Orange County Roundup

Where we post week-in-review updates from the Orange County business scene, for small business owners like ourselves.

Mark your calendars: On April 20th there will be a networking event featuring Simon Salt, author of Location Based Marketing. The event is for business owners or managers with a brick and mortar business, or the marketers of those businesses, and will take place here in Orange County, venue to be announced.

In one local success story, the opening of B. Candy in Corona Del Mar helped hundreds of Orange County citizens get in touch with their inner child. The lines were around the block, and I bet many of the queued adopted children for the day! We can also welcome back Dianna Whitmire, the Super Saleswoman, as Fleet Sales Director at Carson Toyota. Evidently, she has a lot of fans.

Orange County also seems to be at the forefront of the epic defeat of books. The Balboa branch library in Huntington Beach made national headlines, when an L.A. Times article publicized that the library was going to be reinvented – without the books! It would have Wi-Fi, tables, a fireplace – but no book stacks. The reaction was loud, unexpected and angry. After all, the future of paper and ink books is at stake.

The most poignant of expression of the ambivalence on this issue can be found in a Borders bookstore in Tustin, CA. The store, which is going out of business because it “can’t compete with Amazon’s prices” posted a sign near the restroom:
“Need a restroom? Use Amazon’s.”

Huntington Beach was in the L.A. Times a second time this week with a title that tells most, “Bar scene gives Huntington Beach both headaches and a hearty revenue boost”. The robust night life in that town is breeding DUIs, thievery, angry citizens – and money. Even the angry, bethieved suburbanites don’t like red ink, so it’s a tough trade off.

One final point: If the pending government shutdown will effect you in any way, or you like to stay informed, check out Huffington Post’s live updates on the issue.

Fellows, it’s been a pleasure catching you up on the goings on of Orange County. Cheers.