Chapman alumna finds Old Towne a perfect fit for her new boutique

During her undergrad years at Chapman University, Lauren Miller, ’06 advertising and public relations, remembers wishing there was a little more shopping action around campus. Now she’s making it happen.

Miller, 26, just opened Laurenly, a pocket-sized shop in Old Towne Orange where she features boutique brand clothing, accessories and one-of-a-kind artisan jewelry, including her own line, the hallmarks of which are distinctive semi-precious stones wire-wrapped into what she calls “rock candy rings.”

After working and studying in New York City – she earned a degree in fashion design at
Parsons the New School for Design
while there – Miller returned to California to launch her own retail business. Old Towne was high on her list of prospective locales, and when she revisited her alma mater’s old neighborhood, everything clicked.

“It immediately felt right,” she says. “I love Old Towne Orange. It’s just a quaint and charming little place.” She even geared her weekend summer hours to catch some of the dinner-hour foot traffic.

“All the new restaurants were the first thing I noticed when I came back,” she says.

And you never know when someone will want a little rock candy ring to make that dinner really memorable.

Laurenly is at 142 N. Glassell St. and is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Contact the store at 714-538-7467.