Go Fish Sushi Bar Opening Again Soon at Simi Valley Town Center

Update 6/20/17: Go Fish Sushi's grand opening was this past Saturday, June 17th.

Originally publish date: 2/25/17

We stopped by the Simi Valley Town Center the other day to grab a bite to eat and explore a bit. As we meandered over to the west side of the mall near the Studio Movie Grill and koi pond, we noticed that Go Fish Sushi Bar was under construction adjacent to the theater.

This koi pond is located next to Go Fish Sushi Bar. Koi, don't worry, you're safe.

Go Fish Sushi Bar was shut down for construction on Friday, August 8, 2014. The specific grand re-opening date has not been announced as of yet but according to a post on its Facebook page, it appears to be in the next month or two.

Amazon Announces it is Acquiring Whole Foods Market

Amazon and Whole Foods Market announced today that Amazon will be acquiring Whole Foods for $42 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at nearly $14 billion.  Whole Foods closed at $33 per share yesterday and is up 29% to over $42 today.

Whole Foods Market will continue operating under the Whole Foods Market brand.

In its latest fiscal year ended September 25, 2016, Whole Foods had 456 stores, 17.8 million square footage of stores and 85 stores in California (including local Ventura County stores in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard). Total revenue for the fiscal year was $15.7 billion.

Amazon's 2016 revenue was $136 billion.

The transaction is anticipated to by the end of 2017.

Julian's Restaurant & Bar Opened Last Month in Old Town Camarillo

Julian's Restaurant & Bar opened last month at 2433 Ventura Boulevard in Old Town Camarillo, in the historic "J.F. Lewis & Sons - 1916" building previously occupied by JJ Brewsky's, The French Bulldog and then, the Old Town Tavern.

Julian's was opened by brothers Jerry and Julio Perez and their uncle Jorge Contreras after closing Verona Trattoria this past February after 20 years in service. This new concept, named after Jorge's late brother, serves gourmet California cuisine.

Entrees on the dinner menu include Steak and Enchilada, Filet Brie, Salmon Mediterranean, Enchiladas Poblanas, pastas and more.

Visit www.juliansrestaurantandbar.com.

The Annex at The Collection at RiverPark

The Annex is a 16,000 sq ft collection of microshops, boutiques and eateries that will be located at the southeast corner of Collection Boulevard and Parkview Court at The Collection at RiverPark.

As of June 2017, shops and eateries to occupy The Annex include:

• Cherry Hills Market - Retail shop will sell a variety of premium hand crafted home goods.
• Sueno Jewelry Studio - handmade and custom jewelry
• Scratch will be opening its first brick and Mortar location here, serving seasonal meats, cheeses and product for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Ragamuffin Coffee Roaster, which originated in Newbury Park, will open a location here.
• Love Pho Cafe will be opening a location here.
• Bottle & Pint, yet another Newbury Park original will open its second location here, with crafts beers from around the world.
• Afters Ice Cream is home of the "milky bun." Handmade ice cream sandwiches on soft, doughnut-like buns.
• The Blend Superfood Bar will offer smoothies and acai bowls.

Learn more at www.tcrpannex.com.

Petco Coming to Janss Marketplace in the Fall of 2017

We recently learned that Petco will be opening later this year, probably in the fall time frame, at Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks. It will be on the east side of the mall, next to the ULTA Beauty that is anticipated to open in the same time frame. 

The old Rite Aid space will be renovated for these new businesses. 

Speaking of pet stores, the new Pet Food Express at the Conejo Valley Plaza Shopping Center is slated to open next month. www.petfoodexpress.com/stores/detail/thousand-oaks

2017 Aloha Beach Festival in Ventura Has Been "Put on Hold" by Organizers

The Aloha Beach Festival took place in Promenade Park/Surfer's Point in Ventura on Labor Day Weekend the last 12 years. The event featured surfing, outrigger canoe and surfing competitions live music, arts and crafts, food vendors and more.

This year, event organizers have indicated the festival has been put on hold as they "assess the enormous rate hikes the City of Ventura" has indicated. They will "take time off, and reflect on why we do the Aloha Beach Festival based on pure love." 

That's a bummer.

For updates, visit www.alohabeachfestival.us.

City of Camarillo Provides Free Trolley Bus Service Seven Days a Week

The City of Camarillo provides free trolley bus service Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m.

The service provides convenient, air-conditioned, nostalgic transportation to Camarillo retail and dining destinations. Accommodations for persons with disabilities are provided.

The trolley bus route starts at the Metrolink train station, runs west on Daily Drive, south down Las Posas Road, and then east on Ventura Boulevard back to the Metrolink station. Here are the stops and the minutes the trolley reaches each stop after each hour and half hour:

• Metrolink (0 min)
• Ponderosa Center (next to 99 Cent Store) (4 min)
• Camarillo Plaza (Daily Dr west of Murray Ave) (7 min)
• Carmen Plaza (Daily and Carmen) (9 min)
• Las Posas Plaza (Daily and Calle La Roda) (11 min)
• Camarillo Town Center (between Ross and Walmart) (17 min)
• Premium Outlets Promenade (Ventura Blvd) (20 min)
• Premium Outlets Main Court (Ventura Blvd and Camarillo Center Dr) (22 min)
• Old Town (Ventura Blvd and Fir St) (25 min)
• Dizdar Park and Camarillo Chamber (27 min)

The trolley stops at shopping centers all along the route on a 30 minute schedule. Riders can also flag down the trolley to board anywhere along the route.

Where IS the trolley at any given point in time!? Well you can get that answer on the Trolley Tracker at www.camarillotrolley.com. How cool is that?

Call 805.988-4CAT for more information.