Tifa Chocolate & Gelato Opened Today at The Shoppes at Westlake Village

Update January 26, 2015: Tifa Westlake at 30760 Russell Ranch Road, Suite A, Westlake Village is now open to the public!

Originally posted July 30, 2014:

Tifa Chocolate & Gelato will be opening a location at The Shoppes at Westlake Village. Tifa serves up gelato, handmade chocolates, artisan chocolate bars, European drinking chocolate and espresso drinks at its current location at Whizin Market Square, 28888 Roadside Drive in Agoura Hills. That would make these locations about four miles apart, which is fine by me when chocolate is involved!

Watch for updates here or at shoppesatwestlakevillage.com.

Karma Baker Opened in Westlake Village in October

On a recent visit with the kids to the only remaining Lamppost Pizza in the Conejo Valley, I noticed the Karma Baker sign at 1145 Lindero Canyon Road in Westlake Village, in the Pavilions Plaza at the southwest corner of Lindero and Kanan.

Karma Baker offers organic, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free and gluten-free baked goods, including carrot cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes, cookies, muffins, tarts, seasonal pies and more.

Owner Celine Ikeler has a passion for baking vegan, gluten-free with her own flour blend that, unlike most store brands, does not include beans, nuts or soy. She has partnered with vegan ultra-endurance athlete, best-seller and motivational speaker Rich Roll and his wife Julie in establishing this bakery.

Bakery hours are 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday. Although their website at www.karmabaker.com indicates "by appointment" on weekends, their Facebook page indicates 9am to 2pm on Saturdays.

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Community Marketplace Indoor Swap Meet Opened in Moorpark in October

Effective September 3, 2015, the Community Marketplace Indoor Swap Meet in Moorpark is closed. 

The Community Marketplace Indoor Swap Meet opened in Moorpark on Halloween. Housed in a 253,500 sq ft building, it is the largest venue of its kind in the local area. Currently (as of December 2014) there are 80 vendors selling items ranging from plants, furniture, clothing, shoes, vintage items, jewelry, lots of handmade items, electronics and much more, as well as a home improvement area where you can find local service providers.

Community Marketplace is a "permanent" indoor mall open year round on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm. This December it is also open weekdays through Christmas Eve. Operators are looking to bring in three gourmet food trucks in the future.

Located at 709 Science Drive in Moorpark, near the junction of the 23 and 118. From Thousand Oaks, take the 23 north to New Los Angeles Avenue and turn left. Then turn right on Science Drive.

Learn more at www.shopcommunitymarketplace.com.

Popped Fresh Gourmet Popcorn Opens in Agoura Hills

Popped Fresh is a gourmet popcorn and fudge store with over 50 flavors popped and prepared at the store that opened recently.  The store is located at 5013 Kanan Road, Agoura Hills, across the parking lot from IHOP.  Popcorn is popped fresh daily and ift baskets, tins, and boxes for every occasion are available at the store.

Popped Fresh offers over 50 flavors of fresh popped popcorn on premises. Store hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10-6, Sunday 11-3. To learn more, visit www.poppedfresh.com or call 818.707.7200.

This is the former location of Tifa Chocolate and Gelato, which moved to Whizin Market Square in May 2013.

CURVE Boutique is Now Open at Malibu Country Mart

The Malibu Country Mart announces the introduction of CURVE, a woman’s boutique offering well-known designers from Phillip Lim to Alexander Wang and more.

CURVE boutique brings a collection of luxury pieces and provides shoppers with a personalized experience, with trained stylists who hand-select styles from numerous designers. CURVE carries brands including Jean Paul Gaultier, Proenza Schouler, Emanuel Ungaro, Rodarte, and CURVE founder Nevena Borissova’s own signature line sold exclusively at CURVE stores.

The Malibu location is CURVE’s fifth store, with other locations in New York, San Francisco, Miami and Los Angeles. Its interior features an industrial aesthetic with concrete floors, marble countertops and oversized mirrors. Track lighting and exposed beams create more of an art-gallery feel with muted colors to make its signature designer pieces stand out.

The store is located at 3835 Cross Creek Road, Suite 17. Open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m  

Having started as a standalone store on Robertson Boulevard, CURVE was first founded by Nevena Borissova, who opened the Los Angeles store in 1997 at just 22 years old. With a discerning eye for detail and what would be popular each season, Nevena began to discover and promote new fashion talent and became known for being a buyer that was always “ahead of the curve.” Today, with an extremely loyal clientele and a devout following of costume designers, stylists, editors, celebrities and fashionable women worldwide, CURVE remains one of the original pillars of cutting-edge style in retail.

For more information, please visit www.shopcurve.com or call 310-456-9944.

About the Malibu Country Mart

The Malibu County Mart encompasses six acres of prime real estate in the heart of Malibu. The 67 unique tenants comprised of high-end retail, dining, and service offerings are housed in an eclectic mix of architectural styles including Mediterranean, modern and rustic influences. The structures are complimented by world-class gardens, unique sculptures, outdoor dining and picnic areas, and the popular children’s playground. The Malibu County Mart is leading the trend in Malibu in eco-friendly practices, from three electric car charging stations to a chemical-free sandbox in the children’s playground. www.malibucountrymart.com

Lot of Buzz About New Bookstore That Opened Today at The Oaks Mall

UPDATE: This location closed effective 3/1/20 but owners anticipate relocating elsewhere around town.

Conejo Valley Guide Facebook followers were abuzz today about the new The Open Book bookstore that opened at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks this morning. It has been quite a number of years since there was a bookstore at The Oaks, and from the oohs and ahhs shown on Facebook, there are still quite a number of folks chomping at the bit to buy books!

According to its Facebook page, The Open Book was previously located at the Topanga Westfield Mall in the San Fernando Valley. According to owners, The Open Book sells new books and DVDs at significantly discounted prices. The store contains an inventory of an estimated 20,000 items, which also includes out of print and vintage books. In addition to a Sunday children's storytime, the store plans to initiate a book club at a future date.

The Open Book is located on the 2nd floor inside The Oaks in the store that previously was occupied by Coldwater Creek. In, fact, they indicated that dressing rooms were demolished to make room for an amazing kids' department. The store is located next to the doors leading to the outdoor shops, restaurants and Muvico.

Call (805) 494-5056 for more information.

New Target Store at The Shoppes at Westlake Village Opened on July 22nd

If you drive by The Shoppes at Westlake Village you may find cars in the parking lot in front of the new Target. I suspect those may belong to employees in training for the upcoming grand opening on Sunday, July 27th (THIS CHANGED TO 4PM ON TUESDAY, JULY 22ND). The City of Westlake Village has indicated that most other tenants will open just before or after the Target grand opening, including Tilly's, Total Woman Gym and Spa, Hook Burger, In-N-Out (no word yet on specific timing at this point), Jeannine's Market, The Gallery Seafood and Chophouse, Los Agaves, Olio e Limone, Greens Up!, Endless Beauty Supply and Suite Vibes Salon.

Other tenants to include Which Wich® Superior Sandwiches, Bowl of Heaven Acai Bowls, Kirk Jewelers and others. Visit www.shoppesatwestlakevillage.com for more information.

Additional Tenants at the "Shoppes at Westlake Village" Highlighted

Update July 5, 2014:

Additional tenants since the last update include Which Wich® Superior Sandwiches, Bowl of Heaven Acai Bowls, Kirk Jewelers, The Gallery (a gourmet restaurant specializing in fresh seafood, chops and oysters) and Figueroa Mountain Brewing as well as a Sports Clips. Target is planning to open on Sunday, July 27th.

Posted March 14, 2014:

A few months ago we noted that the 240,000 sq ft Shoppes at Westlake Village development would be home to a new Target store, In N Out Burger and Total Woman Gym & Spa in the summer of 2014.

Since then, a number of new tenants have been named for this brand new property at www.shoppesatwestlakevillage.com. Here goes:

Olio e Limone Ristorante (meaning "oil and lemon" in Italian) serves "simply sophisticated" Italian cuisine in an inviting atmosphere with European hospitality. They have been operated in Santa Barbara for nearly 15 years and their second location will be right here at the Shoppes. Learn more at www.olioelimone.com.

Next door to Olio e Limone will be Olio Pizzeria, a casual concept emphasizing simple, delicious everyday artisanal Italian food with a contemporary twist. Enjoy boutique salumi and formaggi, authentic pizza and regional wines, Italian beers and signature cocktails.

All Tressed Up BlowDry and Beauty Bar is an express luxury service salon where you can sit at a luxurious blowdry bar, sip champagne or surf on complimentary iPads while undergoing your beauty makeovers. More at getalltressedup.com.

Jeannine's Gourmet Food Hall is joining the Shoppes with its one-of-a-kind pastries and nutritious, wholesome food. Jeannine's has three locations in Santa Barbara - in Montecito, Downtown and Uptown. Family owned for 30 years! Learn more at jeannines.com. (Update: Jeannine's opened in mid-October)

BCBC Nail Spa will also be opening at the Shoppes, offering superior nail service in a relaxing atmosphere.

Hook Burger will be opening a new location at the Shoppes too! Founded by the folks with 35 years of burger experience with The Habit. Hook burgers are humanely raised, 100% USDA lean beef and chicken is fresh and hormone and antibiotic free. You can try Hook now in its Oxnard location. Learn more at hookburger.com. (Update: Hook Burger opened in early October 2014)

Last but not least for now, Tilly's, which specialized in action sports clothing, shoes and accessories, is opening a new location at the Shoppes. www.tillys.com

Learn more about the Shoppes at Westlake Village at www.shoppesatwestlakevillage.com.

SunLife Organics is Now Open at The Commons at Calabasas

SunLife Organics is now open at The Commons at Calabasas.

SunLife Organics offers organic juices, smoothies, signature superfood drinks, coffee, snacks, supplements, and frozen yogurt, brews Intelligentsia coffee and servse Malibu's only organic frozen yogurt with toppings like chocolate covered goji berries. For more information visit www.sunlifeorganicsmalibu.com.