Okay Lilah J, here we go with another FTR! lol…read more
I mainly go to Paramount Towne Center to visit El Super, but will stop by Walmart every now and then for those few extra steps. They have a handful of other businesses here, including three eateries adjacent to Lakewood Blvd, but El Super and Walmart are pretty much the anchor stores here.
So first things first, do *not* get Paramount Towne Center in Paramount on Lakewood confused with Paramount Town Center in Paramount on Paramount. The shopping center on Paramount is divided into two halves with the main road being the divider, but this shopping center on, but not in, Lakewood, isn't. It is shaped like a right trapezoid with Lakewood Blvd and the strip mall as the bases, Century Blvd as the slanted leg, and the trees by the southern wall as the other leg.
If you're coming here via freeway, just know that it's between the 105 and the 91, both of which run horizontally on a map. It's closer to the 105 that if I were to picture a numerical scale between those two freeway numbers, I'd put Paramount Towne Center at about 100 lol.
The three eateries on the east side adjacent to Lakewood Blvd are Yoshinoya, Carl's Jr, and Taco Bell. All three have drive-thrus, so if you want to get lunch or dinner after shopping on the west side, you wouldn't necessarily need to make the long walk across the parking lot. There's also El Pollo Loco and Wendy's just a little further north, but aren't a part of Paramount Towne Center since both are on the other side of Century Blvd.
Other than those three fast food spots, all the remaining businesses are in the strip mall on the west end from Planet Fitness to Walmart.
Wait, did I just say Planet Fitness? Yup! There is now a Planet Fitness here! It's the southernmost business next to El Super, so this shopping center will surely attract gym enthusiasts in the area. There's another Planet Fitness just 2 miles south, and it's also just off Lakewood Blvd, so I can't be too certain this Planet Fitness will attract *that* much more customers to this shopping center. I actually didn't start shopping at El Super until this decade, so I can't be too certain what the previous business was before Planet Fitness.
El Super is quite a supermarket that whatever food you need for your special occasion e.g. quinceañera, El Super will surely have it! Meat counter? Check! Baked goods? Check! Tamales? Check as well! I personally go here for the produce since I find that their produce prices are pretty competitive, especially in comparison to other grocery stores like Albertsons, Ralphs, and especially Sprouts Farmers Market. The quality of their produce can be inconsistent, however, but for the reasonable price point, I'm satisfied. I did find a little quirk on my last visit, however, that they advertised brown onions, which were 4 lbs for $1 at the time, as white onions, which were 89 cents per lb!? *And* they had one section of brown onions completely empty, which almost made me think they ran out!
I'll also go to Superior Grocers for their produce as well. There's actually a Superior Grocers in the City of Bellflower just one mile south of El Super, but that Superior Grocers is significantly smaller than the norm. Often times, I find myself going to both since a product may be on sale at one, but not the other and vice versa.
The Walmart Supercenter here is pretty much your standard Walmart Supercenter. They have a pharmacy, auto care center, vision center, and a garden center as well. There's also a pretty large section for self-checkout if you'd rather not get rung up by an associate, who may or may not be friendly.
The rest of the businesses in Paramount Towne Center that haven't been mentioned previously in this review are located In between El Super and Walmart. Three examples are Boomy, Sally Beauty, and La Michoacana. Boomy is a women's clothing store, Sally Beauty sells beauty supplies, and La Michoacana offers ice cream.
The parking lot, while spacious and ginormous, isn't necessarily in the best condition. Sometimes, I'll see shopping carts and other trash lying around, and the pavement could definitely use a resurfacing. In fact, I might even argue that would help attract more customers to this part of town as it wouldn't make a great first impression. In addition to the El Super here, I've also been to the El Super in Long Beach, and I believe the lot in Long Beach is in better condition.
While probably not as difficult as parks, I don't find it particularly easy to review shopping centers like this one. I think 3 stars is fair; I doubt I'd go here if not for El Super because all my stops here have involved getting something inside the Mexican grocery store. While you could get a decent amount of errands done here, there isn't enough of an eclectic variety of businesses as, say, Long Beach Exchange (LBX). Not that I want to compare the two, of course, but I personally find LBX much more enticing with what they have to offer.
