DICK'S Sporting Goods Opening Soon at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks

Update 9/26/16: Dick's has announced grand opening weekend on October 14-16 at The Oaks Mall, with preview days on 10/12-13 from 9am to 9:30pm. 

Open Friday/Saturday, October 14-15 from 8am to 10pm and Sunday, October 16 from 9am to 8pm. 

Grand opening appearances/events announced:

Sat 10/15 noon to 2pm: Former Los Angeles Dodger First Baseman Eric Karros (wristband required)

Fri 4pm, Sat 3pm, Sun 11am and 2:30pm: Ready, Set, Roll! Challenge - open to kids ages 6-15. Skill challenge in strength, agility and speed. Prizes awarded upon completion of challenge.

Daily giveaways...t-shirt to the first 100 people in line on Friday, mystery gift cards to the first adults in line on Saturday and again on Sunday.  Other giveaways too.

Posted 9/3/16:

DICK'S Sporting Goods at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks indicates it will be opening soon and is currently in process of searching for sales associates, store managers and bicycle technicians. at www.dickssportinggoods.jobs.

DICK'S Sporting Goods was founded in 1948 when 18 year old Dick Stack opened his first store, a bait-and-tackle shop, funded by a $300 gift from his grandmother in Binghamton, New York. He expanded his product line over the next 10 years to most of what you see in stores today.

Dick's son, Ed Stack is currently the CEO/Chairman of DICK'S Sporting Goods.

DICK'S is traded on the NYSE under symbol DKS. It has a current market valuation of $6.7 billion and pays a 1% dividend. If you bought its stock when it went public in 2002, you investment would have grown in value by a factor of 17 today.

Visit www.dickssportinggoods.com for more information.

Krispy Kreme Coming Back to Oxnard Near The Collection at RiverPark in 2016

Update 9/14: Krispy Kreme Oxnard Grand Opening is Tuesday, September 27th at 6AM at 220 Riverpark Blvd, Oxnard.  See THIS LINK.

The first 60 guests receive free doughnuts for one year!*

The first 10 guests through the door receive a punch card for one free dozen Original Glazed doughnuts each week for one year. The next 50 guests through the door will receive a punch card for one free dozen Original Glazed doughnuts each month for one year. First 100 guests in line will receive a commemorative t-shirt.

Camping out to ensure your place in line?
*Registration for the line for the prizes above begins at 3 PM on 9/26/16. Registrants must remain in the line and on the Krispy Kreme property from the time of registration until the shop opens at 6 AM on 9/27/16 to claim their prize. Must be 10 years of age or older to receive door prizes. Door prizes exclude drive-thru guests. Visit www.krispykreme.com/about/Grand-Openings for official Grand Opening Rules and Regulations.

Update 9/8: The Krispy Kreme website now acknowledges the soon to be anxiously awaited Oxnard Krispy Kreme location that is indeed still "coming soon." www.krispykreme.com/Locate/Location-Search?q=oxnard In the meantime, commenter silvergoat05 indicated 6 days ago that they are looking for a September 20th opening date, "give or take."  There is also a Krispy Kreme Oxnard Facebook page up and running at THIS LINK.

Speaking of donuts, Dunkin Donuts is right there on Krispy Kreme's heels, with locations in the works in Simi Valley and Westlake Village.

Update 8/23/16: Ooohhh, it is getting closer as you can see from the image below. They are working away on the store, which from what I was told, they now are anticipating/hoping to open in the next 3 or 4 weeks. But we shall see.  Location is west of the McDonald's on Riverpark Blvd at E. Vineyard in Oxnard.

The WSS is now open.

Update 8/4/16: Apparently will be a Fall opening according to a comment posted here last month from the Krispy Kreme corporate office. Possibly Oct/Nov time frame.

Update 6/26/16: Still no specific opening date but as you can see from the photo, the structure has been built but is still in process. And Krispy Kreme is looking to hire managers.

View of the in-process WSS store from the adjacent McDonald's parking lot. Krispy Kreme will be located towards the back (not pictured).

Now hiring managers at Krispy Kreme. I don't know about you, but I'd work for donuts!

Original Post 11/10/15: Good news for donut fans in the vicinity of The Collection at RiverPark!  Santa Monica based Dynamic Development Company recently announced it acquired land at 210-220 Riverpark Boulevard in Oxnard and is planning to develop a 17,000 sq ft two tenant shopping center. The center will feature a 14,730 sq ft WSS (Warehouse Shoe Sale) Footwear store and a 2,700 sq ft Krispy Kreme.

Yes, you heard it right. A new Krispy Kreme donut shop in Oxnard, roughly 8 years after closing its previous location on Rose Avenue.

They anticipate the project will be completed sometime in the 2nd quarter of 2016 (originally...it looks like it will now be sometime in Q3).

Learn more about WSS at www.shopwss.com and Krispy Kreme at www.krispykreme.com.

Vintage Grocers to Open at The Promenade at Westlake on Saturday, October 1st

Vintage Grocers, a community-minded market and retailer of gourmet, organic, natural and conventional foods, will be opening its doors at The Promenade at Westlake on Saturday, October 1.

Vintage Grocers is known for their classic hometown market feel and curated menu of locally-sourced products. This will mark the brand’s second location, following the popular flagship store at Trancas Country Market in Malibu.

The new Westlake Village location will be double the size and offer an even wider range of products from the finest meats, produce, seafood, fruits, vegetables and more – all sourced from Southern California’s leading food establishments and local artisans. A private wine tasting room, fresh poke, olive bars and pressed juices will further enhance the new space. Additionally, a variety of grab-and-go stations (i.e. burrito, pizza, ice cream and coffee bars) will cater to those on the go.

Visit www.vintagegrocers.com for more information.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Coming Soon to Pacific View Mall in Ventura

The Pacific View Mall has announced that a Build A Bear Workshop is opening soon on the first floor. Kids can select a bear or other stuffed (or I should say, un-stuffed) animal, add a voice, stuff it, choose a heart, stitch, fluff, name it, dress it bring it home for display and/or snuggling. No word yet on timing, but indeed they are now accepting job applications at www.buildabear.com.

Build A Bear's other Ventura County location is at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks.

Color Me Mine Ceramics Studio Coming Soon to Thousand Oaks

Color Me Mine is a ceramic painting studio where you drop by anytime and select from over 400 ceramic pieces to design and paint. . For the price of a studio fee and the item you choose to paint, you can paint all day using 60+ colors and supplies! They glaze and fire your work in a kiln and your work of art will be available in 5 to 7 days.

A Thousand Oaks Color Me Mine is coming to the Paseo Market Square in Thousand Oaks at 3707 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard this Fall. It will be located near Al Mulino Eatalia and The Melting Pot.

More information at thousandoaks.colormemine.com.

Cask Alehouse to Open in the Near Future in Ventura

Cask Alehouse is anticipating an October/November grand opening date at 5952 Telegraph Road in Ventura. Their beer and wine license has been approved and they will be serving 20 rotating California craft beers and a selection of wines. Updates at www.facebook.com/caskalehouse.

The Dudes' Brewing Company Tasting Room Opened at Janss Marketplace on July 15th

Heard today that The Dudes' Brewing Company Tasting Room opened yesterday at Janss Marketplace, adjacent to Karma Indian Cuisine on the southeast side of the mall. So of course I stopped by today to try it out.

There are 24 beers on tap of all types. I bought a four beer taster for $7 and enjoyed three of the four. The woman next to me suggested the Grandma's Pecan English Brown Ale and it wasn't my taste, but the others I enjoyed. The word at the bar today that was that the Orange Julius IPA was a crowd favorite. I didn't try it.

No food service here, though they do have snacks, like the goldfish crackers I munched on. You are welcome to bring your own food.

More information and hours of operation at www.thedudesbrew.com/the-tasting-room-thousand-oaks.

Newbury Park Starbucks to Relocate to a New Drive Thru Location on July 14th

The Starbucks at 587 N. Ventura Park Road in Newbury Park (in the Ralphs plaza) will be closing on July 10th but will be re-opening across the street at 540 N. Ventu Park Road in the Thousand Oaks Marketplace, where Walgreens and Walmart Neighborhood Market reside on July 14th.

The new Starbucks drive thru will be opening on July 14th. Start your engines.

For those that can't go a day without their Starbucks, the sign on the door tells customers to visit the nearby location at Newbury & Kelly (in the Kohl's Plaza).

It seems like just yesterday that the Starbucks near Home Depot in Newbury Park moved across the parking lot at The Village at Newbury Park to a drive thru location. That actually took place on January 18, 2013, nearly 3 1/2 years ago!

The other Newbury Park Starbucks locations are at Reino and Kimber and at Target. www.starbucks.com/store-locator/search/location/91320

What will take the place of the vacated Starbucks? No idea at this point.

German Discount Grocer ALDI to Open Simi Valley Store in Early 2016

Update 5/29/16: ALDI indicates at www.aldi.us/en/new-to-aldi/grand-openings/grand-openings/simi-valley-ca that the grand opening will be June 16 but an Open House event will take place from 11am to 4pm on Sunday, June 12 where you can check things out but not but not purchase items...yet. Grand opening events 6/16 to 6/19 include free samples, special drawings and free re-usable bags. Store hours are 9am to 9pm and location is 425-A E. Cochran Street, Simi Valley.

See Note 1

German grocery chain ALDI will be opening a store in early 2016 at the former Office Depot location at the Simi at the Plaza shopping center in Simi Valley.

ALDI operates nearly 1,400 U.S. stores in 32 states, primarily from Kansas to the East Coast. The chain sells over 1,300 of the most frequently purchased grocery and household items under its own brands. It opened its first U.S. store in 1976.

In June, ALDI announced it will launch its first Southern California stores in March 2016, with a plan to open approximately 25 stores before July 2016. With regional headquarters and warehouse in Moreno Valley, ALDI indicates it will employ over 1,100 Southern Californians by the end of 2016.

In its press release, ALDI indicated it will offer starting wages of $13/hour for store associates, up to $21/hour for long-standing associates. Employees will average 33 to 40 hours per week and will be eligible for full benefits, including health insurance, dental coverage and 401(k) plan.

To apply for a job at ALDI, visit aldistorejobs.com.

More on the California grand opening of ALDI at www.aldi.us/en/new-to-aldi/california-grand-opening.

More about ALDI:

• Based in Germany with almost 10,000 stores in 18 countries.
• Founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946 after taking over their father's store that had operated since 1913.
• ALDI is an abbreviation for ALbrecht DIskont (i.e. Discount)
• ALDI operates under two divisions, Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud. Aldi Sud operates the U.S. ALDI stores. Aldi Nord owns the Trader Joe's chain.
• Yes, Aldi Nord bought the Trader Joe's chain in 1979. The first Trader Joe's store opened in 1967 in Pasadena.
• ALDI is one of the world's largest privately-owned companies.

Note 1: "AldiWorldwideLogo" by Source. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia