Staples, BevMo! and Massage Envy Spa to Open at Pacific View Mall Ventura

Pacific View mall today announced Staples, BevMo! and Massage Envy Spa will join Trader Joe’s (announced in September) in the center’s new north end retail district.

Staples, the world’s largest office products company, is committed to making it easy for customers to buy a wide range of office products and services at this new 18,000 square-foot location.

Occupying just over 10,000-square feet will be BevMo!, the leading adult beverage-lifestyle superstore retailer in the western United States and among the largest in the country.

Massage Envy is the leading provider of therapeutic massage in the United States. Massage Envy Spa is its newest concept, offering Murad® healthy skin facials as well as therapeutic massages. Founded in 2002, Massage Envy has more than 640 locations in 42 states, with new centers opening every month.

“Pacific View mall has been evolving over the past 18 months” said Phil Carlson, senior property manager at Pacific View. “We have opened Ventura County’s only H&M and the first Sephora to west Ventura County”. “We’ve welcomed Wood Ranch, Shoe Palace and Ben & Jerry’s as well as relocated and expanded Van’s, Daniel’s Jewelers and AT&T.”

The retailers in the center’s north end retail district will begin opening in phases in 2011. Pacific View mall, Ventura’s local shopping destination, offers a broad mix of department stores including Macy’s, Target Sears and JCPenney, specialty retailers and dining choices. The one-million-square-foot super-regional mall is located just off the 101 Freeway at East Main Street in Ventura. For more information visit www.shoppacificview.com.

Zweig Family Dentistry Open for Business in Newbury Park

Zweig Family Dentistry opened a few weeks ago at the corner of Reino Road and Kimber Drive in Newbury Park (across from the Albertsons strip mall. This is a beautiful, brand new building and office facility that looks nothing like other dental offices around town. Dr. Milt Zweig and his family live in Newbury Park and he has practiced dentistry in the area for a number of years. Stop by and tell them Conejo Joe sent you!  Visit www.zweigfamilydentistry.com or call 805.498.0400 for more information.

Borders Thousand Oaks Will Be Closing in January 2011

Update 11/28/10: Today we stopped by Borders for their going out of business sale. Most everything was 30% to 40% off and there was quite a bit of merchandise in the store at this point. We got there at 11 a.m. and by the time we left around noon it was PACKED. So stop by ASAP if you're looking for a deal. An employee indicated the store will be open through the holidays/new year and there is no new location planned. 

As we left, we passed by the old, vacant Black Angus and Armstrong Nursery. Black Angus closed in April 2008, following the closing of Hungry Hunter in 2007 and Marie Callender's in 2008. Enough of that. Go get a bargain!

Original Post Date 11/15/10: Just a reminder that the Borders Bookstore at 125 West Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks will be closing sometime next January. This VC Star article from July confirms this with a Borders representative.

To me this comes as no surprise ad this 40,630 sq ft store is over 15,000 sq ft larger than the typical sized Borders and the company has experienced net losses for 5 years straight. Borders' stock price (BGP) hovers near an all-time low at just over $1 per share these days.

There's still hope for Borders with recent changes in management but among the ailing economy, a trend towards online sales and plenty of competition (Amazon.com's market valuation is roughly 900 TIMES Borders'...ouch!). While I would hope that Borders opens up another, smaller location somewhere else in town, I won't hold my breath.

On July 13, 2010, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to relocate three county medical services* an co-locate them into the Borders space. They approved a 15 year lease, starting with 9 months of "free" rent (while $6.5 million of tenant improvements are put in place) and subsequently $1.95/sq ft.

*The county medical services to be relocated to the Borders building will include:

Conejo Valley Family Medical Group (Ambulatory Care), currently located at 223 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Conejo Valley Clinic (Behavioral Health), currently located at 72 Moody Court.

Public Health, Women, Infants and Children program currently located at 80 E. Hillcrest Drive.

If Black Friday at The Oaks Mall is Any Indication, the Local Economy is Booming

Store clerks arrived at The Oaks mall to find long lines waiting for them to open on Black Friday. Every store in the mall was offering enticing sales. Well dressed women wore stylish sports shoes ready to shop for the day. As those who watch the economy know, it's not how many people are at the mall, it's how many people are there carrying bags full of purchases. There were men sitting together on the leather sofas--the furniture added to the mall's decor when it was remodeled. When the husbands' cell phones went off the men were summoned to their wives' sides to take out heavy bags and put them in the trunk of their cars so the women would not be burdened as they continued to shop. Teenagers in Santa hats didn't slow down to buy candy, pretzels or cinnamon rolls. They had been given lists and were on scavenger hunts. Their assigned quest was to bring home the most valuable sale items before quantities were depleted. Santa hasn't arrived at the mall, yet, but his elves may be finished wrapping gifts and packing his sleigh by the time children are lining up to tell them what they want.

Mama Rita's in Dos Vientos Ranch (Newbury Park) is Closing Its Doors in 2011

Update 1/13/14: The third restaurant to open in this space, The Local Table, opened its doors on February 4, 2014.

Update 9/8/13: La Cucina di Venti closed its doors.

Update August 2011: A new restaurant, La Cucina di Venti, is slated to open in the vacated Mama Rita's spot in Fall 2011.

The owner of Mama Rita's Authentic Mexican Cantina in the Dos Vientos Ranch section of Newbury Park announced today that Mama Rita's is closing its doors next year but will remain open through 2010. This is sad news all around for Laura, the local community and Paraiso Town Center (now called The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch) but on a positive note, Laura indicates she will continue her catering business out of another local location TBA.

Mama Rita's opened 2 1/2 years ago. Prior to that, Mama Rita's had what was primarily a catering location in Westlake Village near Costco. My wife has been a big fan of Mama Rita's chile rellenos since those earlier days and we fought over them as soon as they reached our kitchen counter.

In 2011, Mama Rita's was featured in Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Season 3. Video footage from that episode is shown below. Actually kind of fun to see Newbury Park on prime time!

The Norwegian Grade Reopens at 5 p.m. Today Just in Time for Holiday Traffic

Photo taken by Engineering Manager Tom Pizza. From Left: Construction Manager Chris Gabriel, Project Manager Dan Lazo, Inspector Fernado Perez, Design Engineer Tristan Santos

The main link between Thousand Oaks and Moorpark will reopen today after closing Sept. 20 for much needed repairs and safety improvements. The Norwegian Grade improvements, that cost just over $1.5 million, include a much longer guard rail, new signs and a slightly wider roadway. Before it was repaired there was only a small guardrail around the sharp curve. Now there's about 1/2 mile of guard rail. Before the blind curve, going each way, there are now flashing beacons warning of the sharp turn. There are also flashing markers on the pavement letting drivers know they should slow down. In some places the roadway had lanes that were only 10 feet wide. Now each lane of the two lane Moorpark Road, from Calle Contento to Santa Rosa Road, is 11 feet widefrom line to line. The pavement has been compacted underneath, covered with asphalt twice making it smooth and filled the entire length of the grade.

Best of all it's open again. Smoother and Safer. And OPEN!

Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village Wins AAA Five Diamond Award Again in 2011

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL WESTLAKE VILLAGE GARNERS PRESTIGIOUS AAA FIVE DIAMOND AWARD FOR 2011

Service and Teamwork are Key to Creating an Exceptional Guest Experience

For the third consecutive year, Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village received the coveted Five Diamond award by the American Automobile Association (AAA).  By achieving this designation, the 270-room Hotel remains the only AAA Five Diamond rated hotel in the Conejo Valley.

“We are thrilled and honoured to continue to receive this award which would not be possible without the tireless efforts of our employees,” said Regional Vice President and General Manager Thomas Gurtner.

This is a general manager who knows what he’s talking about when it comes to collecting precious stones.  Mr. Gurtner has a perfect score of achieving Five Diamond ratings or the equivalent for each of his 22 years with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in destinations as varied as New York, Hong Kong, Newport Beach and Boston.  According to Mr. Gurtner, the secret in garnering so much “bling” is surrounding himself with a team of extraordinary people providing exceptional service throughout his career.

“It’s all about the team,” said Mr. Gurtner.  “I know that the best success is shared success.  After all, organizational success is rarely about an individual.  In the end, it's the team of inherently caring, service-minded individuals who create our unique guest experience that makes the difference between ordinary and extraordinary.”  

To select AAA Five Diamond accommodations, the property is anonymously rated by 75 different benchmarks while the staff is evaluated by 228 individual standards.   Less than one-half of one percent of more than 31,000 inspected hotels achieves the AAA Five Diamond designation.

Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village opened in November 2006 offering a 40,000-square-foot Spa and well-being programs at California Health & Longevity Institute in addition to extensive function space and diverse dining options in ONYX and Hampton’s.  For more information or reservations for Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, please visit www.fourseasons.com/westlakevillage, call the Hotel directly at (818) 575-3000, or contact a travel professional.  

Note From Conejo Joe: The Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is the other hotel in Ventura County to make this Five Diamond list in 2010. This is the 5th year in a row that they have made the list.

Old T.O. Blvd. Building to be Demolished to Make Way for New Retail Structure

Not every property owner on Thousand Oaks Boulevard is waiting for the City Council to approve the proposed Specific Plan that is asking for permission to build 75-foot tall buildings.

The wrecking ball will come to one old structure before the Specific Plan is heard after the new, um, same City Council members are reorganized.

The 4,251-square-foot existing building at 2388 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard built in the 1950s will be destroyed to make room for a proposed new structure with 5,750 square feet of retail space. Both buildings are 1-story. The old building, that once was used for motorcycle sales, is about 15-feet tall. The new structure will average 23-feet in height with two towers--35-feet and 29-feet tall. The planning commission approved the demolition last night.

The city apparently did not learn any lessons from The Lakes parking fiasco where the city added parking spaces to the front of that shopping center to bring more customers to stores. Parking for the new structure will only be in the back and on the side. No news yet on what retailer is expected to occupy the new building after it is built.

Janss Marketplace to Present $10,000 Donation to Conejo Recreation & Park District on November 19th

Multiple arts and teen programs will benefit thanks to a major donation from Janss Marketplace, which will be presented during a ceremony tomorrow, Friday, November 19 at noon at Janss Marketplace, located at 215 North Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks.

The public is invited to attend the ceremony with leaders and families served through the Conejo Recreation and Park District and the Arts Council of the Conejo Valley. Janss Marketplace will present a $10,000 donation, which the center raised in just nine days from proceeds during the October Reign of Terror Haunted House. The Reign of Terror not only ranked as one of the top 10 Haunted Houses in the U.S., but also provided the center with the opportunity to donate much needed funds to the organizations.

The Young Artists Ensemble’s Conejo Theatre for Everyone program provides opportunity for youth to perform an annual fully-produced play or musical that draws high community attendance.  The donation from Janss Marketplace will provide financial aid for low income participants and help fund performance expenses

The Thousand Oaks Teen Center is operated through the cooperative efforts of the Conejo Recreation and Park District and the City of Thousand Oaks. The program benefits teens by providing a full service activity center and recreational programs.  The Janss Marketplace donation will help fund programs and purchase computer and sports equipment.

Janss Marketplace is professionally managed by NewMark Merrill Companies, LLC, which is owned by President and Chief Executive Officer, Sandy Sigal.  Since 1984 he has led NewMark Merrill in a community leadership role at the company’s shopping centers in more than 36 cities. For more information about the center, visit www.janssmarketplace.net or become a fan on Facebook.

For more information about the Conejo Recreation and Park District youth programs, contact Steve Wiley at 805.495.6471.

Janss Marketplace Presents $10,000 Donation to CRPD! CRPD Employees from L to R: Jim Friedl, General Manager; Brenda Coleman, Teen Services Director; Steve Wiley, Recreation Services Manager; John Short, Vice-Chair, CRPD Board of Directors; Scott Buchanan, Recreation Supervisor, Cultural Programs; Cecilia Laufenberg, Recreation Supervisor, Therapeutic Recreation Programs