Westwood Village is a decent little shopping area boasting a few major stops. The most important place, in my opinion, has to be the Target, considering it's the only Target in West Seattle (the next nearest locations are Tukwila and Northgate). Since the Target has undergone renovations recently to include a grocery section, it's become especially useful.
Adjacent to the Target is my next favorite destination, Barnes & Noble. This particular B&N is quite small, though, and their stock is much more limited than the locations that consist of 2 or 3 floors- or even the Southcenter store, which simply has a larger floor plan.
There is a small handful of restaurants within Westwood Village, none of which are decent sized sit-down places. The Eats Market Cafe is so-so, the Vatsana Thai restaurant is superb, the Sub Shop sandwich shop is a good alternative to Subway (and is perpetually staffed by a crew of cheerful young people deserving of good tips), and there's even a fairly decent pizza place. Other than that, your options are either McDonald's (open 24 hours), Toshi's Teriyaki, or Taco del Mar. Outside of the Thai place, you don't go to Westwood Village for a culinary experience. What about Starbucks, you ask, you coffee-dependent Seattlite you? Don't worry... there are three. One freestanding, one in Barnes & Noble, and one in the QFC grocery store. (This is more than plenty, considering Westwood Village really isn't that big.) Don't feel like coffee? There's a Jamba Juice for that.
You've got your errand-running staples like the United States post office, two banks (Bank of America and Chase), Staples, Rite Aid, the DMV across the street, and, depending on how exciting (or exhausting) your errands are, a liquor store.
Clothing stores are limited to Chico's- a store that I'm much too young, and I think also too style-conscious to appreciate- and a Dress Barn. Ironically, though I dislike Chico's, I am pro-Dress-Barn. I'm not a fan of the name, but I've gotten quite a few good looking dresses there, and there's always a discount to be had at the good ole barn o' dresses. There's also a Marshall's, but in all honesty, I think it's the sketchiest store in the whole complex. It's always a mess, the staff is perpetually depressed and strung out (to be fair, I think I would be, too, if I worked there), and the merchandise is like perusing a gigantic "as-is" table.
And then there are the specialty shops, which is probably Westwood Village's biggest category: Miscellany. Bed Bath & Beyond, one of the anchor stores, has almost as good a selection as one of the bigger BB&B locations, but the aisles are very small and busy. Other chain stores include Radio Shack, Pier 1 Imports, Big 5 Sporting Goods, and, for some reason, Sleep Country USA. There's a small vitamin store that seems to be a bit high-end in price, as compared to somewhere like Super Supplements; Pet Pros, a small, independently owned pet store; Wyatt's Jewelers, which I can't recommend for either price or customer service; and there's even a John L. Scott realty office, which I can personally attest to having some of the best, friendliest realtors in the Seattle area. There's also a 24-Hour Fitness, QFC, and Gamestop (relocated from the White Center location, and much improved).
Westwood Village's major downfall is the parking. There is a good amount of parking available, but the layout is a bit chaotic, rife with tight turns and narrow lanes, and it's easy to get hit if you're not being cautious. Some of the spots are so small it's like playing car Operation trying to extract your car from a space (I'm looking at you, parking area near Marshall's and Starbucks). I also try to avoid driving past the side with the QFC on it at all costs, as the pedestrian, shopping cart, and car traffic can be too busy... and people are often of the mindset that they have the right of way, no matter what.
All in all, Westwood Village is a great asset to West Seattle. It may not be the trendiest or most upscale, but it does a good job at providing necessary businesses for the community. It doesn't offer much in the way of independent merchants, but there's always the Junction for that. read more
