On the morning of Friday, March 15, 2019, workers at Vintage Grocers in The Promenade at Westlake came in for a normal shift and found the store had closed for good. A receiving manager told The Acorn what she saw:
"People were there painting the windows white to block them out, and there was a sign on the door saying the store was closed."
The closure affected 85 employees. In a statement, Vintage Grocers said it came out of a partnership with Erewhon Market. Seven years later, on Aug. 26, 2026, Erewhon opened its own store on the Westlake Village edge of Thousand Oaks. It chose The Lakes, a different shopping center, not the Promenade space its 2019 deal had emptied.
Two big grocery stories have played out along this stretch of Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Promenade Way. They are really one story, and it centers on one anchor space that has changed hands again and again since 2016.
One space, four grocers, thirty years
The Promenade at Westlake opened in 1996 with Bristol Farms as its grocery anchor. Bristol Farms stayed for twenty years before closing in 2016 and moving to Woodland Hills. Since then, the space has turned over much faster.
| Grocer at 140 Promenade Way | Arrived | Left |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol Farms | 1996, when the center opened | 2016 |
| Vintage Grocers | Oct. 1, 2016 | March 15, 2019 |
| Amazon Fresh | Announced in 2020 | 2025 |
| Whole Foods Market | Announced October 2025 | Listed by the center as "Coming Soon" |
Vintage Grocers needed a seven-week remodel before it opened on Oct. 1, 2016. It lasted about two and a half years. In October 2020, The Acorn reported that Amazon was set to open a grocery store in the space Vintage Grocers and Bristol Farms had used. Bristol Farms held the space for twenty years. Vintage Grocers and Amazon Fresh, the two grocers that followed, each lasted only a few years.
The deal that tied Erewhon to the Promenade
In 2019, Erewhon was already close by. The Acorn's coverage noted that Erewhon had a store at The Summit at Calabasas, less than 10 miles from the Promenade. The same deal had Vintage Grocers' Pacific Palisades store rebranded as an Erewhon Market. Vintage kept its flagship, Trancas Market in Malibu. Vintage also said it had connected the displaced Westlake employees directly with Erewhon's hiring staff.
So in 2019, the Promenade lost a grocer through an Erewhon deal, and no Erewhon opened there. For the next seven years, the closest Erewhon to Westlake Village was in Calabasas.
What finally opened at The Lakes
The new store sits at 2150 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., inside The Lakes dining and shopping center, in the space Lassens Natural Foods & Vitamins used to occupy. Edhat reported that it is Erewhon's 15th store and its first in Ventura County. Erewhon's own locations page now includes the Thousand Oaks address.
Here is what the store offers, based on edhat's opening coverage and The Lakes' grand opening page:
- Hours. Regular hours are 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Layout. The store has a cafe, a Tonic Bar, and both indoor and outdoor dining areas.
- A smoothie you can only get here. The "Amidst The Oaks" smoothie blends coconut water, pineapple, cold-pressed lemon, ginger, raw honey, mint, basil, spirulina and coconut cream. Proceeds go to Manna Conejo Valley Food Bank.
- Other Thousand Oaks exclusives. The store also sells a Thousand Oaks candle, described as a "moody, coastal-forest blend," and a grass-fed steak sandwich on butter-toasted baguette.
The Tonic Bar sells fresh juices, bone broths, specialty coffee and smoothies. Its rotating lineup includes drinks developed with wellness brands and celebrities. The aisles carry produce, meat and seafood, pantry staples, supplements and household goods, plus prepared foods from sushi to the hot bar.
In practical terms, the closest Erewhon for anyone living near the lake or along Lindero Canyon Road is now on Thousand Oaks Boulevard. It is no longer a drive into Calabasas.
Why the Promenade space changed hands again
The Amazon Fresh chapter ended the same way the Vintage Grocers chapter began, with a sudden reset. According to the Ventura County Star, Amazon notified the state on March 14, 2025, that it would close its 33,000-square-foot store at the Promenade and lay off 76 workers. The store had been open a little over two years.
By October 2025, the VC Star reported that Whole Foods Market would take the space, keeping it under Amazon ownership. That fit a company-wide decision. On Jan. 27, 2026, Amazon announced it would close its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go physical stores and move that investment into Whole Foods and grocery delivery. The Promenade's directory lists Whole Foods Market at 140 Promenade Way and calls it "Coming Soon."
Taken together, the two moves look like this. The specialty grocer that helped close the Promenade's last independent operator has opened at The Lakes. And the Promenade's anchor space is set for its fourth grocery tenant since the center opened.
The everyday grocery map
The everyday grocery stores serving Westlake Village are spread across a handful of corridors. Each address below comes from the store's own location page:
- Gelson's Westlake Village, 2734 Townsgate Road, Westlake Village 91361
- Trader Joe's, 3835 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Westlake Village 91362
- Sprouts Farmers Market, 1012 S. Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village 91361
- Ralphs, North Ranch Mall, 3963 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Westlake Village 91362
- Vons, 2725 Agoura Road, Thousand Oaks 91361, near the Agoura Road and Westlake Boulevard intersection
Three of these sit along Thousand Oaks Boulevard: Trader Joe's and Ralphs on the Westlake Village side, and Erewhon farther east at The Lakes. Sprouts and Vons cover the Westlake Boulevard and Agoura Road side, and Gelson's is on Townsgate Road.
Where the holidays meet the grocery run
The Promenade's own calendar fills up this month. The center lists its 2026 tree lighting for Nov. 20, with a holiday market, entertainment, Santa, the lighting itself and fireworks. In early December, the City of Westlake Village and The Shoppes at Westlake Village host the Holiday Sing-Along on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Fountain Courtyard at 30770 Russell Ranch Road.
If you're wondering how a new Erewhon on Thousand Oaks Boulevard or a Whole Foods at the Promenade fits into what your home is worth, Valerie Punwar Associates can give you a current valuation that takes into account the shops and services closest to your address.
