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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Fashion Square Attracts New Eateries, Dining Terrace

Westfield Fashion Square is in the final stretch of its modern makeover. Scheduled for completion in May, renovations at the Sherman Oaks shopping center are more than halfway done, said Juliet Mothershed, the shopping center’s marketing director. The centerpiece of the revamp project, which kicked-off last fall, is a redesigned dining terrace with new storefronts, furniture, restrooms, additional seating area, and some new tenants. New eateries Stone Oven and Great Khans already have moved into the center. The area’s entrance has been reconfigured to make way for additional seating, offering shoppers a glimpse of what’s to come once the dining terrace is fully renovated next month. Once complete, the food court will have doubled in size, with about 550 seats. The mall’s play area for children was renovated with new flooring and seating. And in keeping with the area’s aquatic theme, a new fish tank was installed. The area also features a new family lounge with private nursing stations, bottle warmers, baby-changing stations and a microwave. Westfield Group acquired the 850,000-square-foot shopping center in 2002, with the knowledge that there was some work that needed to be done, Mothershed said. With its broad mix of retailers ranging from designer brands Betsey Johnson and Michael Kors to local independent shops such as Karen’s Toys and Jacqueline Jarrot, the mall attracts local shoppers, the majority who live within a five to eight-mile radius of the center, Mothershed said. Before embarking on the renovations, the company conducted surveys to better understand what consumers wanted from the longstanding mall. The company plans to conduct another survey in the coming weeks to determine how else the mall can meet the needs of customers and continue to drive business to the area. The goal would be to serve as a convenience center, where shoppers can find everything from car washing services, apparel, farmers market and a place to eat, Mothershed said. “If we can do it all, we want to do it all,” she said. The shopping center plans to host events such as cooking demonstrations and classes, as well as weekly movie viewings in the food court on Friday nights, in order to show off the improvements. Westfield also has not ruled out further changes to the mall, Mothershed said. Management is considering whether to add a nightlife and restaurant component to the mall, although nothing is confirmed, she said.

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