John,
Look at other sites. Every one of them has similar issues. There are no simple solutions, only choices.
I resisted advertising for many years. I frequently wrote that for the site to survive people would need to buy our products (which many did), but eventually ads became an inevitability. They pay the bills. I don't know of any web site of any size or stature that now doesn't have them, and in every case I can find fault with how they appear and how they're displayed.
When something that's been around in much the same form, as LuLa for so long (14 years), people get used to it, and when it changes the new flaws (and yes, there are flaws) are glaring, while the old flaws are ignored, simply because they have become familiar.
We will continue to try and improve things, but making all of the people happy all of the time is an impossible goal. So far, based on correspondence that we're receiving, many people are pleased and excited about the new features, most like the new look, but a few dislike it.
Michael