Since early September, three businesses have opened or held grand openings along Foothill Boulevard in La Verne. A fourth, FedEx Office, opened in August and holds its grand opening tomorrow, Oct. 13. A family-owned meat market opened on Arrow Highway too. Two of the Foothill openings sit in the same shopping center, a short walk from the Vons. Over the same weeks, the most visible Old Town news was a sushi restaurant posting a temporary closure notice on its front doors.
None of that changes where La Verne goes for fall. The pumpkin patch is still at Heritage Park, trick-or-treating is still at Mainiero Square, and Winter Wonderland is still on the December calendar. What has changed is the errand-and-dinner half of the week. Right now that half runs along Foothill.
The Commons Took Twenty Years to Get Here
The Commons at La Verne is a newer center than most people remember. The site was a Kmart until 2002. After that closure the lease went to Vons, and the property sat mostly vacant for a while, with a discount store called Extreme Value as one of the few tenants, according to a 2008 Campus Times report. Combined Properties bought the site in September 2004 and applied to remodel it. The Commons opened in April 2008 with Vons, Ross, Famous Footwear, Red Persimmon, Jamba Juice and Supercuts.
This fall the center added two names. Zata Healthy Mediterranean Food opened at 1548 Foothill Blvd., near Vons. La Verne Daily News reported it open in mid-September as a new falafel option. A few doors down, Grocery Outlet at 1504 Foothill Blvd. held its grand opening on Tuesday, Sept. 29, after one postponement. It's open every day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
A third name may join them. Back in February, What Now Los Angeles reported that Haven Haus Cafe planned a third location at 1532 Foothill Blvd., which falls between Grocery Outlet and Zata. A June update in La Verne Daily News described staff training and a planned July 3 soft opening. The cafe's own website still lists La Verne as "Coming Soon," though. Check before you plan a morning around it.
That leaves three addresses in a row, 1504, 1532 and 1548, filling at about the same time on the lot that used to be a Kmart.
The Same Road, Block by Block
The Commons is the densest piece, but it isn't the only one. Here's what changed along Foothill and Arrow Highway this fall, west to east by street number, with Arrow listed separately:
| Address | Business | What changed | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1335 Foothill Blvd. | FedEx Office Print & Ship Center | New store | Opened in August, grand opening Oct. 13 |
| 1504 Foothill Blvd. | Grocery Outlet | New store at The Commons | Grand opening Sept. 29 |
| 1532 Foothill Blvd. | Haven Haus Cafe | Planned third location | Opening not confirmed |
| 1548 Foothill Blvd. | Zata Healthy Mediterranean Food | New restaurant at The Commons | Reported open by Sept. 12 |
| 2080 Foothill Blvd. | Los Jarritos Cafe Y Cocina | New restaurant in La Verne Plaza | Reported open in late September |
| 2320 Foothill Blvd. | I.V. Juice Bar | Closed | Oct. 4 |
| 1912 Arrow Hwy. | Larios Meat Market | New family-owned market | Grand opening Sept. 12 |
Sources: La Verne Daily News, Oct. 1; La Verne Daily News, Sept. 12; La Verne Daily News, Sept. 29; La Verne Daily News, Sept. 18.
A few details matter for planning. FedEx Office's celebration is tomorrow, Oct. 13. The store manager told La Verne Daily News it will include giveaways and a raffle for a free 3-by-5-foot banner. That's handy timing if you have a garage sale or a youth team on your list. Los Jarritos Cafe Y Cocina opens at 8 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday and is closed Sunday, so it doesn't work for an early-week breakfast. I.V. Juice Bar closed its 2320 Foothill location on Oct. 4. Its Rancho Cucamonga store is staying open.
Larios Meat Market on Arrow Highway marked its Sept. 12 grand opening with music and free tacos, limited to two per person. With Grocery Outlet and Larios both opening within three weeks, the town has two new places to shop for food in the same stretch of September.
Heritage Park Keeps the Seasonal Calendar
Foothill is where the new storefronts are. The fall calendar itself still runs through Heritage Park at 5001 Via de Mansion.
The La Verne Heritage Foundation's Harvest Pumpkin Patch is in its 35th year. Admission is free. Hours are Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Oct. 31. The Campus Times visited opening weekend and reported pumpkins priced from $12 to $30 by size, a $3 petting zoo with pigs, chickens and goats, and children's tractor rides through the historic ranch and orange groves. The gift shop sells puzzles, fall decorations and homemade jams.
Volunteers run the patch, and many of them have come back for several seasons. "It's a very rewarding experience, and it's nice too because … you get to slip into this little slice of a completely whole other world, really," volunteer Kat Schwass told the Campus Times.
The park is also home to the Weber House, which dates to the 1880s. It was headed for demolition until the Heritage Foundation moved it half a mile in 1985 and rebuilt it from its original plans. Today it's one of the oldest buildings still standing in La Verne. The 23rd annual Pumpkin Patch Car Show runs Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The foundation also offers school tours of the ranch during October at 909-593-2862.
So the two halves of the week come from different decades. The patch is 35 years old and run by volunteers. The Foothill storefronts mostly opened in the last eight weeks.
Old Town's Fall Comes Mostly From Events
Old Town La Verne had less new-business news this season. Moowee Crafted Drinks & Teas at 2320 D St. was in a soft opening with a 20% discount in a late-August Chamber item, and its official grand opening hadn't been announced yet. Aoki Japanese Sushi is temporarily closed. Its door notice mentions a February to March timeframe, though La Verne Daily News noted the wording leaves the plans unclear.
Where Old Town stands out is its share of the event calendar. Mainiero Square at D Street and 3rd Street hosts two of the bigger dates between now and Thanksgiving. One more thing to watch: in September the Campus Times reported that organizers wanted to start a farmers market at the University of La Verne. That report described a plan and gave no launch date.
Dated, Through December
Here are the city and community listings as posted now. November and December listings can change, and one venue is still marked TBD.
- Oct. 17, 5 to 8 p.m. Trunk-or-Treat at the La Verne Community Center, 3680 D Street.
- Oct. 23, 5 to 8 p.m. Halloween Hop dance at the Community Center.
- Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pumpkin Patch Car Show at Heritage Park.
- Oct. 31, 1 to 4 p.m. Old Town merchants' Halloween Trick-or-Treat at Mainiero Square. The pumpkin patch also closes for the season that day.
- Nov. 14, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. La Verne Historical Society Vintage Sale & Home Tour, venue listed as TBD.
- Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. Route 66 Centennial Car Show at Mainiero Square.
- Dec. 5, 9 to 11 a.m. Brunch with Santa and Friends at the Community Center. The city requires preregistration for both children and adults.
- Dec. 12, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The 27th Annual Winter Wonderland at Heritage Park, with snow play and slides, crafts, Santa, food and vendors.
Winter Wonderland is the one date on this list where timing affects the price. Child admission is $18 through Nov. 29 and $20 after that. If you plan to go, buy before Thanksgiving weekend ends.
This fall a grocery store, a print shop and two restaurants opened on Foothill between 1335 and 2080, which changes what's close by for every home near that stretch. If you own in La Verne and want to know how the changes around The Commons and Foothill Boulevard factor into your home's value, Christian Briseno can walk you through it step by step. Schedule a free consultation.
