PennyMac Corporate Headquarters to Relocate From Moorpark to Thousand Oaks

At yesterday's "State of the City" address at Cal Lutheran, City of Thousand Oaks Mayor Al Adam shared the news that Moorpark financial services provider PennyMac is moving its corporate headquarters from Moorpark to Thousand Oaks, along with about 300 jobs. Earlier this year, PennyMac inked a deal for 60,466 sq ft of space at 3043 Townsgate Road in Westlake Village.

PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under symbol PFSI. More information at www.pennymacusa.com.

The Mayor also indicated that China based Herri Holdings Corp is in the process of building out an 88,000 sq ft pharmaceutical manufacturing facility at 2300 Corporate Center Drive in Thousand Oaks.

We were also reminded that Easton Baseball/Softball will be relocating from its current Van Nuys location to Thousand Oaks when its current lease ends in 2016. Its CEO noted in video footage that Easton has outgrown its current space and looks forward to moving to the Conejo Valley, with its great local baseball/softball tradition. According to an August Pacific Coast Business Times article, Easton's new headquarters at 3500 Willow Lane, Thousand Oaks will entail 90,000 sq ft and will include a 15,200 sq ft indoor training facility where new products will be developed.

And lastly, we heard about the first ever NCAA national championship in Ventura County history earned on November 21st by the California Lutheran University Women Regals Volleyball Team. The 9th ranked Regals topped 6th ranked Wittenberg University of Ohio 25-23, 25-18, 25-16 in their third NCAA title game appearance. More at www.clusports.com/volleyball/news/11980.

A New Häagen-Dazs® Scoop Shop Appears to Be Opening Soon in Thousand Oaks

Update 11/20/15: Well Betsy M filled us in that the Haagen-Dazs Westlake Village is now closed. That didn't last long! This was confirmed by the fact that this location has vaporized from the Haagen-Dazs website at www.haagendazs.us and the phone is no longer in service. 

Update 6/9/14: The new Haagen-Dazs at North Ranch Plaza, 3825 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Westlake Village opened its doors about nine days ago. They are open 10am to 10pm. Call 805.379.9840 for more information.

Originally posted 3/2/14:

What is that sign in the window of the vacant suite next to Jersey Mike's Subs in the North Ranch Plaza, 3825 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks?

Let's take a closer look at that sign in the window.

I'm going out on a limb here, but it would appear that a Häagen-Dazs® shop will be opening here in Spring 2014. Assuming these signs are not a cruel prank, this will be the 2nd Häagen-Dazs® shop in the Conejo Valley, joining the Häagen-Dazs® Scoop Shop at The Oaks Mall. Visit www.haagendazs.com for more information.

As we are big fans of frozen treats here at CVG, we do our best to keep track of frozen yogurt, gelato, ice cream and other frozen treats in and around Ventura County.

The Häagen-Dazs® brand was originated by Reuben Mattus in New York in the early 1920s, starting out with only three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and coffee. By 1973, Häagen-Dazs® was available throughout the U.S. and the first "Scoop Shop" opened in 1976. In 1983 the brand was sold to The Pillsbury Company. General Mills bought Pillsbury in 2001. But in the U.S. and Canada, the Häagen-Dazs® brand is licensed to Nestlé and its products are produced by Nestle subsidiary Dreyer's. Too much information? OK, I'll stop there :)

Update on Bankruptcy Sales of Local Area Haggen Stores in Ventura County

Last month we heard that Gelson's was looking to buy eight former Haggen stores and Smart & Final sought 28 stores.  These deals have been approved by the bankruptcy court, so you can look forward at some point soon to a Gelson's at 1736 E. Avenida De Los Arboles in Thousand Oaks and Smart & Final Extra! stores at 5770 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village, 2100 Newbury Road, Newbury Park and 5135 Los Angeles Avenue, Simi Valley.

UPDATE 11/25/15: Haggen announced in a press release that the following stores were indeed approved for sale by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

That leaves four remaining Ventura County former Haggen stores up for bid, and they indeed were bid on last week. Here are the winning bidders that are now awaiting court approval for their offers, as summarized by OregonLive.com:

• Camarillo (2400 Las Posas Road) - Donahue Schriber Realty Group (the owner of the Camarillo Village Square) - The back-up bidder is Super A Foods, Inc. We will have to get clarification as to what will reside in this store.
• Simi Valley (2800 Cochran) - Sprouts Farmers Market
• Simi Valley (660 E. Los Angeles Ave) - Stater Bros. Markets

That leaves the former Oxnard store at 920 N. Ventura Road

The sale hearing is planned for November 24th.

In an ironic plot twist, Albertson's was named as the winning bidder on 33 former Haggen locations, though none in the local Ventura County area. In December 2014, Haggen purchased 146 Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions stores in five states, including 83 in California, that eventually led to this big bankruptcy mess!

Lolli and Pops Now Open at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks

Lolli and Pops is now open at The Oaks Mall on the lower level near Macy's Mens and Home Store Court. Lolli and Pops is a high-end purveyor of sweetness and confectionary treats, offering over 600 unique items of indulgence, with unique, candy-themed rooms. 

This company, which was founded in 2012, just opened a location at the Westfield Topanga Mall in Canoga Park and also has a Glendale Galleria location.

So what kind of sweets to do these purveyors of sweetness carry? Unique sweets from all over the world, including chocolate from Madagascar, sourbelts from Spain, sodas from Japan and more. Visit www.lolliandpops.com to learn more.

Sweet! Both figuratively and literally. The Oaks is not lacking for sweets, with Lolli and Pops joining See's Candies and Sweet XO. Hmm, perhaps the next wise move at The Oaks would be to bring a dentist's office to the mall!

Lolli and Pops Sizzle from Lolli and Pops on Vimeo.

The Container Store is Coming to The Collection at RiverPark on Saturday, November 14th

Update 11/6/15: On grand opening weekend, November 14-15, The Container Store Oxnard will give away prizes every hour, including a $1,000 elfa ® space makeover.

The store is set to have 10,000 ingenious storage and organization products in 16 lifestyle sections.

They have announced that 10% of grand opening weekend sales will be donated to local Casa Pacifica Center for Children & Families.

Store hours are 10am to 9pm, Mon to Sat and 11am to 7pm on Sunday. www.containerstore.com

Update June 2015: Grand opening date of November 14, 2015 is planned for The Container Store at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard. www.containerstore.com/locations/showStore.htm?store=OXN

Original post 2/20/15: Last week, The Collection at Riverpark in Oxnard announced that The Container Store will be opening later this year. The Container Store, the nation’s originator and leading retailer of storage and organization products, will offer more than 10,000 products to help customers save space and, ultimately, save time. The 25,000 square foot building is under construction next to H&M and is scheduled to open in late 2015.

The Container Store opened its first store in 1978 and has 70 store locations nationwide. The company has been named to FORTUNE magazine’s 100 Best Companies To Work For® – 15 years in a row. Visit www.containerstore.com for more information.

This is quite a nice development for The Collection and all of Ventura County, as this will be the first and only location of The Container Store here. The closest locations are at the Los Angeles Farmers Market, Century City and El Segundo.

Sephora Coming to The Promenade at Westlake This November

Nov Update: Sephora is now open.

Posted 8/17/15: Caruso Affiliated’s The Promenade at Westlake will welcome beauty retailer Sephora this November. A visionary beauty-retail concept, Sephora's unique, open-sell environment features an ever-increasing amount of classic and emerging brands across a broad range of product categories including skincare, color, fragrance, body and haircare, in addition to Sephora's own private label, SEPHORA COLLECTION. From unparalleled beauty advice to professional makeovers, guests will be able to tap into the latest products, skincare and expertise, as well as shop favorite brands like Marc Jacobs Beauty, Formula X, Bite Beauty, Fresh, Drybar, and more.

The Promenade at Westlake is located at 100 Promenade Way, Westlake Village and is open Monday – Thursday: 10am-8pm, Friday – Saturday: 10am-9pm and Sunday: 11am-7pm

www.sephora.com  / www.shoppromenade.com

Five Threads Brewing Company Opening Tonight in Westlake Village

Five Threads Brewing Company is opening its doors tonight at 31133 Via Colinas, Suite 109, Westlake Village (west of Lindero Canyon Road) offering locally brewed craft beers in its tasting room. 

Five Threads? The five threads represent the five ingredients of beer: Water, Malt, Hops, Yeast and "You and Me." 

Open Wednesday through Sunday (closed for brewing on Monday/Tuesday). Visit www.fivethreadsbrewing.com for more information.

M∙A∙C Cosmetics Opening at The Promenade at Westlake This Fall

Update 10/29/15: M-A-C Cosmetics is now open at The Promenade at Westlake. www.maccosmetics.com 

Posted 8/12/15: The Promenade at Westlake welcomes the world’s leading professional makeup authority. M∙A∙C Cosmetics is scheduled to open its newest location at The Promenade at Westlake, this fall. A favorite of professional makeup artists, M∙A∙C Cosmetics will offer guests its finest quality, prestige makeup and services. 

The Promenade at Westlake is located at 100 Promenade Way, Westlake Village

Hours: Monday – Thursday: 10am-8pm, Friday – Saturday: 10am-9pm, Sunday: 11am-7pm

www.maccosmetics.com / www.shoppromenade.com