LADERA RANCH – Residents can soon take a bite of a sizzling Blk Burgrz kobe burger, give their pet a wash in a Hydro Surge self-wash station or visit a one-stop shop for flooring and home remodeling as these new businesses are slated to open this month.
Blk Burgrz will take over the Ollie and Jax Pub’n Pizza location in the Mercantile East Shopping Center and the Ladera Ranch Grooming and Pet Spa will open next to Hala’s Paws in the Corporate Terrace Shops; both slated to open around Oct. 20. Grand opening celebrations are set for Oct. 25 at Blk Burgrz and Nov. 2 at the pet spa. Another business, Flooring, Kitchen and Bath Design in the Mercantile West Shopping Center is set to open this week.
A BURGER WITH A BITE
Main Street Concept is transforming the former restaurant Ollie and Jax Pub’n Pizza into a hip eatery serving 22 different burgers on sizzling skillets, 16 salads, 100 different wines and about 50 craft beers, said Kevin Johnson, co-owner of Blk Burgrz.
“We definitely have a cutting edge concept with sizzling kobe burgers,” he said. “We are going to challenge all the other burger places and we are going to hit them hard.”
The old awning over the 2,500-square-foot patio has been torn down and its surrounding fence will be replaced with a glass wall, the area filled with trendy lounge chairs and a LED-lit natural tree will set the cozy tone, Johnson of Huntington Beach said.
“It will be the nicest patio in Orange County,” he said of the place, co-owned by Jeff Benice of Ladera Ranch and Jamie Fischer of Coto de Caza. Main Street Concept, which takes over failing restaurants, also owns Casa Ranchero Mexican Cantina in Ladera Ranch and the downtown Huntington Beach restaurants Gallagher’s Pub and Grill and 2nd Floor.
Ollie and Jax Pub’n Pizza, which Main Street Concept took over last year, didn’t make it because of cheaper food served and the high cost of rent in Ladera Ranch, Johnson said.
“We definitely turned it around financially but it wasn’t conducive to the cost of rent,” Johnson said. “It was time for a change.”
A SPA FOR CATS AND DOGS
San Clemente resident Tamara Muslin, who owns San Clemente Grooming & Pet Spa and Dana Point Grooming & Pet Spa, is opening her third location in Ladera Ranch. The location in the Corporate Terrace is perfect next to Hala’s Paws and the Ladera Ranch Animal Hospital, she said.
The business offers basic grooming for dogs of all sizes – bathing, nail cutting, hair cutting, teeth cleaning, anal gland treatment and specified cuts. It will also have a Hydro Surge self-wash for customers who want to groom their own pets, she said.
Muslin, who owns four pets – Milton the bird, Monte the cat, the Chihuhua mix Lulu and purple Chinese Crested Cruella – has been grooming pets for 16 years.
“We bring in our own pets to help make everyone feel welcome and accepted into our family,” she said. “We love all animals and we get all sorts of requests every now and then; common pets like turtles and guinea pigs, but also a few weird ones like an ocelot and one time someone asked if we could clean their chicken… but we strictly stick to dogs and cats, mostly for safety reasons.”
Pets provide companionship, oftent when people need it most, Muslin said.
“They are an intricate part of our life and deserve to be treated and cared for properly,” she said.
DESIGN HELP FOR RENOVATIONS
Mission Viejo resident Mike Eskandari, who has been in the carpet and flooring business for 25 years, is set to open his store Flooring, Kitchen and Bath Design in Ladera Ranch this week. The store, which Eskandari said strives to be a one-stop flooring and bathroom remodeling store, will sell hardwood, laminate, porcelain tile, natural stone, carpet, vinyl and cork flooring, and counter tops.
Other tenants to fill shopping centers in Ladera Ranch include the 949 Grill, which plans to take over the old Beachfire location in the Mercantile West shopping center, the Flight Wine Bar in the Corporate Terrace Shops and a VIP Nails Salon & Spa set to take over the old Toy Town location in the Mercantile West shopping center, said Jane Gillespie, spokesperson for Westar Associates, which owns the centers in Ladera.
