Explorers' Emporium in Simi Valley May Be the Most Unique Store in Ventura County

Update 11/3/17: Owners announced via Facebook that they will be moving out of state 1/1/18 but that their online store will remain open.

Explorers' Emporium may well be the most unique store in Ventura County. 

A friend from Simi Valley has a son who has an interest in fossils. He received a good deal of help on his project at the store and told me I had to check it out.

I stopped by and it took me awhile to take it all in. Explorers' Emporium is a small store yet carries a jaw-dropping, eclectic assortment of items geared towards creative types.

An entire section of the store contains replicas of dinosaur teeth and other items like shark teeth. There is a huge assortment of archery supplies, Dungeons & Dragons gaming, crafts, steampunk, Renaissance Faire costumes, science projects, board games and much more.

There's an entire display of dinosaur replica items, like teeth and claws available for purchase for both educational and hobby/collecting use. I on the other hand couldn't help but purchase these Tyrannosaurus rex teeth for a few hard to shop for friends.

Located in the Stone Gate Shopping Center at 5766 E. Los Angeles Avenue (at Yosemite) in the east end of Simi Valley. Explorers' Emporium opened this past summer but its owners have been providing creative, science and learning programs to the local community for over 25 years.

Emplorers' Emporium offers a variety of programs, both on-site and at local schools and organizations, including fossil/dinosaur programs, archaic man programs, Dungeon and Dragons encounters, science/nature workshops, Magic: the Gathering sessions, Tandy leather classes, miniature/figurine painting, music, gaming and more. Visit www.explorersemporium.com/programs.php for details.

Learn more at explorersemporium.com or call 805.791.3002.

Renaissance Fair and Steampunk garb available for purchase at Explorers' Emporium

History Repeats Itself as Nordstrom Rack Premieres Today at Janss Marketplace

I didn't do a count, but there were easily hundreds and hundreds of folks on hand today for the grand opening of the new Nordstrom Rack at Janss Marketplace, in a space on Hillcrest Drive previously occupied by Sears (which now occupies less space). It was pretty crazy, yet casual, as locals enjoyed special treats, music, raffle and a first look at this new store, barely a half mile walk from the Nordstrom store at The Oaks mall across the street.

Funny how history repeats itself. Fifty five (yes 55) years ago, the headline of a Thousand Oaks Journal news story on Wednesday, November 16, 1960 was "THRIFTY DRUG OPENS NEW 1000 OAKS STORE THURSDAY" and further noted "Giant Throng Expected at Ventura Blvd & Moorpark Rd For Thurs. Grand Opening."  Ventura Blvd is now Thousand Oaks Blvd, the Conejo Village Shopping Center is now Janss Marketplace, and Thrifty Drug Store became Rite Aid many years ago, but that store is still there!

Image courtesy of Thousand Oaks Library Special Collections

Lots of excitement about that new Thrifty store apparently because they awarded Blue Chip Stamps on over 20,000 items!! I'm dating myself by remembering Blue Chip Stamps, a customer loyalty program that went by the wayside in the 1980s. Warren Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway, acquired Blue Chip Stamps as a company in the 1970s. Sales were $126 million in 1970 but dropped to pretty much nothing by the 1990s.

The Oaks Mall Announces Three New Eateries Coming in Summer 2016 - Pizza Rev, Urban Plates and Chipotle

In addition to the previously mentioned De-Lite-Ful Low Carb Restaurant coming to The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks sometime early next year, there are three additional eateries coming to the The Oaks towards to the summer of 2016. 

PizzaRev is a "build your own" fast-casual pizza place with other local locations in Camarillo, Oxnard and Woodland Hills. 

Chipotle...well, I'm pretty sure you already now about Chipotle Mexican Grill, with other local locations in Newbury Park, Westlake Village, Camarillo, Simi Valley, Oxnard, Ventura and Malibu.

Urban Plates - This is a restaurant with locations in San Diego, Irvine, Dublin, and soon, Playa Vista, serving "made from scratch" salads, entrees, braises and stews and sandwiches. "Farm to plate and won't break the bank" is what they say at www.urbanplates.com.

These eateries are planned as part of the new construction that is planned west of Lazy Dog Cafe.

Updates at www.shoptheoaksmall.com.

Nordstrom Rack at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks to Open This Fall

Back in December 2013, Nordstrom announced plans to open a 40,000 sq ft Nordstrom Rack, 145 West Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks in fall 2015.

The store will be opening on Thursday, October 1, 2015. They will be having a grand opening event at 8am with gift card giveaways, breakfast, music, treats and more. Store will be opening at 9am.

Regular weekday hours are 10am to 9pm.

This two-story store will occupy a portion of the existing Sears location, while Sears will continue occupying an anchor position on the primary floor of the existing store.  

Get updates at shop.nordstrom.com/st/nordstrom-rack-janss-marketplace.

REI Woodland Hills is Opening Its Doors on Friday, September 18th

REI Woodland Hills is opening its doors on Friday, September 18th, with grand opening specials at 6220 Topanga Canyon Boulevard (at Erwin Street). REIprovides outdoor enthusiasts with top-brand gear and clothing for camping, climbing, cycling, fitness, hiking, paddling, skiing, travel and more. Also offering a complete bike shop, with a full range of professional bike shop services to help keep you biking the streets and trails year-round. 

Visit www.rei.com/stores/woodland-hills.html for more information. This REI store is about 3 miles closer to the center of Thousand Oaks than the REI store at The Collection at RiverPark that opened about 2 1/2 years ago (my how time flies!).

ZARA Anticipated to Open This Fall at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks

ZARA is a Spanish clothing and accessories retailer based in Arteixo, Galicia, and founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera. There are over 2,000 ZARA stores around the world, including 54 in the United States. ZARA carries women's, men's, and children's clothing, shoes, fragrances and accessories.

ZARA is the flagship chain store of the Inditex (Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A.) group, the world's largest apparel retailer, operating over 6,600 stores worldwide. The fashion group also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Uterqüe, Stradivarius, Oysho and Bershka.

ZARA is anticipated to be opening this fall at The Oaks Mall on the first floor, north side, directly across from Nordstrom and below The Cheesecake Factory.

They are currently looking to hire staff! Visit www.joinfashioninditex.com for more information about applying. More on ZARA at www.zara.com.

DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse Opening at the Janss Marketplace on September 10th

DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse is opening at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks on Thursday, September 10th. It is located on the Hillcrest Drive side of the mall near the Nordstrom Rack store that is slated to open on October 1, 2015.  DSW is currently hiring for this new store.

Water Wings Swim School Opening Soon at the Agoura Hills Town Center

Water Wings Swim School is opening very soon at the Agoura Hills Town Center, 30135 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, directly across from Future Track Running Center.  Nearly four years ago, this was Terri's Cafe.  FOLLOW-UP: They opened in August!

Water Wings is a year round swim school founded in 2003 with locations in Las Vegas and Northridge...and soon, Agoura Hills. I was shocked when I discovered this today. Quite a massive, heated pool completely full of water. Water wings provides private and group lessons to children and adults of all ages, starting at 3 months.

For more information, visit www.waterwingsswimschool.com or visit the Water Wings Agoura Hills Facebook page at www.facebook.com/waterwingsah. They are also currently hiring for this new location.

Color Mi Vino: Paint, Wine, Fun Opening Later This Summer in Simi Valley

Color Mi Vino: Paint, Wine, Fun is joining the latest big trend...painting with a glass of wine. They are looking to open in the coming months, with a target date in September, at 2955 B-2 Cochran St, Simi Valley (Sycamore Square Shopping Center).

Under the guidance of a trained artist, enjoy painting your masterpiece with a glass of wine, beer or non-alcoholic beverage. All supplies will be provided and no experience is required. You will be guided every step of the way.

For updates, visit colormivino.com.