Erewhon Opens at The Lakes in Thousand Oaks: What It Means for the Center

Erewhon Thousand Oaks is open at 2150 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, and the question I hear most from buyers and sellers is not whether the $21 smoothies are worth it. It is what the arrival of a grocer this expensive, in a center that was emptying out four years ago, says about where this stretch of Thousand Oaks Boulevard is headed. Here is the full picture, including the part locals are still sore about.

When did Erewhon open at The Lakes in Thousand Oaks?

The grand opening ran Wednesday, August 26, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with gift bags and first access to store exclusive items, according to The Lakes' event page. Regular hours are 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Tonic Bar created one smoothie just for this location, "Amidst The Oaks," built on ginger, herbs, pineapple and raw honey.

A few facts worth knowing about the operator. Erewhon is an independent, family owned Certified B Corp and Certified Organic Retailer that has operated since 1968. When the Thousand Oaks store was announced, the company highlighted regional sourcing ties to Apricot Lane Farms and Harry's Berries, both well known to anyone who shops the local farmers markets. This is the chain's first store in Ventura County, which is why the opening drew regional coverage rather than just local chatter.

Why did Lassens leave The Lakes, and how did locals react?

Erewhon moved into the former Lassens Natural Food and Vitamins space. Lassens had anchored The Lakes for seven years and closed as of May 1, 2025, after Caruso, the center's owner, did not renew the lease. For regulars, the swap was emotional. Lassens was a local organic grocer that many shoppers felt belonged to the neighborhood; Erewhon is routinely described as ultra expensive, with coverage pointing to an $11 toothpaste inspired smoothie as the shorthand for its price positioning.

I would not pretend the reaction was universally positive, because it was not. The fair read is that Caruso traded a loyal local tenant for a high profile regional draw, and the center's traffic will tell us over the next year whether that bet pays off. There is precedent for optimism. When Lassens first arrived in 2014, the city's economic development officer, Haider Alawami, said the added foot traffic would contribute to the future success of the center. The same logic applies now, at a higher price point.

What does Erewhon mean for The Lakes at Thousand Oaks?

Context matters here. The Lakes at Thousand Oaks is a 48,000 square foot center on 7.5 acres at 2200 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, opened in 2005 and built around two lakes, waterfalls, rose gardens, a children's playground and native oaks up to roughly 250 years old. It sits directly beside the Civic Arts Center. The playground alone earns it a spot on most parents' rotation, which is why it shows up in our roundup of things to do with kids in Thousand Oaks.

By August 2022 the story was bleak. P.F. Chang's, an original 2005 tenant, closed on August 28 of that year, leaving California Pizza Kitchen as the last opening year tenant and prompting local coverage that the center was growing emptier. Compare that with the roster today.

That is the real meaning of the Erewhon opening: it is the anchor piece in a tenant turnaround, not a standalone event. Solidcore's arrival would also widen the fitness options we cover in our guide to the best gyms and studios in Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village. Shoppers can earn Caruso Coins through the Caruso Signature loyalty program at participating retailers, including California Pizza Kitchen and Fogo de Chão; center hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

One note of balance. The city has had a financial stake in this center from the beginning, a 2012 to 2013 Ventura County Grand Jury report examined the former Redevelopment Agency's role in the project, and as recently as 2015 the city was not expecting to receive rent from the center even as sales trended upward. A fuller tenant roster is good news for that arrangement, but it is a long game.

How does the new downtown Thousand Oaks project change the picture?

This is the part most coverage of Erewhon skips. On June 23, 2026, after nearly seven hours of discussion, the Thousand Oaks City Council voted 5 to 0 to approve a downtown project on 17 acres next to the Civic Arts Plaza. The plan includes a hotel, entertainment space, dining, art incubators and 240 apartments in buildings up to seven stories. The Council certified the final environmental impact report, changed the land use designation to mixed use, and created a downtown area within the Civic Arts Plaza specific plan. The City maintains a specific plan page, including SP 20 for Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

The vision is older than many residents realize. Planning dates to the late 1980s, the Council adopted a 68 acre Downtown Core Master Plan in 2018, and the design consultant RRM describes the 17 acre Civic Arts Center as the anchor of a district stretching roughly one mile along the Thousand Oaks Boulevard corridor. The land itself included Jungleland USA, the wild animal park on the site prior to 1969, and now hosts City Hall, the Bank of America Performing Arts Center and The Lakes. Separately, Caruso secured Council approval in November 2021 for a 165 unit residential project reported in connection with the center.

The next phase is implementation: the City is issuing requests for qualifications and proposals to select a partner developer for the mixed use portion. Translate that for a buyer and the walkability story in 2026 is a construction story for several years. For young professionals weighing this corridor against the Promenade at Westlake or The Oaks as a gathering place, that timeline matters; our look at Thousand Oaks for young professionals covers the current nightlife reality.

What are Thousand Oaks home prices doing in 2026?

The honest answer is that one grocery store does not move a housing market, and no credible data ties Erewhon to any specific lift in nearby values. What the numbers show is a stable, high priced market with slight softening at the regional level. The average Thousand Oaks home value is $1,047,273, up 1.0% year over year, with homes going pending in about 19 days, according to Zillow as of July 31, 2026. The September 2026 median list price in Thousand Oaks runs about $1.04 million, or $543 per square foot.

At the metro level, the FHFA All Transactions House Price Index for the Oxnard, Thousand Oaks and Ventura area came in at 460.10 for the second quarter of 2026, down from 473.04 in the first quarter and 469.22 in the fourth quarter of 2025, per the Federal Reserve's FRED database. Countywide, the California Association of Realtors put the Ventura County median for existing single family homes at $900,000 in September 2025, flat year over year. The longer arc explains the mood: county prices rose 45% from September 2019 to September 2023, then slipped 6.4% through September 2025.

For sellers near the Boulevard corridor, the practical takeaway is that strong amenities support a quick pending timeline, but pricing still has to respect a market that is flat to slightly soft. Our guide on how to sell your home in Thousand Oaks in 2026 walks through that pricing discipline. Buyers comparing areas can start with our breakdown of Thousand Oaks neighborhoods by price.

Frequently Asked Questions About Erewhon in Thousand Oaks