RG Jewelry opened its fourth California boutique on Thursday, June 19 at Irvine Spectrum.
Founded by Rachel Karcich with help from her husband, Justin, the concept sells 14k gold jewelry, including an engagement ring series, stacker rings, and limited-edition items available only at the Spectrum store.
The Orange County-based company makes most of its jewelry here in Southern California, with operations in Los Angeles.
The Irvine Spectrum Center location joins other stores in San Clemente, LA, La Jolla at Westfield UTC and soon to open Carlsbad.
RG Jewelry is between Nordstrom and Pressed.
Address: 670 Spectrum Center Drive
This show will go on
The OneRoot Foundation in Newport Beach filled a $20,000 funding gap created when the National Endowment for the Arts’ withdrew a grant for South Coast Repertory’s production of The Staircase.
The foundation, created by the Pyle family, said the gift was made in honor of philanthropist David A. Pyle’s late father, the actor Denver Pyle.
The money will pay the support staff, cast and musicians of the Noa Gardner play, which features a mother and son who explore their Hawaiian heritage.
“We believe in doing what is right, seeing the NEA pull its funding the day of the opening with no warning, was disappointing to say the least,” said Robert May, executive director, philanthropy of the OneRoot Foundation. “We wanted to make it right and assure that South Coast Repertory had the funding required to complete The Staircase. We support the vision of SCR to engage and enrich our community with outstanding programs.”
The grant was pulled on May 2, the same as the play’s opening night. SCR was notified via email that it was losing one of 560 grants totalling $27 million pulled nationwide, according to SCR.
Citibank opens in Dana Point
Citibank opened its newest Orange County branch in Dana Point branch at 34117 Golden Lantern.
The 2,817-square-foot space features personal banking, mortgage, wealth and small business services.
Champions Group expands in Seattle
Champions Group Holdings, an HVAC services company based in Irvine, recently acquired Bee’s Plumbing, a similar service provider inSeattle.
Terms of the deal, a second acquisition for Champions Group in the Seattle area, were not disclosed.
Bee’s Plumbing will retain its brand identity, with support and resources coming from Champions Group.
DARTS gives $535K to local nonprofits
Newport Beach-based Decorative Arts Society awarded $535,000 in grants on June 12 to 13 local nonprofits that help Orange County women, children, and families in need.
More than 50 guests attended the grant awards luncheon held at the Pacific Club.
Edie Denning, the DARTS grants chair, said the 2025-26 fiscal year focus for DARTS is on health and basic needs, counseling and support and educational services.
Recipients included: Beyond Blindness (Santa Ana), Boys and Girls Club of Buena Park, Casa Youth Shelter (Los Alamitos), Family Support Network (Orange), HomeAid Orange County (Tustin), Human Options (Irvine), Intervention Center for Early Childhood (Irvine), Laura’s House (Aliso Viejo), Mary’s Path (Tustin), Radiant Futures (Fullerton), South County Outreach (Irvine), Thomas House (Garden Grove) and WISE Place (Santa Ana).
DARTS, a membership organization in decorative arts, has given more than $4.5 million to local nonprofits since it was founded more than 30 years ago.
For more information, go to decorativeartssociety.net
Good works
The 38th annual Circle 1000 Founders Celebration Brunch held May 29 at the Balboa Bay Resort raised $1.3 million for the Hoag FamilyCancer Institute.
Last week’s headlines
At Home closures: Orange County will bear the biggest brunt of At Home store closures coming in September. Eight stores in all are closing in California, three of them in the county. The retailer, which sells a broad array of housewares and decor in massive, Costco-sized stores, filed for bankruptcy protection last week. Part of the Texas-based company’s restructuring plan includes closing 26 stores nationwide. In Southern California, stores are closing in Tustin, Foothill Ranch and Costa Mesa, plus one in Long Beach and another in Pasadena.
Login credentials hacked: Billions of login credentials have been leaked and compiled online, giving criminals “unprecedented access” to accounts consumers use each day, according to researchers at Cybernews. Their cybersecurity firm’s report said 30 exposed datasets each contain login information for some 16 billion compromised credentials, including user passwords for Google, Facebook and Apple.
More data exposed: Suspicious activity found on the Aflac network in the U.S. may affect Social Security numbers and other personal information. The company said the cybercrime campaign against the insurance industry was stopped within hours. Similar campaigns in recent weeks have affected United Natural Foods, a distributor for Whole Foods and Aldi, Victoria’s Secret, The North Face and Adidas.
Habit Burger deals: The burger chain has three value meals available through July 9, according to food reporter Fielding Buck. Prices range from $6-$10. Buck noted the deals come a year after McDonald’s introduced its $5 meal deal. In other fast food news, Buck reported that Taco Bell launched crispy chicken strips in three new items on Tuesday, June 17.
Status Update is compiled and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.