I love this shopping center. It has a great mix of stores and restaurants, plus plenty of open…read morespace to walk around and enjoy the afternoon. There's a Whole Foods here and a solid movie theater toward the back, and you'll also find a Target and an escape room in the same plaza. I usually love to come for some boba which is located right by the movie theater. The only real downside is that being an outdoor center means you're at the mercy of the weather, which can be a pain if you show up unprepared. They used to have a Texas de Brazil, which has since closed permanently..a bummer, since it was one of my favorites. During Christmas, my husband and I have come here just to walk around and take in the holiday decorations. It's a lovely spot for that.

People complaining about the meters - these meters are only on the side directly in front of…read morebusinesses. There are plenty of free parking spaces everywhere. It's free ... less convenient .. yes! I am at The collection multiple times a week and it's a great addition to Oxnard. So many things to do and I love how clean it's kept. There are different happy hours at different shops. I think you can find affordable or more fine dining options as well. There's something for everyone! Oh and so many events. Not sure I'd be back for The Christmas tree lighting though because it was a madhouse.. it was cool to see though. There's just way too many people. I haven't had a bad experience. Staff at the multiple establishments are nice. There's plenty of charging stations for those with electric vehicles too.

Most of us don't do all our shopping at regional malls or big box mega-center collections of…read morestores. Sometimes, it's smaller neighborhood plazas with a mix of practical stores, necessary services, and maybe a smattering of eateries. Such a place is Carmen Plaza on Daily and Carmen in Central Camarillo. Anchored by CVS, Big Lots, Trader Joe's, and 24 Hour Fitness; Michael's Crafts is about to abandon the others. Michael's will be moving southwest, across the 101 and over to the big center where you'll find Target and Home Depot off Las Posas. Meanwhile, at Carmen Plaza dining options include Spencer Mackenzie's and Braxton's Kitchen. We tried the former recently, and will have to check out the other one day. Conveniently located at the Carmen Drive exit from the freeway, there's lots of free parking to ease you through running errands.

If I could give the owners a zero, I would. Since Micheal's is gone and Big Lots has nothing this…read moreshopping center is in trouble. Except for our wonderful Trader Joes there is nothing else worth going to. TALK OF THE TOWN IS that where 24 hour fitness was a AMAZON MARKET is going in YEK! What will that do for T.J.'s???? Amazon Markets are horrible expired food and if you like everything in packed plastic well that is what they sell. They also sell the 365 brands that do not sell at Whole Foods Market. Been in one of those lately? Horrible and over priced! They have these smart carts that give you the price per your phone. Can you think of that! What happens if you do not have the phone. There is also talk that they finger scan you when you go there. I am hoping that this mess does not go in. The City of Camarillo has no control its the owners of the shopping center. So watch this Camarillo Residents, because we could be WITHOUT A TRADER JOES SOON. Has they could not compete with Amazon! There is also many homeless that live in the back and near Harbor Freight.

GORGEOUS, family friendly atmosphere. Wonderful place to spend the weekend shopping, going to…read morerestaurants, and walking around.

Large, attractive shopping plaza with big box stores like Michael's, Barnes and Noble, Kohl's, and…read moremany more. It's very convenient to the freeway, with lots of free parking, plus various restaurants to refuel you during your shopping adventures. The stores are good sized with elbow room and high ceilings. The exterior facades were designed with a mix of architecture to give the effect of a village, not a monolithic samey-samey feel. We stopped by two weekends ago while hunting for decor supplies for our daughter's baby shower. My destination that day was Michael's. Dear Hubby headed for B&N to enjoy the periodicals section while I did my thing. That day I didn't have extra time, but I have shopped the Ventura Kohl's previously. There's also a Pet Smart and Sprouts in the plaza. Noted that StoneFire Grill took over for Macaroni Grill. Lots of palm trees grace the parking lot to remind you that you're in Southern California and near the beach.

This center has a lot of little spots I frequent. One thing though... parking isn't the best…read more Certain hours of the day you'll find it extremely difficult to get a spot. I'm an early bird so ... it's not a huge deal but the times I've gone later in the day there has been a parking issue. Pro-tip park at the other center across the street if necessary. Only a short walk and it's a bigger parking lot.

This little strip mall is almost always busy because it features a lot of great businesses. Among…read morethem, Poke Ramen, Vapor Forrest, Antonio's Mexican Food, LA Playa Soul Kitchen, Luz's Beauty Salon, Jose Luis Tax Preparer, The Barber Club, Hueneme Mail & Print, and Surf Side Liquor & Minimart. There is a nice private parking lot, so usually its possible to find parking, and the parking is free. The main reason I visit the Hueneme Center is to enjoy the wonderful food at LA Playa Soul Kitchen. I'm telling you, that place has got it going on! If you haven't tried LA Playa, I recommend you get over there and get some of their great food. They have absolutely wonderful espresso drinks too! I also like the vape shop here, Vapor Forrest. And, clearly, everyone else loves Vapor Forrest too. That shop is always hella busy. Really nice selection of all sorts of vaping/smoking/playing-with-fire tools and accessories. Surf Side Liquor is another one of my favorite shops in this Center. Hueneme Beach Park is just a couple blocks away. That makes this the closest liquor store to the beach. The beer here is colder than an IRS agent's heart. All of the above is well and good, but the reason I created this page and wrote this review is to highlight the very cool mural that adorns the building. The mural was painted above the front windows and doors of the tenant businesses. It is broken up into individual scenes that reflect key moments in the history of our continent. It begins with scenes of indigenous people living in peace, pre-European contact. You see images of a shaman and what to my eyes look like an Olmec totem and a Mayan pyramid. Next come scenes of The Conquest, with ugly sword-wielding Conquistadors, and natives in chains. These scenes are followed by depictions of the arrival of the Franciscan missionaries and Mission life. Next, there are scenes from the early days of California statehood, with wagon trains and vaqueros/cowboys on horseback. These are followed by scenes of the building of the railroads, featuring the courageous Chinese immigrant laborers with picks and shovels. The series of vignettes ends with an outline of our state with a State Flag and three strong images of Mexican American men. The artwork is signed, Xowiie Menddez, 1971. Wow! 1971! That means this amazing art has been here for over 50 years. I asked a few people working in the Center if they knew anything about the artist and no one had any information to share. I went home and searched the internet. I came up empty. I can find nothing online for any artist names Xowiie Menddez. The few years before and after1971 were a heady time for Latinos in Southern California. It was when Mexican American students in the LA Unified School District staged the largest walkouts in the history of American education. Called Blowouts, these walkouts were in protest of the second rate education that was foisted on Mexican American students. LAUSD teacher Sal Castro helped guide and protect the student protesters. At this same time the Brown Berets, a pro-Chicano paramilitary organization was organizing protests against the war in Vietnam. Sal Castro and many student leaders and Brown Berets were rounded up and put on trial for conspiracy. All or nearly all were acquitted. I highly recommend you check out these amazing murals when you visit the Hueneme center. Although the are in plain sight, I'm sure most people barely notice them. That's a shame. They should be appreciated and celebrated! Mikey C says: please message me if you have any information on Xowiie Menddez!

Lately, due to some health issues, I've been staying home a lot. Way too much! The cabin fever…read morewas getting to me, plus the inland heat. To give our electric budget a break from paying for more air conditioning, we headed to the coast last Sunday afternoon. We hadn't had breakfast, and although we thought about going to the farmers' market at Channel Islands Harbor, I suggested to Dear Hubby that we head straight to the Ventura Harbor to eat at Brophy Brothers, then take it from there as to the rest of the afternoon's activities. There have been some changes since the last time we came to this place, which is one of our favorite haunts. First, they now charge a minimal fee for parking on Friday's, Saturdays, and Sundays. All things considered, that seems fair. Supply & demand - popularity. It didn't seem to slow down the amount of people visiting. It took some time for us to find a parking place. There was quite a line at Andria's Seafood, waiting to get in and order. At Brophy Brothers, it was 50 to 65 minutes to get an outdoor table overlooking the harbor. Instead, we went downstairs to Brophy's On The Alley and ordered the same fish & chips we would have ordered upstairs. It's their fast casual approach, as opposed to full table service. From where I was sitting, I could see that a large section of the center-west building was under construction. We went that direction to check it out after we finished eating. There is a good-sized construction project in the works which will end up with a two-story restaurant concept, including one with on outdoor patio with stellar views of the boats and mountains in the distance. We also got to check out a scuba diving class trying out their skills in the harbor water. I know there's a diving school there, with their own swimming pool for training. I'd never seen students in the harbor water, though. A steel drum player and his percussionist were performing near the central gathering spot. The "birdman" with his exotic birds was showing off his pet creatures nearby, too. The weather was perfect; just a lovely day to be near the shore. DH and I made a stop at Coastal Cone where I was able to get a root beer float, as they had a vanilla oat vegan ice cream available (I try to strenuously avoid cows' milk dairy products). I hadn't had a root beer float in a very long time, so that was a perfect summertime treat after our late lunch / early dinner. Great people-watching spot here, too. I actually didn't go to the Harbor Hatter this time as I was running out of energy. We still had a nice time and definitely enjoyed the cooler weather in an upbeat location.

So much potential, so much waste. The Good:…read moreHarbor Cafe: a nice place to eat BF and lunch, grab a seat picnic bench style right on the end of the marina. Food is pretty darn good as well. Who took forever this past weekend waited almost 35 minutes and got a snappy answer from one of the waiters when I politely asked to check on our order. (Awful coffee and piss hot beer/watered down fountain drinks though). Beach: right across you have a rare, sheltered cove like beach with zero waves, and a wavier side on the left. Andria's Seafood is a fish and chips staple, although prices have skyrocketed and their original fish and chips tasted much better a few years ago. But still good and hearty. Ice cream parlor is good. Try the death by chocolate it's delicious and the waffle cones are always freshly made. And of course the legendary fishzookie waffle shaped like a fish. The Greek Restaurant waterside is popular; had dinner here 2 years ago and liked it very much. The Bad: Lotsa rinky-dink food and shops that take up space and are as useless as can be. Overpriced beachwear and ladies' clothes, wine tasting place, and cheesy fast-food places with no real identity next to the ice cream parlor. IMO, a waste of premium store space. The fun zone arcade place nothing but a shakedown and completely useless as well. Mostly same outdated and crappy shops as before..like 5...10..20 years ago nothing changes here much. They have closed the significant portion right at the elbow and have a picture of a modern restaurant multi-level shit being constructed. To be continued. You would think at least one of these spots would be designated as a coffee shop well, nope, and there are actually none. Yes you can get coffee from some of the sit-down restaurants and fast food places but I prefer to have coffee where they actually feature it, not a side show. There used to be a cute coffee shop right at the corner but it has long shut down, SMH. My beloved Milano's pizza (RIP 2018) has been replaced years ago; you will be missed my love. (Kiss good-bye) They have begun charging for parking Fri-Sun. Another shameless, petty move which most of Oxnard was immune to, but now has infected yet another city. I think 1 hour is free, then 3/HR. And no freebies for handicaps. They are aggressive so don't try to avoid payment; saw parking enforcement cuttin' up tix left and right last time I was there. Really a very short area of 10 minutes tops to walk; for a fast walker can be done in 5. But if you go past Andrias continuing on the fish-ass smelling docks, you can circle all the way around to the other side, that IS a nice walk. The beach is LOADED with kids on the sheltered cove side, for obvious reasons. The water is murky at times and smells like whale piss/blubber more often than not. Extremely loud and somewhat compact area make noise and music blares tough to tolerate for a full day (at least for me.) Also I went this past weekend there was a shit ton of driftwood all over the place Neutral: Would like to try the taco place on the parking side of the base of the marina, but looks run down and old....again.

Great shopping center even in comparison to Century City Shopping center in Beverly Hills which is…read moremuch bigger but not as cozy.!

This shopping center is beautiful. It reminds me of when I went to Aspen Colorado. This is a very…read morehigh end center, so do not expect to get any good deals here. There are lots of beautiful restaurants, shops, and a movie theater. There is also plenty of parking. I'd definitely come back again when I am in the area.

What a great little shop in Downtown Ventura! This is one of the many hidden gems on Main Street,…read moreand if you're a local or even just visiting I would really recommend a quick stop in here! I visited on President's Day and it was a tad busy inside the store; but that's to be expected as it was busy everywhere! To be honest, the reason I stopped in here is because I saw the F*R*I*E*N*D*S gear repping Ventura. I will always be a tourist in my town. :) And, could I *be anymore serious? :) Staff was friendly; not too pushy. I loved that the store had a very "open" feeling inside, too. I get frustrated sometimes in stores Downtown that are cramped inside because I am always afraid I am going to knock something over. The souvenirs are really nice and well-made, too. Definitely does *not have the Vegas gift-shop vibe, if that makes sense. These items aren't mass produced...and you can tell. You can tell they mean something, too. I ended up getting a few stickers and a birthday present. I would definitely recommend stopping in here next time you're Downtown.

Went in last night to grab a Christmas ornament to have as a memory of our trip here. This store is…read moreabsolutely amazing. I'm from a tourist town and I WISH we had a store like this. This shop is not a tourist shop with the same stuff that every other shop has. I was able to find the most unique gifts and could have bought up the whole store. If you're in town, go here!

What a fun weekend activity! This is a good, old fashioned swap meet with an array of items and…read moresellers and it is free to get in. Household goods, clothing, boots, tools, etc. Most of it new, but some used. Around the perimeter there are food items--more like a farmers' market. A huge array of beautiful fruits, veggies, and flowers. Also vendors who sell dried foods like beans, rice, and dried chiles. We went during COVID and everyone was masked. It gets a little hot, so early is probably better than later.

Lots of Used and new new stuff for Sally in all categories. Also have fresh fruit and vegetable…read morevendors. The F several Taco trucks that serve food other than just tacos.