Dear City of Thousand Oaks,

Hi there! Resident of 18 years Laura speaking. While I have mixed feelings about growing up in this town, something has always made me feel better and remember why this place is beautiful. Occasionally I’ll go on hikes in Wildwood, Mt. Boney or through different trails I stumble upon. Surprise waterfalls and deer hopping around never fail to create a smile. Driving home in the late afternoon with the mountains in silhouette by the orange and yellow sky is the best part of everyday. This preservation of nature is a favorite element of mine here. I feel this is the true Thousand Oaks. So perhaps my love of the history of this town coincides with my disgust of the current and forthcoming state of our Oaks Mall. I understand wanting provide basic upgrades to our shopping center, especially since most of the floor was boasting signs of the 1994 Northridge earthquake. But all the additions to it feel like we’re stealing parts from other malls like Northridge, Topanga, and the Simi Valley Town Center. It’s not that I’m mad at the plagiarism, but couldn’t we have gotten more inventive with it? Was that a piano I spotted in Nordstroms? Bravo! Brilliant! Do we really need four stores out of the five possible owned by Abercrombie and Fitch, Co.? I suppose everyone needs to have a moose on their lapel from ages 4 to 35. Thank you deeply for making this possible. I just can’t wait for the middle aged nincompoops to try to convince me on the history of RUEHL No. 925 though all the elements of the story provided in store are fictitious. I really do hope these changes to the shopping center help Thousand Oaks’ economy. However, I just can’t see myself shopping at more than maybe 3 stores. The new Oaks will probably draw back customers Thousand Oaks lost to competitor malls that had stores we didn’t but I cannot see it being a magnet to other town’s customers. I’m writing this when the mall is maybe 6 months from completion, and perhaps my opinions will slightly change when I see the finished product. It’s just a little sad when I see the mall that I used to have such fun at, in the Warner Brother’s store or Topper’s Pizza, try to put on a façade and pretend Thousand Oaks is something it’s not. We may be a safe city but many people struggle to pay rents and mortgages out here. Maybe that’s why I find it hard to imagine a mother from a single-parent home in old Thousand Oaks walking into Club Monaco and pay over $80 for a blouse. Why are we only focusing on upscale stores and not discount ones to accommodate those on fixed incomes, especially at this time? Outlet stores aren’t embarrassing. I find Ed Hardy embarrassing, but that’s my aesthetic.


In any case, I'll continue to make my own things or get them on the cheap!

Sincerely,
Laura!!!


I'm considering sending this into the Star newspaper. It's not in response to anything they wrote, but I've just been really frustrated every time I go to the mall. And of course, any suggestions and corrections are welcome!