By Melonie Magruder
Special to the Lookout News

August 9, 2010 -- A shiny new Santa Monica Place opened Friday and if future weekends see similar numbers of visitors with bulging shopping bags, the retail center will be spectacularly successful.

Under a cloudless blue sky and ambient temperatures, crowds lined up the Third Street Promenade from Broadway to Arizona, waiting to cross the red carpet into the mall’s new central courtyard amid eclectic music and floating beach balls.

In a display of how keenly the debut of such a large retail venture in the midst of such challenging economic times is being watched, remote news vans lined Broadway and security was busy as locals and visitors streamed into the central courtyard, up the escalators and lined the mall walkways.

Fire Department estimates of the crowd by 9:30 before the opening numbered more than 4000. Every immediate parking structure was full by 10:00 a.m. and the excitement surrounding the new commercial center was palpable.

Macerich, the retail behemoth behind Santa Monica Place, appears to have designed the new property with an emphasis on smooth flow of traffic, while keeping the ambiance light, bright and comfortable. The large, curved overhangs on the western entrance are designed to funnel cooling ocean breezes through the passageways and, thanks to strategic coverings over escalators and passageways, it is possible to visit every store in the mall without getting wet, should a brief shower come up, while never sacrificing the outdoor flavor.

Storefronts are appealing and clever: All Saints Co., Ltd displays dozens of old Singer sewing machines in their windows. Benches and planters made of a softer material are shaped like giant dinosaur eggs and scattered throughout the mall. Macerich has also given large thought to highlighting the local arts community, with several installations planned.

In a partnership with the 18th Street Art Center and located at the Colorado Street entrance, “Gateless Gates/Where Land and Water Meet” offers a rotating projection of images by several artists and filmmakers.

Christian Moeller’s “Sliver” is a 60 feet-tall, LCD-tiled tower in the central plaza, a monument to a media-driven city. Ball Nogues Studio in Los Angeles designed an aggregation of polished stainless steel balls that function as a sort of enormous Newton’s Cradle, positioned on the exterior wall of the 2nd Street parking structure.

Local muralist Pharoe was busy on level three, creating a huge wall painting inspired by “the energy and flow of nature,” he said. “It seems the right thing for Santa Monica.”

And the Mannequin Collective, on display on several locations throughout the mall, features a unique partnership with Otis College of Arts and Design, with mannequins decorated in whimsical and serious themes.

But these details were not on the minds of thousands of visitors Friday, as they paused barely long enough to hear opening remarks by Santa Monica City Councilman Bob Holbrook and Macerich CEO Art Coppola before descending en masse on retail sales help, who all had slightly disbelieving looks of panicked pleasure at the crowds pushing into their shops.

Charlotte Russe, the chain boutique for young women’s clothing, had paired up with Much Love, an animal adoption agency to promote BFFs – whether a Best Furry Friend or Best Friend Forever. They offered Charlotte Russe doggie collars and a fashion show with models and their dogs dressed in the Charlotte Russe collection.

“Charlotte Russe isn’t just for teens,” Evelyn Lee, head of marketing for Charlotte Russe, said. “We target women 15 to 29 and everyone knows teens like to dress older.”

The animal adoption partnership was part of Charlotte Russe’s plan to “give back” to the community, Lee explained.

“Our position is that girls’ fashion is distinctly tied to a BFF,” Lee said.

The largest crowds seemed destined for The Disney Store, where a team of store traffic directors handed out Disney stickers to children and photo-laden flash drives to media who waited in a line stretching the length of the second-story passageway just to enter the store.

Local resident Tim Combs waited with his impatient children Josh, Noah and Natalie, to sample the Disney magic.

“Apparently, we’re waiting to see the brother of Hannah Montana,” Combs reported.

Santa Monica Place is currently 90 percent committed in its leases – a strategic decision, according to Adrienne DeVore, senior marketing manager for Macerich.

“We believe we offer an appropriate range of retailers, from the more elegant stores, like Tiffany & Co., to the teens to twenties-friendly boutiques like Juicy Couture,” DeVore said. “And we believe that the retailers at the Third Street Promenade just compliment that. In fact, along with Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and the upper level dining court, we think of Third Street Promenade as our fourth anchor.”

The retail mix will also include very new entities, such as Eva Varro, a women’s clothier that features designs that can be worn by women of, literally, all sizes and shapes.

Eva Varro Spokeswoman Erika Seifred said, “Our dresses can be worn in size two to 20 and we make-to-order. Our materials are wrinkle free, so you can throw a dress in your bag, fly to London and wear it for dinner that night.”

David Oliver, director of retail operations for the boutique, said he remembered the old mall, originally designed by Frank Gehry, that occupied the land where Santa Monica Place now stands.

“There’s no comparison with the old mall,” Oliver said. “It was a big enclosed box with only three entrances and one of those was the food court.”

The Santa Monica Place rooftop dining court, on the third level, is designed to invite fine diners as well as the quick snacker. The plaza facing the ocean offers expansive views, private booths, soothing nighttime lighting and will feature plenty of live music and live DJ-sponsored weekend events over the months ahead.

But the “sit down” restaurants are designed with such private ambiance, one wouldn’t even know they were in a mall setting.

La Sandia is a Richard Sandoval restaurant featuring Mexican cuisine that is heavy on southwestern stucco and light on the enchilada sauces.

Della Casillas was lunching there with daughter Lydia Casillas and sister Frances Galvan. All three gave thumbs up to the cuisine.

“We’ve been in Santa Monica since the 40s and have seen a lot of restaurants come and go,” Casilla said. “But we’ll definitely come back here.”

At Pizza Antica, every table was filled and there was a long waiting list. Local resident Andy Greenwood was sampling the pizza with his family and pronounced everything, “extremely fresh and apparently local.” He recommended the potato pizza before vowing to return.

As shoppers and curiosity-seekers swirled through the new center that smelled of fresh paint charbroiled burgers, DeVore juggled the crush of media, maintenance crews and visitors.

“We couldn’t be happier,” DeVore said. “It’s a great beginning.”