One of the unique parts of the Walnut Creek Neiman Marcus store was the wind fins in front which would swing back and forth with the wind. Some loved them, others hated them, but now they are gone. However, according to an employee I spoke with they were falling off so they were taken down to fix.They should be back in four months.
Back last September I noted that Davidson & Lichte’s The Watch Shoppe closed on N. Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek and now the family-owned Wish gift shop has opened at this location offering gifts for all types, from babies, children as well as adults. The owner’s family had a similar shop in Carmel and the quality of goods is evident. They even have a few vintage toys such as fire engines and trucks that looked very cool. Although Davidson & Lichte plan on moving back to this location (as well as Vanessa’s) eventually, Wish would like to stay here as long as possible.
Check out some of the gifts for sale:
Wish Gift Shop is located at 1329 N. Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek across from Starbucks.
XCVI Pop-Up Shop, a fashion boutique also featuring local art from California has opened up in Broadway Plaza in downtown Walnut Creek where Build-A-Bear used to be.
From their Facebook page:
The XCVI Popup Store is designed as an international bazaar, where shoppers can expect the bohemian aesthetic and ease of style that makes XCVI an effortlessly chic lifestyle brand. The store will feature XCVI’s vacation style clothing, as well as hand selected ensemble of local artisans showcasing their craft.
According an employee I spoke with the clothing is designed and manufactured in Los Angeles. Has any one checked them out yet? What are your impressions?
Check out the register area:
More photos of the inside and local art for sale after the jump…
The luxury consignment store Labels has opened their expanded location into the Footcandy location, right next door to their original location at 1367 N. Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek. They were able to put the existing display dividers to great use by showcasing their luxury handbag collection such as Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel. Check out the complete list of who they carry here.
In keeping with their environmentally conscious background Labels used a local artisan to design the display counters and shelving using salvaged wood. In addition, they opened up the back area, added a skylight which brings in natural light to showcase their shoe collection, and have a wide connecting space which connects to the original location. Everything looks beautiful; the spaciousness combined with the clean store design really highlights the handbags and shoes nicely.
Check out more photos including the shoe collection back after the jump…
Last June I noted that the salon Pure Beauty in downtown Lafayette closed and now a new beauty salon is “coming soon” to the same location. Called Lafayette Beauty, they have salon rentals available for hair stations and the esthetician room. Lafayette Beauty will be located at 3606 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette near Pizza Antica.
The Hello Tiara boutique recently opened in the Orinda Theatre Square next to Barbacoa. This is where the art gallery aMFa used to be which has since moved to another location within the Orinda Theatre Square. Based on the note below it looks like they are going to focus on jewelry and accessories.
Back last September I noted that Davidson & Licht’s The Watch Shoppe was closing on N. Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek while keeping opening their Broadway Plaza store. Well, it turns out that according to preliminary plans Davidson & Licht will be jumping ship from Broadway Plaza once their new store is built at the N. Main downtown Walnut Creek location. This is made easier since they own the building where The Watch Shoppe (now a gift store) and the Vietnamese tapas-style restaurant Vanessa’s Bistro are located. Take a look at the renderings below to get a an idea of how it might turn out but keep in mind that these are only preliminary and have not yet been approved by the city.
One thing you may notice is that Vanessa’s is gone. They will have to move elsewhere although I hope they can stick around somewhere downtown. The new building will contain two floors plus a roof area for a total of over 8,000 square feet. There will be a watch section, jewelry sections, a bridal section, goldsmith and watch repair area so this is going to be huge.
Check out the proposed front design:
Check out renderings of the roof and back side after the jump…
Back last August I noted the opening of Tulip in Lafayette and it looks like the baby and kids boutique has closed. The past week the store has been papered over and there is now a shut sign in front. I hope this is a temporary shutdown and they’ll reopen soon. Otherwise it’ll join the closure of nearby children stores Giggle and The Right Start.
Last November I noted that the women’s fashion boutique Francesca’s was opening up in downtown Lafayette and this evening at 5pm will be the soft opening followed by the grand opening tomorrow at 10am on Saturday, February 16th. Located right next to men’s clothing store Venture in the Lafayette Clocktower (along with Patxi’s Pizzeria), Francesca’s will complement the area nicely. They have over 300 stores around the country including locations at the Stoneridge Mall and Bay Street in Emeryville. You can see their online apparel here.
I was able to get a sneak preview of the inside of the store recently and it looks great.
Check out photos of the inside after the jump…
UPDATE: According to the developer’s comments below there will be a Mt. Diablo view from the rooftop dining area!
Last February I posted a preview of the N. Main / Mt. Diablo corner lot project diagonally across from Neiman Marcus and now there are new renderings of what the proposed project will look like. According to Brian Hirahara from B.H. Development who is developing the property, the plan is for one retail tenant in the corner taking up two stories and a restaurant on the Mt. Diablo side taking up two stories plus a roof deck.
I look forward to finding out which retailer and restaurant open up here. The developer was also responsible for the project across the street anchored by Tiffany and brought the upscale restaurants Sasa and Va de Vi to Walnut Creek so I imagine similarly upscale tenants will open up here as well. What kind of restaurant would you most like to see here? What retailer would work well?
Check out the retractable windows on the 2nd floor:
The current location has an older rendering displayed:
