RETAIL ROUNDUP:

When Wonderland Bakery Adventure closes at South Coast Plaza after the new year, the shopping center will lose one of its most popular seasonal stores — and some of its most colorful vocabulary.

The bakery and gift shop, which operates year-round in Newport Beach and opened in Costa Mesa for the holiday season, plans to move out of South Coast Plaza Jan. 5.

In the meantime, customers can stop in for chocolates, pastries, tea sets, teddy bears and to listen to two owners who can bend the word “wonder” into almost any part of speech.

“What we try to do is really, whatever space we take, we wonderize it and make it wonderlicious,” said co-owner Sondra Ames, who founded the store along with her daughter, Allyson. “That’s our niche.”

The owners, Ames added, have submitted the word “wonderize” to Webster’s Dictionary and expect to see it in print in 2008.

Wonderland Bakery Adventure is one of many seasonal stores in Newport-Mesa that plan to close on or after the new year.

Nearby in South Coast Plaza’s Bear Street wing, Home Holidays and Traditions has a wide selection of Christmas ornaments left over from the holidays, with display trees built around themes of fish, pirates, frogs, princesses and more.

Manager Jeanne English said her store, which is scheduled to close in the first few days of January, often had some of its best Christmas decoration sales after the holiday.

“People buy them for next year when they’re half-price,” she said.

At-Ease, a men’s boutique with locations at Fashion Island and the Crystal Cove Promenade, plans to close the latter store Dec. 31.

In April, the owners plan to tear down the Crystal Cove location, close the one at Fashion Island and build a new facility at Crystal Cove to house both stores’ inventory.

Through Monday, all merchandise at the Crystal Cove store will go for 50% to 80% off, according to General Manager Darryl Griebe.

The Crystal Cove store at 8056 E. Coast Hwy. can be reached at (949) 464-0200.

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LAB, CAMP AFTER SALES

The Lab and The Camp, Costa Mesa’s alternative shopping centers on Bristol Street, have a number of sales scheduled for the last weekend of the year.

The Urban Outfitters clothing store plans to hold a clearance sale through Sunday to make room for its spring collection, with a $9.99 rack out front and $19.99 and $29.99 racks inside. The Eye 5 sunglasses store plans to sell all its brands — except for Dita — at 10% off through Sunday, while the ARTH designer hat store has marked off all merchandise at 30% off through Monday.

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at [email protected].