Shop that fell into inventory controversy opens on Forest

The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce officially welcomed a men’s and women’s clothing retailer to Forest Avenue with a traditional ribbon-cutting Friday.

Casual, owned by Jenni and Sammy Elmished, who also own the clothing store Simple Lifestyle on South Coast Highway, is the newest business on a street considered by many to be the city’s commercial hub.

But the addition has not been welcomed by all. A few downtown retailers claimed at a City Council hearing in May that the Elmisheds would carry clothing lines identical to those at its other shop and urged them to differentiate the businesses. The discussion also focused on the city’s power to place rules on store inventories to ensure variety.

Casual, as its name implies, offers items “we would like in our home,” Jenni Elmished said.

The store, which opened to the public June 6, carries shirts and sports jackets for men, tops and dresses for women, footwear and home furnishings.

The Elmisheds said they opened Casual in response to customers’ requests for more affordable options.

“I had no idea it would be controversial,” Jenni Elmished said. “It should not have been.”

Casual is at 225 Forest Ave. and is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

—Bryce Alderton

Twitter: @AldertonBryce