Biz News: Popbar pops the cork on new location at the Lab
Popbar, which serves housemade gelato, sorbetto and yogurt pops on a stick, has opened a location in Costa Mesa at the Lab shopping center, 2930 Bristol St.
A grand-opening celebration is scheduled for noon Dec. 10, including free pops and a chance to win prizes.
Popbar, founded in New York City in 2010, offers more than 40 rotating flavors, including exotics like green tea and passion fruit and seasonal tastes like watermelon and pumpkin pie. Dips and toppings include dark, milk and white chocolate, nuts, sprinkles, waffle cones and caramel corn.
7-bedroom hilltop estate in Laguna sells at live auction
A multimillion-dollar hilltop estate in Laguna Beach sold at auction this month for nearly twice its reserve price, according to Platinum Luxury Auctions.
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Ten bidders gathered in the living room of the trilevel ocean-view house for the Nov. 18 live auction, conducted by Platinum Luxury Auctions in cooperation with broker John Stanaland of HOM Sotheby’s International Realty, the listing agency of record.
The exact price paid by the highest bidder was not revealed, but Platinum said the winning bid “almost doubled” the auction’s $2-million reserve price.
Before the auction, the home was on the market for more than six years, with an asking price starting at $7 million and gradually falling to about $4.9 million.
The estate, built in 1996, features 7,200 square feet of living space, seven bedrooms and five bathrooms. Highlights include a gourmet kitchen, a home theater, a saltwater fish tank, an elevator and a fitness room with a sauna.
Platinum said the auction generated 146 inquiries, 83 onsite previews and more than 39,000 visits to the property’s web page during a five-week period.
IKEA installs fuel cells to help power Costa Mesa store
Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has installed biogas-powered fuel cell systems at its stores in Costa Mesa and Covina, supplementing onsite solar arrays.
IKEA installed such a project last year at its store in Emeryville in Northern California and plans fuel cell systems at stores in East Palo Alto, San Diego and New Haven, Conn.
“Utilizing fuel cells will reduce greatly our carbon footprint and help create an even more sustainable community here in Southern California,” Paul Gandara, the Covina store manager, said in a statement.
The fuel cell system at the 308,000-square-foot Costa Mesa store at 1475 South Coast Drive can generate nearly 2.5 million kilowatt hours of power per year, which would be enough to power 194 homes.
Newport dental products company opens lab in Colombia
Newport Beach-based Glidewell Dental, a provider of dental laboratory products and services, announced the opening of Glidewell Colombia, the company’s first dental lab in South America.
Glidewell Colombia, based in Bogota, follows the 2011 founding of Glidewell Europe in Germany and a lab in Costa Rica.
Five Crowns and SideDoor have new general manager
Lawry’s Restaurants Inc. has named Kenyon Paar general manager of the company’s Five Crowns and SideDoor restaurants in Corona del Mar.
Paar has more than 25 years’ experience in the food service industry and helped open such Newport Beach fine-dining establishments as the Ritz Prime Seafood in 2015 and Fig & Olive in 2013.
“I truly believe that attention to detail is paramount, and honoring tradition while embracing innovation is the key to longevity,” Paar said in a statement. “Guest experience is a priority for the Orange County local, who considers a meal an opportunity to create a lasting memory.”
Five Crowns and SideDoor are in the same building at 3801 E. Coast Hwy.
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing opens in Huntington Beach
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing has opened a new location in Huntington Beach at the former site of Beach City Brewing, which the company bought earlier this year.
The establishment is at 7631 Woodwind Drive.
Hoag Orthopedic Institute wins awards for patient experience
Hoag Orthopedic Institute recently received Pinnacle of Excellence and Guardian of Excellence awards from Press Ganey Associates Inc., which measures patient experience at healthcare organizations nationwide.
The criteria was maintaining the 95th percentile or higher in overall ratings by inpatients.
Hoag Orthopedic Institute consists of a specialty hospital in Irvine and surgery centers in Newport Beach and Orange.