Namaste Spiceland Is, or at Least Was, a Hidden Vegetarian Gem in Thousand Oaks

Namaste Spiceland Indian Grocery Store and Vegetarian Indian Cuisine relocated to its new, larger, standalone location this past February at 821 Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks (cross street Houston Drive, a block west of the SR23). Take the Rancho offramp from the 101 and turn left on T.O. Blvd.

Namaste Spiceland is no longer a “hidden” gem as it is so clearly visible to the community now compared to its former location in the Palm Plaza. You cannot and should not miss Namaste Spiceland now as they offer such a delicious, nutritious and quite reasonably priced assortment of Indian specialties.

Namaste is an Indian grocery store specializing in vegetarian/vegan items. Quite an interesting assortment of things you would never find at an Albertson’s or Ralph’s!

But the big draw for many, like me, is their fast casual vegetarian Indian cuisine. While I haven’t mastered the names of the items or know what they mean when I attempt to pronounce them, I come prepared to point at the items that I want. Or just ask.

And on the “or just ask” note, on the moderately busy Saturday that I visited, I felt a casual, family-like vibe that was so relaxing. Very nice folks here, more than willing to answer questions with a smile. Adding to that feeling was the fact that after we ordered, we were told we could pay after we ate. Quite a trusting, relaxed feel. So nice to see.

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So in any case, there are combo plates that are very much a bargain - ek, do and te3n - which I’m assuming mean 1, 2 and 3. For $7.49, ek includes two vegetable dishes, basmati rice, chapati or puri, pickle, onion and raita. For a dollar more, “do” includes a samosa.

“What’s a samosa?” I asked the girl in line in front of us. Kind of a baked pastry with potato, peas, onion, lentil and other items inside of it. We did try it and it was delicious, along with the other items squash and lentil dish, potatoes, chana and other items. Nice assortment of items. There was so much food on my plate I couldn’t finish it!

A CVG Instagram acquaintance, Nilofer, told me to try the Hot Chai. When I saw the prices, I thought, these must be tiny cups…$1.25 for a small, $2 for a large. How could that be? I pay $4 to $5 for Hot Chai at Starbucks and Coffee Bean. The $2 Hot Chai was basically the deal of the century! Tasted great and easy on the wallet!

Namaste Spiceland is open daily from 10am to 9pm. Visit www.namastespicelandthousandoaks.com or call 805.373.6761.

How cool is this outdoor covered eating area at Namaste Spiceland!

Lowe's Hiring for Grand Opening in Newbury Park / Thousand Oaks This Spring

The Newbury Park / Thousand Oaks Lowe’s is hiring for various full/part-time positions, including Customer Service Associate, Load Puller, Receiver/Stocker, Fulfillment Coordinator, Fulfillment Clerk, Cashier, Assembler and more. There are 24 posted jobs at jobs.lowes.com (or more specifically, click THIS LINK for jobs at this store).

So when is Lowe’s Thousand Oaks opening? A Lowe’s Customer Care rep indicated late April 2019.

A little more about Lowe’s. Lowe’s ranked No. 40 on the Fortune 500 in 2017, with $68.6 billion in sales and $3.4 billion in earnings. Lowe’s employs over 310,000 employees in over 2,370 home improvement and hardware stores in North America. The original founder of Lowe’s was Lucius Smith Lowe, who opened Lowe’s North Wilkesboro Hardware in North Carolina in 1921.

Carl Buchan took ownership of the company through the 1940s and 1950s, expanding it to over 20 locations. He died of a heart attack at age 44 in 1961, but his executive team took the company public that same year.

Last year, Lowe’s closed its Orchard Supply Hardware chain, including the local OSH store in Thousand Oaks , which employed 57 staff.

On October 31, 2018, announced it was closing 20 under-performing stores in the U.S. and 31 in Canada. On November 20, 2018, Lowe’s announced plans to exit retail operations in Mexico, which includes 10 stores in total.

Kobe Bryant and Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks Team Up to Create MAMBA Sports Academy

The Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks has entered into a joint venture with Kobe Bryant to re-brand as MAMBA Sports Academy. The announcement was made on December 3rd and the new signs are already up.

Bryant coached a girls basketball team at Sports Academy, where he first experienced a superior level of service and attention to detail by experts on staff.

Originally opened in 2016 by CEO and Founder Chad Faulkner, the 100,000 square foot Sports Academy facility operates five basketball courts, five volleyball courts, two beach volleyball courts, a turf field, a comprehensive sports medicine practice for medical therapy and rehabilitation, a biomechanics lab, a world-class cognitive training lab, an e-sports training ground, batting cages and pitching mounds, close quarters defense training, Gracie Barra jiu jitsu school, a mondo sprint track, a learning center for academic tutoring and training and a yoga/cycling studio.

MAMBA operates three distinct business units - physical training academies, a sports-focused venture lab and the charitable MAMBA Sports Foundation.

MAMBA Sports Academy anticipates opening additional facilities in Southern California in the near future.

MAMBA is located at 1011 Rancho Conejo Boulevard, Thousand Oaks.

Visit mambasportsacademy.com for more information.

SIP Malibu Grapes and Kristy's Roadhouse Malibu in Agoura Hills Destroyed by Woolsey Fire

Among so much other devastation from the Woolsey Fire, SIP Malibu Grapes and Kristy’s Roadhouse Malibu at the corner of Kanan Road and Sierra Creek Road in Agoura Hills were destroyed.

The owner of SIP has announced that they will be exploring different options to rebuild and recover. To hear about what’s going on and how you can help, sign up for updates at www.sipmalibugrapes.com.

No word at this time regarding future plans, if any, for Kristy’s Roadhouse.

Namaste Spiceland to Relocate to New Location in Thousand Oaks

Namaste Spiceland, known for its takeout vegeterian Indian food and international groceries at its location in the Palm Plaza, 2707 Thousand Oaks Boulevard, plans to move 1 1/2 miles northwest to 821 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in the near future. Formerly occupied by Lava Sports Lounge and before that, Famous Sports Bar.

www.namastespicelandthousandoaks.com

Vintage & Unique Store on Thousand Oaks Boulevard

I stumbled across the Vintage & Unique store at 783 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard (at Houston Drive) yesterday as I was killing time waiting for new tires to be placed on my card down the street (thanks America's Tire for your prompt service).

Vintage & Unique opened this past March with an array of truly vintage, unique, recycled and repurposed items. We don't have a lot of stores like this in the Conejo Valley and it's lots of fun to see them thrive in this era of chain stores.

In addition to an eclectic of interesting and unique items available Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the store hosts period vintage market pop up events where other vendors display their wares.

Learn more on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Vintage-Unique-346321222811 or visit them on Instagram at vintagenunique. They can also be reached at 805-852-8309.

Grand Opening of Gelson's Thousand Oaks Planned for Friday, September 22nd

The former Albertson's and short-lived Haggen Grocery store at the Oakbrook Plaza, at 1736 E. Avenida De Los Arboles, Thousand Oaks is in its final stages of transformation into Gelson's. Planned grand opening data is Friday, September 22, 2017.

There will be a ribbon cutting at 9 am and the first 50 customers will receive a gift bag valued at $20. The first 25 customers to purchase items the next six days will also receive $20 gift bags.

According to Gelson's:

The Gelson’s Thousand Oaks store features an emphasis on fresh, great-tasting food across a broad spectrum, including grass-fed beef, organic and non-GMO items, local products, and vegan, vegetarian and raw food options. The full-service deli will offer signature creations along with healthful and delicious salads from Gelson’s Registered Dietitian, for the benefit of Thousand Oaks residents, employees and visitors alike. Gelson’s Thousand Oaks will include a carving station (selected hours), gourmet cheese section, olive cart, soup and salad bar, hot food bar, fresh sushi and poke bar, kosher foods and bakery, along with a coffee bar, dining area, floral department, custom and ready-made gift baskets, and free gift wrapping. In addition, Gelson’s is excited to bring an in-store pharmacy department to the Thousand Oaks community.

Learn more at gelsons.com.

Gelson's bought this former Haggen location nearly two years ago.

Dollar Tree to Relocate to Old Fresh & Easy Space at Conejo Gateway Plaza in Newbury Park

It looks like there are now two Dollar Tree stores side by side at the Conejo Gateway Plaza on Wendy Drive (at Old Conejo Road) in Newbury Park, but that's because the store will be relocating to the new spot in the coming months.

The new spot was formerly occupied by Fresh & Easy, which was closed in 2015 along with all the other Fresh & Easy stores.

So is Dollar Tree expanding or just moving to the new spot? I was told they are moving.

So what is happening at the current Dollar Tree location? Based on the rumblings that I heard, we may be seeing an auto parts store at the current Dollar Tree location. Not to spread rumors or anything, as this is not official. A little birdie told me.

More on Dollar Tree Newbury Park at locations.dollartree.com/ca/newbury-park/4223.

Previous, dearly departed occupant.