was formed earlier this year, now includes 25 architects and landscape architects that San Clemente’s Michael Luna said are hoping to improve their communities.
“We came together for many reasons, but we’re primarily interested in assisting our communities in providing our professional opinions,” Luna said.
“We wanted to create a uniform voice for our professions to confront the myriad issues that confront our communities.”
Luna said the group is fairly evenly distributed throughout Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, in terms of its membership, and that the group intends to stay local, in order to concentrate on issues confronting those areas.
