Though First to Reviews (FTRs) are quite an honor to have on this review platform, I honestly…read morewasn't planning on having said honor bestowed upon me until a Yelp friend, Lilah J, prodded me to go for it. I thought it would have been quite the challenge to be reviewing a shopping plaza, one especially across the street from the 4th largest shopping center in California, in spite of my frequent visits to both. However, I figured if Lakewood Square could serve as a good respite from the hustle and bustle of Lakewood Center, it surely deserves at least one review, am I right?!
So ironically speaking, Lakewood Square isn't even square in shape, but Lakewood Center, at least sans Restaurant Row, fully occupies the square block encompassed by Lakewood, Del Amo, Candlewood, and Clark. Hardwick divides Lakewood Square into two sides. Either side has plenty of parking, but the north side will be more abundant, especially on Sundays when the anchor tenant, Hobby Lobby, is closed. That Hobby Lobby used to be a Vons, which closed some years ago in spite of its seemingly prime location from a birds eye view.
The south side is anchored by World Market, which offers a wide variety of international goods as well as some neat furniture that could go well in your backyard or your front porch. In the immediate vicinity, you can also have your teeth done at Ocean Dental before finally rewarding yourself with some food from one of Subway, Pieology, Cafe Rio Mexican Grill, or Yogurtland. I've been to all four, but none of them have the best food in Lakewood. However, they will certainly do in a pinch if you're too lazy to go across the street, either Lakewood or Hardwick.
Eateries on the north side include Crazy Delights, Wasabi Roll & Ramen Bar, and Chuck E Cheese.
In addition to a dentist, there's an eye doctor as well as an urgent care to care for your eye and medical needs, respectively. Plus, Metro Infusion Center will be opening very soon.
As I mentioned before, there is plenty of parking on both sides of Hardwick, but if you really can't find a spot on a busy day, try to look for parking in the rear of the buildings. You might be able to snag a spot there :)
There's also a security guard roaming about the plaza, so you can feel safe while shopping there.
Tenants come and go pretty frequently here, so if you were to come back in 5 years, it would look quite different. One thing that has befuddled me is having two Phenix Salon Suites just a mere hundred feet from one another. There was already a standalone location on the north side hugging Hardwick, and now there's another location on the south side, also hugging Hardwick, that recently replaced Catherine's.
I don't think it's clear where the bounds are for Lakewood Square, but after consulting their website www.shoplakewoodsquare.com, it seems that First Bank is at the northeastern corner whereas Yogurtland is at the southeastern corner. However, there's more excitement in either direction! To the north, there is JOANN, Big 5, Petco, and Savers, the last of which recently replaced Big Lots. To the south, there is an Optum, Farmers & Merchants Bank, and the old OfficeMax building, which will be a Sender One very soon! I can see that last one getting a ton of foot traffic, indicating that Lakewood Square may be seeing more activity in the near future!
In addition to F&M and First Bank, there's also a Chase at Lakewood Square to fulfill your banking needs.
Need a haircut? Great Clips has you covered! Or uncovered? lol
Need a place to work out? Check out 6 Degree Fitness! There used to be a Crossfit BPM on the northwest corner, but that unfortunately closed recently. Between Hobby Lobby and Crazy Delights, you can also find a laundromat, beauty supply store, and a tobacco store.
I mentioned JOANN previously, but there's also Michael's if neither JOANN nor Hobby Lobby has the arts and crafts material that you seek.
Artists can try their luck at Painting with a Twist, and if they'd like a manicure or a pedicure, Beam Nail Bar next door can provide those services!
What about the kiddos? They can meet some new friends at The Little Gym of Lakewood, or they can have their own birthday parties at Chuck E Cheese!
If you're wondering why there's no longer a Men's Wearhouse on Restaurant Row, it's because they recently moved into the spot that was recently occupied by The Avenue. It seems clothing stores have not had the best of luck here, unfortunately. Hopefully, Men's Wearhouse doesn't succumb to the same fate!
Though it pales in comparison to Lakewood Center Mall, Lakewood Square is a nice plaza to visit if you want to experience a different kind of shopping. There's just about something for everyone here, but you can't really do all your one-stop shopping here due to lack of a grocery store. However, there's a CVS Pharmacy where you can also pick up your prescriptions and get your COVID/flu shots. Plus, Albertsons is just one block east.
