Former Robinsons-May Is Space-in-Waiting

Crystal Court officials remain mum about who will fill the 180,000-square-foot slot vacated by Robinsons-May, which closed Monday.

Some observers have speculated that a Crate & Barrel Furniture store might move into that location, or perhaps an Ikea.

Ikea has denied the rumor. But a Crate & Barrel spokeswoman said the Wheeling, Ill.-based company has been in discussions with C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, the owner of South Coast Plaza and Crystal Court. Redaelli declined to comment Tuesday.

Segerstrom said previously it might overhaul the tenant mix at Crystal Court, marketing it more as a home furnishings center, which would play to one of retail’s hottest categories. But Redaelli said current plans for the mall do not include focusing heavily on one type of merchandise.

South Coast Plaza has a Crate & Barrel, but the vacancy at Crystal Court is easily large enough to accommodate a furniture store. At the moment, the closest Crate and Barrel Furniture is in Palo Alto.

Costa Mesa planner Willa Bouwens-Killeen said the center’s owners have considered splitting the Robinsons-May space to accommodate four new tenants.

Meanwhile, the mall owner has requested permission to add some architectural features that would jazz up the face of the former Robinsons-May site, Bouwens-Killeen said. The owner wants to “pop out” the front of the building at several locations.