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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Retro Retail Finds Home On Boulevard

A longstanding Ventura Boulevard strip mall in Woodland Hills is getting a facelift this year, courtesy of Los Angeles real estate development firms Atlas Capital Group and Runyon Group. The process to transform the Woodland Hills Village Plaza Shopping Center, a 70,000-square-foot complex built in 1971 at 20929 Ventura Blvd., is slated to commence in mid-March. It will emerge as the Valley Country Mart in late 2017 or early 2018, according to Marc Riches, director of retail leasing at Atlas. “The center has always been nice, but we think we can make it into a place where people can come and spend the day,” he said. “We’re taking a great location and making it into a destination.” Riches and his team envision Valley Country Mart as a “community gathering space” infused with a mix of upscale retailers, restaurants and salons. Designed to encapsulate the aesthetic of a mid-century neighborhood market, the site will feature cafes and an apothecary alongside high-end boutiques. The center’s 45 tenants will be new to the West Valley, Riches said, and will offer the sophisticated wares of Rodeo Drive without the trip over the hill. “We’re hoping Valley Country Mart will bring West L.A. or downtown tenants to Woodland Hills,” he said. “We want to appeal to (merchants) who might have considered the Valley before but haven’t made the leap.” Designer labels won’t be the only big names at Valley Country Mart. Atlas and Runyon also are looking to hire celebrated chefs at the two main restaurants, both of which will include outdoor patios. “We’re actually going to be doing a little bit of demo on the building that’s facing the Ventura Freeway (to make room for one of the restaurants),” Riches said. If the attention the property has garnered so far is any indication, the firms will have no trouble filling it with merchants. Brokers had scheduled more than a dozen tours at the site within a week of announcing plans for Valley Country Mart, Riches said. “We’ve had a really wonderful response so far,” he said. “It’s early, obviously, but it’s great to see so much excitement.” – Helen Floersh

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