6/15/2025: Skulking MV Lumber Yard--AGAIN. My first-born daughter and I wanted visiting the Mill Valley Lumber Yard as a pit stop before heading towards Ukiah CA. We stopped by the Restaurant my first-born daughter took me for Mother's Day dining, bought a snack and a drink to go from the restaurant, and began "milling" perusing all the shops while snacking and drinking. I really love the chill vibe at Mill Valley Lumber Yard as a pit stop which will now become my ultimate roadtrip pit stop. read more

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The Mill Valley Lumber Yard is a charming open-air market. We visited on a weekday after a local hike, and while parking was busy, we managed to find a spot in the small single-lane lot just across the street. There are about half a dozen shops--unfortunately, the dog boutique I was excited to visit had recently moved to Murphy's, so we just missed them. Glad to see they relocated rather than closed! The other shops are the usual mix of cute but slightly overpriced boutiques. There's a crepe stand at one end, a coffee shop with sandwiches, salads, and bakery items, and a sit-down restaurant in the middle. Dogs are welcome to walk around, which is great, but I did notice a sign in a dirt area that said, "Do not pee here," with a picture of a dog. While I understand the sentiment, I'd honestly prefer my dog choose a dirt patch over the main pathway. read more

Visiting out of town and this place was definitely a recommendation. It is absolutely adorable. It was a weekday so not too many crowds parking was ample. I can't imagine what it looks like on the weekends stores shops bakeries. read more

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Amazing place, friendly staff and comfy outdoor spaces. Love it Highly recommend if you want to grab some coffee with delicious bakery read more

Mill Valley Lumber Yard - Mocha with chocolate brownie - Shopping Centers Near Me - Mill Valley, California

Cute area to walk around, stop by shops and grab coffee or food. Coming from Los Angeles, I loved how peaceful it is here. The air is so clean, life is so much slower, and I could sit for a whole afternoon with coffee enjoying myself. This is a must stop in Mill Valley. read more

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Quaint with shopping and some good food! We will be back! We ate some good food and shopped around for a coue hours.

Mill Valley Lumber Yard is a cute, small, and quaint shopping center. We stopped by on a Sunday around 5PM after a hike on Mt. Tam, but unfortunately, many of the shops were already closed. That said, the space still felt inviting and cozy, thanks to the warm lighting that really sets a charming atmosphere. There seems to be a nice selection of restaurants, as well as some adorable clothing and knick-knack shops to browse. From what I remember, this used to be an actual lumber yard that was beautifully converted into a shopping center, which adds a unique touch to the experience. One big plus is the ample free parking, which makes visiting super convenient. I'd love to come back earlier in the day to explore more of what it has to offer. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area, especially after enjoying Mt. Tam! read more

What an adorable shopping area! We stopped by right before Christmas, it was raining. But still busy. Santa was there. There is a covered outdoor sitting area to enjoy your coffee where not exposed to the elements. Dogs and kids were loving the puddles. Lots of cute and friendly shops with a lovely small town vibe. read more

Nice middle of the road marketplace with clothing and eateries. Nice outdoor space for humans and pets to enjoy the view of Mt Tams. read more

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love this place! its so relaxing, and u can spend the day there just sitting and gossiping with your friends! highly recommend to come here

Great place to chill. Good food, fun shops. We had a great day in Mill Valley. We started here with brunch. read more

The quaintest shopping center in the quaintest town. This historic lumber yard turned outdoor shopping center is a great place to spend a few hours. Grab a bite to eat and browse the shops surrounded by the redwoods. My favorite spots are Flourcraft Bakery (delicious, gluten free baked goods) and the Makers Mart. Bonus: The Lumber Yard is located right next to downtown Mill Valley and Old Mill Park. On weekends, there's sometimes live music. read more

Mill Valley Lumber Yard - mill valley lumber yard - Shopping Centers Near Me - Mill Valley, California

We got gluten free pizza at the one place and it wasn't good at all. It was the pesto and it had almost none on it and tons of nearly raw onions. I would not go back. read more

The mill valley lumber yard is beautiful and full of gorgeous businesses. We went to the restaurant for some drinks. The cocktails were delicious and beautifully presented HOWEVER the woman working the front desk is the most extraordinarily, blatantly rude person ever. She was dismissive and purposefully rude to everyone she interacted with. We brought it up to our waiter because we were concerned and he said "yeah, I deal with this all the time". BUMMER. Would be a perfect place if this woman was half decent. read more

Great atmosphere and great beers at a restaurant that I can not remember the name of. Just an all around great place. read more

Mill Valley Lumber Yard - I think it's called a dark ale. - Shopping Centers Near Me - Mill Valley, California

Beautiful location but the pastry shop is a disaster. We ordered the avocado toast with egg and it was the saddest looking dish I've ever seen. The toast tasted like cardboard. The whole dish was so bland. We also ordered the pound cake, the almond scone and the vegan donut. All average. We had to wait in line to order, then they buzz you to go pick up your food, then you have to go bus the dishes away and they have the audacity to ask for a tip? For doing what, you should be tipping me at this point. Go for the location and walk around the stores but maybe just get coffee from their pastry shop. read more

Mill Valley Lumber Yard - Avocado toast with egg - Shopping Centers Near Me - Mill Valley, California

Cutest place ever! Loved the shops, the vibe, the food, the free parking! Will def be back! read more

Mill Valley Lumber Yard - a man standing outside of a building - Shopping Centers Near Me - Mill Valley, California

Great place to hang at the bar or the patio. Everything is good. Pizza, beer, cocktails? Yes!

We ordered the white bean cassoulet which was absolutely delicious! The dining experience was lovely - from the food to the service and the ambiance. read more

Lovely little shopping/ dining area. On the way to Muir Woods made a small detour and found this gem. They have a pastry shop, jewelry shop, restaurant, electric bike shop, knick nack shop and ice cream.... Anchored by a nice area to sit and enjoy the sun. Great location to meet and greet and grab a snack. Favorite so we the nick nack shop..I think it had "makers"-artisan items. Today wasn't a day for shipping, but definately will come by again... Great, relaxing place. Caretaker also shared some history of the lumberyard... Beautiful location. read more

MV Lumber Yard is my favorite place to go after a morning hike! The restaurant has just the food you want and great cocktails too. I love to bring friends when they're in town. read more

Such a great little spot in Mill Valley, the restaurant in the center had a great selection of beers and their burger was delicious! A lot of seating and very dog friendly Unfortunately a lot of shops are closed or may have closed early due to COVID. Hoping everything opens up soon but plan to go early if you're looking to browse. read more

Mill Valley Lumber Yard - Shopping Centers Near Me - Mill Valley, California

Great place with diverse shops and shopping experience. Purchased a micro puzzle in the Tantrum toy store. Very elegant and busy for its third day debut since soft opening. Also found great stuff for my Dals, a rope toy and their color matched leashes. Then had lunch at the Watershed. Greater by service and promptly edited on. Food menu has a little of everything. I am sure there will be something appetizing. read more

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Great set of businesses with an excellent holiday spirit. We had a great lunch on their patio with our dog. (Pets are welcomed on the outside patio. read more

perhaps this will provide some perspective that makes sense of what happened to the old Mill Valley Lumber Yard. it's been transformed from a functional building materials supplier of yesteryear into a venue created as yet another opportunity to exchange some of your discretionary income for more upscale stuff that will, someday and ultimately, make less and less sense to you, then you store it in your garage. i'm definitely jaded on this, having had more than enough of events that are little more than craft faires. this place is just a higher end version. that said, for years the lumber yard was losing ground as a business and actually seemed deserted at times. this new development of the property has a certain undeniable but somehow annoying appeal. to check it out i went for a stroll one recent fall evening down it's lighted ersatz "mainstreet", cool breeze blowing in off the coast, in this historic and beautiful location, "nestled" (hate that term) under mill valley redwoods. though the property deserved better i anyway enjoyed its terminally cozy transformation, accepting this kind of thing as an inevitable result of pricey marin real estate. the location is expensive and whatever is there has to be profitable enough to pay the rent better than did the sale of lumber. this is anyway better than ugly high-rise apartments mandated by our zeitgeist state housing requirements. so be it as it is. i won't list purveyors displaying their wares, go see for yourself. just know that next time you're here some will likely be gone as time separates winners from others. you realize there are no bargains in the lumber yard, right? just pricey items you can do without but for that mysterious urge to let go of some folding green and buy something while you're here, anything really. it's an urge that savvy marketers know so well how to stimulate. the market is composed of marinites, but likely many city dwellers as well, on a country excursion, ie this side of the bridge. these are surely not young hourly wage earners but people much like ourselves, middle+ incomers (enough to pay for elevated rent maybe mortgage, electric cars, dinner at overpriced / not great restaurants, etc) ie, professional salary mules. there is nothing new about this target market. an old socio-economic term, originally marxian and repurposed in the 60s/70s as both derisive and arrogant reference to the middling urban demographic. i hesitate to state such terms but... "boog" in the hip 60s, since re-named "bobo" by none other than journalist David Brook... they refer to the urban bourgeoisie (BOurgeois BOhemian). portals of entry for marketing to this sector of the middle class, employed as they are in stressful careers providing for a comfortable urban life but requiring a break from workweek monotony, are venues like "lumber yard". good workaday folks head for getaway places like this where surely enough, various curios and cuteness will be for sale in a setting that evokes a sense of an earlier, simpler era. one can wonder why people buy here, why they buy what they buy, but in the end macht nichts. others make a living selling them stuff here. the jaded view I describe is of likely but a few who make or sell this "stuff" today. back in the day i made festival wine, others crafted handmade artsy-fartsy kitsch (pottery, leather belts, woody things, candles, tie-dye, "art",...), generally living more by wits than job skill to escape the paycheck fray. products were an easy sell at craft markets and festivals to urbanite workers who for a time displayed, used in their kitchen, or whatever. you may still have some of these crafts somewhere in your garage ("look heather, here's that wooden beer mug i bought at the renaissance fair back in 1980!"). all much the same today, things sell to the same market, for the same reasons, in places like the lumber yard. to be sure, today's is a more polished presentation... imports from certain favored, faraway places... tibet or africa or... ok some crafts are actually/perhaps made at the Lumber Yard if that matters to you. so what's the problem? nothing, i suppose. if it's your scene, satisfies an urge, briefly quiets some existential itch, go for it. and to be faire, the lumber yard is hardly unique in this type of venue, selling cute stuff to people needing a break from everyday urban life. just check the row of shoppes in sausalito, larkspur, san anselmo or the rest of mill valley for comparison. as a lumber yard this had outlived its original purpose anyway. but what the facility came to be now isn't really all that much to write home about. did it have potential for more? what could that be? questions others might think about... but obviously didn't.. so what did i buy here? unfortunately there's not much at these scenes for a guy to want other than alcohol. so i obligingly downed a glass of wine at watershed and called it 2* good enough. read more

Nice casual historical complex to relax after hiking with many stores and food options. Lots of families and dogs enjoying food at fire pits. read more

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What a lovely spot to hang out, have a meal and enjoy the outdoors. A variety of food and drink options. Great place to spend the afternoon.

Always love to puruse Bloomingayles. A lovely place for lunch with the best grilled cheese in town

Very cool spot... Ewfabbwd old lumber yard, now has some of Mill Valleys best shops. Definitely check out Flour Craft 100% gluten-free... But everyone will love their baked foods read more

Great spot to chill outside by the fire away from downtown crowds. Always a fun vibe.

This is our first time at the Lumberyard, my husband and I and we agree that so far, we have enjoyed our stay after our hike at Mt Tamalapais, it was indeed a wonderful find! We'll definitely come back soon! read more

Great use of space and dog friendly. Like the dog shop and outdoor seating. Thanks for trying to have parking even though hard. Thanks for supporting gluten free with flower craft read more

A cute shopping center. Fin boutiques and a variety of food options. Lovely outdoor seating areas. Dog friendly. We had a large party and there was something for everyone's taste. read more

Food was good. Service was good. Setting was good. Had dinner with my husband & it was a bit loud inside but it would be a great place to meet friends for a drink! read more

A cute hip outdoor shopping and dining area in Mill Valley - perfect for stopping in for a snack, drink, or full meal. Come by on a beautiful day while the local shops are open and enjoy the plentiful outdoor seating or swing by in the evening to cozy up near the fire pit and heat lamps. read more

Cute little spot for to grab a bite to eat, crepes, coffee, and shop for unique gifts. They also have a local market every other Saturday. read more

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Just what Marin / Mill Valley has needed! Local purveyors, delicious food, our fave toy store (Tantrum Toys) and the most amazing spot to do chocolate and pastries lessons by Mon Revé upstairs! Love this spot for dates, fam outings, solo coffees outside and more. Brilliant way to maintain the historic beauty of property while making it relevant in the here and now. read more

Very cute place lots to walk around and see- very dog friendly. Hope it continues to grow.

Really nice spot to meet friends outdoors. Nab the fire pit and enjoy some delicious food and drink. We had a very good experience.

Its so sad to watch the slow, agonizing death of a real city. Having been here 20 years, I actually did go to MV Lumber and found them to be real, helpful people. It was handy to be able to walk to this place from my house and get stuff. Now, the entire lot is in jeopardy as several yuppie, boutique-ey places start to move in. Its nice to walk around the lot, I encourage you do it before they really ruin it. read more