In Josh Premako’s interesting article on retail vacancies valley-wide, he writes:
An anchor space for the River Oaks shopping center at Magic Mountain Parkway and Auto Center Drive, the building has been empty since Mervyns closed in late 2008.
Crawford said a third of the building has been leased for a “specialty grocery store” and the property owners are in negotiations with potential tenants for the rest of the building.
And all the SCV foodies ears perked up. Who could it be?
For awhile some people have wanted a Fresh ‘n Easy in town. But Tesco, the UK-Based owner of Fresh ‘n Easy, is reportedly losing massive amounts of money on its California stores. We already have a Bristol Farms, and Trader Joe’s just completed its move, so who might this be? I suppose Costs Plus World Market could be considered a “specialty grocery store” . What about Gelson’s? Or an ethnic grocer, like Galleria? Pavillion’s and Whole Foods Market are nearby so either of those stores wouldn’t make sense.
Premako also says that 10-15 businesses have applied for permits to operate in the Patios, the 200,000 sq. ft. expansion to the mall. There are some 40 retail spaces available there.
Korean market, willing to bet on it.
Oh, I TOTALLY vote it’s Henry’s. They’ve been opening stores in L.A. and I read that they plan to open up more this year. The size and location are perfect for their business model, and w/the dumpy success of Bristol Farms there’s no way it’s an upscale market like Gelsons. It’s Henry’s, I’d bet on it LOL.
I wish TJ’s had moved into the Mervyn’s spot. I hate their new location ’cause it is such a trek to get there from where I live and the parking lot is so busy. I have cut back significantly on my TJ trips.
We went to Trader Joe’s this afternoon and had the same thought. The parking is terrible.
We heard that TJs first choice was the old Linen ‘n Things store on The Old Road. However Ralph’s objected to the idea.
nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded
I’m glad TJs didn’t end up in SR since the new location is very convenient for me
but man that parking lot is a pain in the ass. I also feel like it’s pulling in a less mindful crowd and it’s pissing me off. There are carts everywhere, people seem busy and uptight, road rage in the parking lot (which I NEVER saw in the old lot, despite it’s tiny size!). It makes me so sad 
I’m almost 100% certain the new store is Henrys, and I’ll be glad because Henrys is a fun one to have, but mostly because it will alleviate the pressure at TJs. I’m wondering which piece of the store they DONT want, though. I’m guessing they’ll want the Magic Mountain Pkwy side to be the ‘main’ door. It will be interesting to see what happens!
How come I’m one of the only ones loving the new TJ’s location? Yeah, it may take an extra turn or two to get there but it isn’t that bad. And every time I go I find parking no problem. True, I may have to walk a few extra yards but its WAY better parking than the old location!!! I hope it improves for you guys, but so far I’m loving it.
As for the specialty store, I cast a vote for Henry’s as well.
Whoever goes in there will only occupy 1/3 of the old Meryvn’s space, not the entire space. So it has to be someone that currently operates smaller stores.
Henry’s looks interesting… just looked at their ad for their Woodland Hills store. Would be nice to have some price competition on healthy and organic foods.
I agree that the TJ’s lot is a pain, but I can multitask and get my food and dog food at the same time. Seems a lot of unused open space in the store – hoping that they utilize it better sometime soon with more selection.
Might be Fresh ‘N Easy still…. They’ve been sitting on a deal in Burbank for over a year now… And are supposedly moving forward with it. But Henry’s is an awesome store…. I’ve been to the Burbank location 3x since it opened, and think I’ll be headed there for lunch today as well!
SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT has very good reason to believe that it’s the Boney family from Phoenix (formerly of San Diego)
that’s opening in the former Mervyn’s location.
The store will be called Sprouts Farmers Market.
SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT
Real estate groupies! Nice!