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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

‘Light the Night’ Starts Holiday Shopping Season

The Village at Westfield Topanga in Woodland Hills kicked off the holiday shopping season Nov. 18 with a special program that featured the talents of local music groups and a visit from Santa Claus. More than 500 guests attended the festivities, which included performances by Los Angeles-based musical groups Snowfall a Capella and Flux Capacitators, a 1980s cover band. The talented youngsters of the Musyca Children’s Choir, a youth music education program with schools in West Hills and Granada Hills, also took to the stage. This was technically the second year of the event, which debuted in 2016 as the “Tree Lighting Celebration.” The original title was something of a misnomer, explained Karyn Houde, marketing director for Westfield Topanga and the Village. “This year it was renamed ‘Light the Night’ because the entire Village lights up – not just our tree,” Houde said. Light the Night offered free admission for guests who brought wrapped toys, which were collected for the “Spark of Love” toy drive sponsored by ABC7 and a number of the region’s fire departments. Attendees donated more than 200 toys this year, Houde said. “Westfield embraces the spirit of the season, and the holiday season at Westfield is all about our children, our families and holiday magic,” she added. The outdoor shopping destination and its mall counterpart will be holding other festivities throughout November and December, including more musical performances, craft stations for kids and a “snow play” area. It will also offer “charitable gift wrapping” events that benefit organizations at local schools, such as the Calabasas High School cheerleaders and the El Camino High School dance troupe. Collaborative Beauty Simi Valley beauty company Bellami Hair has scored a major celebrity collaboration with Walt Disney Co. star Dove Cameron. The 21-year-old model, singer and actress – whose Disney credits include the popular series “Liv and Maddie” and the made-for-television movies “Descendants” and “Descendants 2” – took to Instagram on Nov. 17 to announce the collaboration. “I personally designed the colors in this collection,” which includes extensions in her signature shade of platinum so she and fans “could match,” Cameron wrote in a post. Working with so-called “influencers” is a core facet of Bellami’s business strategy. The company has a sold-out line of wigs with make-up artist Nikita Dragun, whose YouTube channel is followed by more than 775,000 subscribers. In 2014, the company partnered with Kylie Jenner on a collection of hair extensions. The company’s collaboration with Cameron puts its products in front of an Instagram audience of about 15.4 million. Bellami could not be reached for comment by press time. The product line with Cameron is expected to launch sometime during the holiday season, according to her Instagram post. Annex Market Oxnard retail destination Collection at RiverPark held a sneak peak of its new outdoor market for small businesses on Nov. 17 and 18, giving shoppers the chance to sample its vendors before it officially launches in January. The 16,000-square-foot space, called the Annex, is occupied by 12 permanent “microshops” and eateries. The tenant mix includes the first brick-and-mortar location of Chef Tim Kilcoyne’s Scratch Food Truck, a Ventura original, as well as the second site of Newbury Park-based tap room Bottle & Pint. The Annex is also home to a new location of Woodland Hills restaurant Gasolina Cafe. Custom jewelry purveyor Sueño Jewelry Studio and handcrafted home goods store Cherry Hills Market will offer their products at the Annex as well. In addition to serving as a retail hub, it will offer space for community events, including a farmer’s market, live music performances and spoken word poetry. “(The Annex) is a concept we’ve been working on for quite some time,” James Williams, vice president of marketing and communications for Collection property developer Shea Properties, explained. Ideally, a fresh infusion of local fare and wares will attract customers to the shopping center’s corporate retailers, too. The Collection’s anchors include Target, R.E.I., Whole Foods and the Container Store. “It’s imperative that we give our visitors a quality experience so that they return again and again. Adding 10 new eateries and two new shops certainly helps us accomplish that,” Williams added. “(Our other retailers) will benefit from that influx of traffic.” Staff Reporter Helen Floersh can be reached at (818) 316-3121 or [email protected].

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