Geppino's Sicilian Kitchen to Open 2nd Location in Thousand Oaks

UPDATE: Geppino's closed its Moorpark location in August 2016 and its Westlake Village location in early 2017.

UPDATE 11/30/15: Geppino's is opening its doors on December 5th. 

Today (8/3/15), Geppino's Sicilian Kitchen of Moorpark announced via Facebook that it will be opening a 2nd location, this one at the former Vitello's at 3316 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, just northwest of Auto Mall Drive.

Founded in April 2013 at 484 E. Los Angeles Avenue, Suite 100 in Moorpark (this location was also the former home of another Italian eatery, Two Guys From Italy), Geppino's is a family owned and operated Italian restaurant open for lunch and dinner.

They are targeting opening in October. Learn more at www.siciliankitchen484.com.

Italian restaurants on a local tear, with the recent openings of Pitfire Artisan Pizza, Al Mulino Eatalian Bakery & Bar, Barone's The Pizzeria Express, Urban Pizza, Olio e Limone Ristorante and Olio Pizzeria.

Kreation Organic Juicery Now Open at The Promenade at Westlake

Update 11/20/15: Kreation Organic is now open at The Promenade at Westlake.

Original Post 1/22/15: According to The Promenade at Westlake's website at shoppromenade.com, Kreation Juicery is coming this summer. "Kreation Juicery provides healthy and delicious drinks, made from farmers market 100% organic fruits and vegetables, designed to invigorate the body and mind."

There are other Kreation Juicery locations in Venice, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica and Toluca Lake. This would be the first location out here in the beautiful Conejo Valley!

More information at kreationjuice.com.

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 :)

Brandy Melville Coming Soon to The Promenade at Westlake

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Teen clothing retailer Brandy Melville is coming to The Promenade at Westlake as early as December, in the space next to Cost Plus World Market. Huffington Post noted last year that Brandy Glanville is "the hottest teen clothing retailer in the U.S., where the garments are designed for just one body type: thin." Business Insider notes the company "sells a wide array of tiny crop tops, high-waisted bottoms and slouchy sweaters" and this Italian retailer has been in the U.S. now for about six years.

I don't know who Brandy Melville is, or if she is related to Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick. But according to the Brandy Melville EU site, "Being an original Italian brand, inspired by L.A. lifestyle, Brandy Melville gained its fame among Hollywood celebrities, including The Kardashians, Ashley Benson, Audrina Patridge, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, Karlie Kloss and many others. In a world where fashion can often come across as ordinary and simple, Brandy Melville charmingly sneaks upon its potential ‘Brandy Girl’. Her classic character stands out in the crowd, she is refined and fashionable yet relaxed. Satisfying the customer is a priority within the concept of Brandy Melville. Whenever entering the store, every customer feels at ease and always leaves with a warm feeling."

Learn more at www.brandymelvilleusa.com.

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!

The Charhouse BBQ & Grill and Green & Bean Coming Soon to Oak Park

Update 2/28/17: Green & Bean has closed its doors. Thanks for the heads up, Amelia S.

Update 11/10/15: Green & Bean opened on October 24th. No updates as of yet on The Charhouse. www.thecharhousebbq.com

Original Post: 4/26/15

Amelia tipped us off that The Charhouse BBQ & Grill is coming soon to the former home of Nico's Cafe at 706 Lindero Canyon Road, Oak Park (northeast corner at Kanan). Looking forward to hearing more about this new eatery.

And to the right of The Charhouse in Suite 794, in the former home of the Starbucks (that moved across the street to the former home of El Pollo Loco in November 2013), the Green & Bean Organic Juicery & Coffee Lab is also coming soon, offering Individual drip coffee, cold brew on tap, iced tea on tap, cold pressed juices and nut milks.

Woodland Hills Ice Outdoor Winter Ice Rink

Sad announcement: The Woodland Hills Ice Rink will not be open for the 2016-2017 holiday season for reasons beyond their control. But they hope to bring it back in the future.

Here in the Conejo Valley, the Holiday Ice Rink at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks is always so popular from mid-November through mid-January. If you're looking for even more outdoor holiday skating action in the local vicinity, check out the Woodland Hills Ice Outdoor Winter Ice Rink, located at the Westfield Promenade, 6100 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Woodland Hills (in the northwest corner of the parking lot at the intersection of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Erwin Street),

The rink is open November 11, 2015 to January 24, 2016, including holidays.

Woodland Hills Ice has been open during the winter months since 1989. Open 7 days a week including holidays, the outdoor ice rink hosts daily public skating, birthday parties, field trips, fundraisers and special events on 7,000 sq ft of ice.

Admission prices, which includes skate rental, are $15 for ages 9+, $13 for ages 8 and under and free to ages 3 and under. Hours vary.

Visit www.woodlandhillsice.com or call 818.854.4151 to learn more.

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.