Halal Guys opens, Grant Boys quits, a Christmas tree burns: 2015’s top business news in Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa saw some major brands start new hubs in the city this year, and with that came a surge of people — some local, though many not — wanting to try them.

Those were among the top business-related stories, as was a long-time store deciding to close its doors after many decades.

Here are the Daily Pilot’s picks for top business stories in Costa Mesa in 2015:

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Vans coming to Costa Mesa

News broke in June that Vans was looking to move into a 15-acre property near South Coast Collection in northwest Costa Mesa.

The $2-billion action sportswear brand was seeking to use a commercial building at 1588 South Coast Drive and 3300 Hyland Ave., once the home of ICN Pharmaceuticals.

The company has roots in town: it opened its first retail store in Costa Mesa, and Steve Van Doren, Vans’ president of events and promotions, is an Estancia High School graduate.

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Grant Boys call it quits

The Grant Boys, a landmark outdoor gear store at 1750 Newport Blvd. that opened in 1949, decided to begin closing its doors in November. As they described it, “We are packing it in and going fishing — permanently!”

On the first day of its liquidation sale, the store had its biggest single sales volume day — ever.

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The Halal Guys in Costa Mesa had an extremely successful grand opening this fall, but that success and noisy patrons led to some tensions with the restaurant’s neighbors.  (SCOTT SMELTZER / Daily Pilot)

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South Coast Plaza’s Christmas tree was destroyed after an apparent electrical fire in December. South Coast Plaza then strung new lights up using the tree’s trunk, which didn’t burn down, as a replacement.  (DON LEACH / Daily Pilot)

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The Grant Boys in Costa Mesa announced this year that after 66 years, it would be closing. The landmark outdoor gear store opened in 1949.  (SCOTT SMELTZER / Daily Pilot)

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Raising Cane’s, the Louisiana-based chicken tenders restaurant, opened its first location in California in Costa Mesa in October. Former Los Angeles Clippers player Glen Davis surprised customers in the drive-thru during the grand opening.  (KEVIN CHANG / Daily Pilot)

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Vans, the iconic sportswear brand known for its skating shoes, announced earlier this year its intent on moving its corporate headquarters to Costa Mesa to this building near South Coast Collection.  (KEVIN CHANG / Daily Pilot)

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Christmas tree burns down

A staple of the city’s Christmas lineup has long been South Coast Plaza’s Christmas tree, a 34-year tradition.

This year, however, things took an unexpected turn after an apparent electrical failure caused the 96-foot white fir, set up outside the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel, to burn down on Dec. 14.

South Coast Plaza came up with a quick Plan B, though: arranging light strands around the tree’s trunk, which didn’t burn down.

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Halal Guys opens

The Halal Guys, at 3033 Bristol St., opened this fall to huge crowds but quickly gained a bad reputation among the neighbors, who complained about noisy patrons spilling into their residential tracts before and after getting their food. So when The Halal Guys asked City Hall to extend its operating hours from 11 p.m. to as late as 3 a.m., tensions arose between the restaurant and residents.

In December, city officials gave The Halal Guys a three-month trial period of 1 a.m. closing times.

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Chicken comes to Harbor

The fast-food scene along Harbor Boulevard got even busier after the October grand opening of Raising Cane’s, a Louisiana-based chicken fingers restaurant chain.

The restaurant, at 3150 Harbor Blvd., was the chain’s first in California. More than 100 lined up by 9 a.m. for the opening. The site formerly had a Burger King.