What’s New at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks Right Now

If you’ve been by The Lakes at Thousand Oaks recently, you may have noticed the sign on the door at 2150 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Lassens Natural Foods is gone.

After seven years at The Lakes, the longtime health food store closed this spring. And taking its place is a name most people around here probably already know: Erewhon.

Yes, that Erewhon.

The Los Angeles wellness market known for organic groceries, celebrity smoothie collaborations, and smoothies that can cost around $20 is opening its first Ventura County location right here in Thousand Oaks.

And people definitely have opinions about it.

But what I find interesting about this change isn’t simply that one grocery store closed and another one is moving in.

It’s what the change says about how businesses are starting to look at Thousand Oaks, and whether the people making those decisions understand how residents actually live and shop here.

Lassens Had Become Part of the Routine

Lassens had been at The Lakes for seven years.

For a lot of residents, it wasn’t a destination. It was simply part of their routine.

You stopped in for vitamins. Picked up produce. Grabbed something healthy on the way home.

Then residents started showing up and finding a sign on the door.

Caruso, which owns The Lakes along with The Promenade at Westlake and The Village at Moorpark, decided not to renew Lassens’ lease.

Erewhon is expected to take over the space this summer, making Thousand Oaks its first Ventura County location and its eleventh store in Southern California. The next closest location is currently in Calabasas.

One Thousand Oaks resident, Lauri Kamiel, wasn’t particularly happy about the change.

After finding out during one of her regular grocery trips, she created a Facebook group called SaveLassensTO. More than 100 people joined, and she eventually brought the issue to the Thousand Oaks City Council.

At the April 8 meeting, the city manager explained that Caruso’s leasing decisions are made privately and aren’t something the city controls.

But Kamiel’s bigger point was interesting.

She questioned whether bringing Erewhon to Thousand Oaks assumes residents here shop the same way people do in places like Calabasas.

As she told the Acorn:

“That culture is not prevalent here.”

And I think that’s really where the conversation gets interesting.

Because this isn’t necessarily about whether Erewhon is good or bad.

It’s about whether it fits.

Thousand Oaks and Calabasas may be neighbors, but anyone who spends enough time in both knows they don’t necessarily have the same personality.

We’ll find out pretty quickly whether Erewhon becomes a regular grocery stop for residents, an occasional smoothie destination, or something somewhere in between.

Erewhon Isn’t the Only New Arrival

There are several other businesses arriving around Thousand Oaks at roughly the same time, and they’re not all targeting the same customer.

The Lakes is also expected to welcome Sora Temaki Bar, a hand roll concept that started at the Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles.

This will be its second location.

That’s notable because it means another Los Angeles based concept is looking at Thousand Oaks and seeing enough opportunity here to expand.

Then there’s Raising Cane’s.

The chicken finger chain is opening at 400 N. Moorpark Road, bringing its famously simple menu of chicken fingers, fries, Texas toast, and Cane’s Sauce to Thousand Oaks.

And on the Newbury Park side of town, Sette Sorelle opened this year at 495 N. Ventu Park Road.

It’s the modern Italian sister restaurant to Nonna in Westlake Village, with more of a dinner and drinks atmosphere built around date nights, celebrations, and evenings out.

When you look at these businesses together, you get a much more interesting picture of what’s happening in Thousand Oaks.

Erewhon is betting on premium wellness.

Sora Temaki Bar is betting on an elevated dining experience.

Sette Sorelle is betting on residents wanting another local place for dinner and a night out.

And Raising Cane’s is betting that sometimes people just want chicken fingers.

That mix actually feels pretty true to Thousand Oaks.

There isn’t one type of person living here, and there isn’t one way people spend their money.

The Lakes May Be Changing, But This Part of Town Is Still Busy

Something else worth remembering is that The Lakes sits right next to one of the busiest community spaces in Thousand Oaks.

The Bank of America Performing Arts Center continues to bring people into this part of town regardless of which businesses happen to be moving in or out next door.

This month alone, the calendar has included performances ranging from Charlotte’s Web to The Screwtape Letters, along with The Australian Pink Floyd Show and performances from Los Yonics, Los Caminantes, and Grupo Yndio.

There’s also plenty happening outside the Civic Arts Plaza.

Conejo Recreation and Park District continues to host free community programming, including Movies at the Park at Thousand Oaks Community Park.

Earlier this summer, the city’s Pop Up Arts & Music Festival brought eight free events to different locations throughout Thousand Oaks over four weekends.

That’s part of what makes this area interesting.

The businesses may change, but the community spaces surrounding them continue to bring people together.

So, What Does This Actually Mean for Thousand Oaks?

Probably not that Thousand Oaks is suddenly becoming Calabasas.

And probably not that every longtime local business is being replaced by a luxury brand.

What it does show is that businesses are paying attention to this area.

Some see an opportunity for higher end dining and wellness. Others see room for familiar national brands. Local restaurant owners are expanding their concepts here too.

They’re all making slightly different bets on what Thousand Oaks residents want.

Some will probably be right.

Others might not be.

That’s part of how a city changes.

And if you live here long enough, you notice these changes in really ordinary ways.

A grocery store you’ve shopped at for years disappears. A new restaurant sign goes up. The place you used to drive to Calabasas for suddenly opens five minutes from home.

Those things may seem small individually, but over time they change how a neighborhood feels and how people move through it.

That’s one of the things I enjoy paying attention to as a local real estate agent.

Of course I watch home values, inventory, interest rates, and sales.

But I also pay attention to the things that actually shape daily life here. Where people are eating. What’s opening. What’s closing. Where families spend their weekends. And which parts of town are starting to feel different than they did a few years ago.

Because understanding a community is about more than knowing what homes are selling for.

It’s knowing what it actually feels like to live there.

If you’re curious about Thousand Oaks or anywhere else in the Conejo Valley and want to talk about what’s changing in your neighborhood, I’m always happy to chat.

Kirksey Realty | The Key to Your Next Chapter