I was in the Long Beach (LB) area for an event right across the street from the Los Altos Shopping…read moreCenter. I saw Trader Joe's (TJ) and wanted to pick up a few frozen salmons before heading home. What a coincidence... Nguyen's Kitchen and Purs Bowl are right next door to TJ. I got my salmon at TJ, grabbed a late night bite from Nguyen's Kitchen, and cooled down with an acai bowl at Purs Bowl. Very nice! This shopping center is located at the intersection of Bellflower Boulevard and Stearns Street. I don't frequent this area much if at all throughout the year. This was my second time in this area. Anchored by major retailers such as Target, TJ, and T.J. Maxx, with various dining options including McDonald's and Panera Bread. Essential services like CVS Pharmacy, Mobil Gas Station, multiple bank branches (Bank of America, Chase, Southland Credit Union), and U.S. Post Office make this a well rounded center. Here are some of the other tenants at this center... Amazing Comics & Cards Beach Eyecare Optometry Copyco USA Cosmo Prof Deli News Pizza Dvine Mediterranean Experience Five Below Golden Eyebrow Threading Krak Boba Kumon Math and Reading Center of Long Beach Long Beach Smiles Dentistry Nails 4 Season Starbucks Coffee Company Subway Supercuts Sushi Kinoya Tattered Wags To Whiskers

Kind of a funky combination of strip mall pieces thrown together with a sometimes odd parking lot,…read morebut this center is kind of a one stop shop(ping center). Close to CSULB and just a few minutes from the 405, it's quite convenient. Trader Joe's, Post Office, Target, Starbucks, Chronic Tacos, Rite Aid, Golden Spoon, and so much more. A couple of banks, fast food, dine in restaurants... a little bit of everything! Pro tip for Trader Joe's- park on the other side of the store. There are two entrances!

This is a terrible shopping center! The parking is horrible. All compact size parking spaces with…read morezero room to move around the lot. There's definitely not enough room or parking spaces for the amount of people coming in and out of this lot. I'd avoid if you care about your car in any way.

It's convenient. There is no parking problem. I live nearby and use the nail salon, eateries and…read morethe liquor store has many things if you don't have time to go to the market. A great auto parts store for many years! There's nothing to complain about. It's just an older shopping center!

If you read my review of Lakewood Square, another outdoor shopping center in the city where times…read morechange, but values don't, you'll know that I find such businesses as challenging to pen compared to a single store within. However, the same situation has arose with my Yelp friend, Lilah J, prodding me to score FTR, an honor that I'm not too keen on getting, but when the opportunity arises, why not? Of all the times (a lot lol) I've been to this shopping center on the northwest corner of Woodruff and Carson, I don't recall ever knowing it even had a name! The only reason why I know this as Carwood Shopping Center is because of Google and the City of Lakewood website. Otherwise, I've not seen the word "Carwood" anywhere in this plaza, but if you see stores like Sprouts, Harbor Freight Tools, and Smart & Final, this is the Carwood West Shopping Center for which this page is dedicated to. The "West" in the name denotes the west side of Woodruff. This plaza is pretty much a strip mall that runs almost entirely from Harvey to Carson. On the northern end, you'll find a Sprouts, and on the southern end, you'll find a nail spa nestled in between a Wienerschnitzel and an Air Force career center. One building over is another building that houses a Legend Hot Chicken as well as career centers for three other branches of the military: Army, Navy, and Marines. No signs of Coast Guard or Space Force here. Prior to the pandemic, Legend Hot Chicken was previously a BurgerIM, which also had a location in Artesia until both closed for good after a short while. Wienerschnitzel has been there for even longer. Those are unfortunately the only two restaurants in the plaza; the east side has more options if you're looking for something more exotic. All the other stores in this shopping center share the same building as Sprouts, and it runs in a long straight line. From north to south: Sprouts HomeGoods Centinela Feed & Pet Supplies Smart & Final Harbor Freight Tools Marshalls Alin Party Superstore There is a YMCA and an Allen Tire Company adjacent to Carson, but that's not part of Carwood. Even so, while not a bad selection of stores overall, there's not a wide variety that can allow you to do your one-stop shopping here. If you want to get your banking done here after doing your grocery shopping at Sprouts and/or Smart & Final, your only option is Chase, which is located in a building aloof from the actual strip mall itself. In conjunction with the east side, it would make for one nice shopping center, but it can get annoying that you can only cross by way of Harvey or Carson with no designated pedestrian walkway in the middle. I do this quite a lot whenever I need to shop for more at one store and only need a couple items from another store on the other side of Woodruff. It's most definitely not my favorite shopping center, however, for two reasons. First, the parking. Yes, there's plenty of parking, which can be deduced by anyone looking at Google Maps, but that doesn't tell you how much of a mess it can be during peak hours. I have no idea why, but I feel that customers are worse at parking here than at other shopping centers. Is it the narrow aisles between parking stalls? Or some drivers who don't know who has the right of way? Or perhaps the shoppers themselves who walk like they own the place and don't even bother to look for vehicular traffic in either direction? Who knows? Maybe if there was parking in the rear, I'd be less nervous about finding an open spot on a busy day. Secondly, some of the people there are just weird, let's put it that way. They'll loiter on the premises, and I haven't seen any security around to deter this. I once read a story about how a mother with her baby was being followed around in one of the stores, and she had to ask a store employee to escort her out to her car to act as a buffer. Hello?? Where's security when you need them?! That story alone is worrisome enough to cause me to have to watch my back whenever I'm there. To piggyback off the second drawback, I once had a time when I was trying to find something at the Vons on the other side of Woodruff, and a suspicious family stopped their car asking me if I had any money for gas. I said I didn't. I couldn't find something at that Vons, so I went to the Vons just a mile and a half north. Guess what I saw? That same suspicious family! They approached me again! I simply asked if they got the help they needed to indirectly tell them they had already asked me. That was years ago, and even though it was part of the east side of Carwood, it's always made me leery of being in the general vicinity. Seriously though, don't be surprised to see some random peeps trying to get your attention. Shortly after moving here, I got yelled at by another driver for no good reason at all. That's one way to welcome me to this city lol. But with a fair selection of stores here, it's not a bad choice to do most of your shopping.

Big shopping center with Target and a lot of eateries. Love all the options of eateries like Uncle…read moreFung Indonesian, L&L Hawaiian, Truong Nguyen Coffee, Luna Grill, and the newly added California Fish Grill. On the other side of the shopping center, there's Luna Bistro Restaurant which I love thanks to an Yelp event that introduced me to them and a sushi place on the other side of the shopping center. Big shopping center you will think plenty of parking right? ... nope, parking is HARD! They are so busy!

Review #977 2026-043…read more Village Del Amo is now a hoppin' & bustling business plaza since its new construction on the west side, bringing in new restaurants & businesses. The withering row of restaurants (aka Restaurant Row) got a face lift & slew of fresh tenants. Parking is plentiful, particularly on the east side along Hawthorne Blvd.; however, it can be cramped on the west side at Restaurant Row, particularly during lunch & dinner rush. The refreshed Village Del Amo is anchored by Hannam Chain Supermarket & BevMo! Beverages & More, with a slew of restaurants. It's quite unusual for a plaza to have more than 1 bank, & VDA has 4. Wells Fargo Bank is more mainstream than the other 3, whereas PCB Bank is a niche Korean-American community bank, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union is a member-owned cooperative for CA educational employees with higher savings yields & lower fees, U.S. Bank offers better APYs/specialized savings. Tenants (non-exhaustive list): Bafang Dumpling 八方雲集 Benihana BevMo! Beverages & More Cyclebar Del Amo Nails Dental Associates of Torrance Hannam Chain Supermarket Jamba Juice Marugame Udon PCB Bank Pho Hue Oi Postal Mail Boxes Penzeys Spices Poké Bar Presotea SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union Starbucks Coffee Tender Greens The Bagel Factory The Kebab Shop The Little Gym U.S. Bank Branch Wells Fargo Bank Yogurtland Yori Tofu I've been to half of the eateries in the plaza: Tender Greens, Bafang Dumpling, Poké Bar, Pho Hue Oi, Presotea, Marugame Udon. There's several on or near Restaurant Row that I'm hoping to explore soon: Yori Tofu, The Kebab Shop, Board & Brew. I'm hoping Korean fusion Yori Tofu is here to stay; that spot has had high turnover in the past decade, likely due to its corner location having lower foot traffic. I'm mostly here for groceries at Hannam. Village Del Amo is becoming a popular dining destination, assisted by its anchors to maintain steady customer traffic. Its easy access off Hawthorne & Torrance Blvds. & proximity to Del Amo Fashion Center makes this plaza a convenient spot for dining & shopping.

P L A Z A The plaza…read moreis alright. There's okay parking, some of the shops are a little old but I suppose it gets the job done. There's places to eat and a Tender Greens here now. There's a good curry spot, and yogurt here. Otherwise just your average shopping center where you gotta dodge the people and the cars!

I arrived at Citrus Plaza to pick up donuts and croissants from Munchkin's Donut Shop. It's a…read moremedium size plaza with plenty of parking. Most of the businesses were not open at the time which was fine since I was not here for them. I only saw a few eateries. Most biz were for various professional services. They got a little of everything. Good pickings! I am curious about the 3.99 Pizza Company, Dollis Breakfast Restaurant, and La Parrillada Kitchen + Restaurant. I may return to check them out. I'll definitely be back for more croissants from Munchkin's. Come and support your Covina neighborhood plaza! It's right in the middle between 10 Fwy and 210 Fwy at the corner of Citrus Ave and Cypress St. 3.99 Pizza Company Barbershop Beauty Supply & Hair Studio Ceramic Tiles Showroom & Sales Citrus Optometry Custom Cleaners Dollis Breakfast Restaurant Fancy Nails Foothill Credit Union HDTV Outlet Kizh Nation Resources Management Mini Beauty Eyelash Minty Tees Munchkin's Donut Shop Premier One Insurance Services La Parrillada Kitchen La Parrillada Restaurant De Covina Plus Size Boutique Security Siddhi Threading So Cal Gas Company Pet Grooming Citrus Tax Service

Nice, cozy outdoor seating area with plenty of restaurant options to choose from. It's a great spot…read moreto meet up with friends--everyone can grab whatever food they want and still sit together in the same space. Perfect for casual gatherings.

tl,dr: Pleasant place for some exotic eats and casual shopping…read more Likes: + I've been here twice. Both times to enjoy some delicious exotic food at restaurants in this shopping center. + They play nice ambient music on the speakers as you enjoy your stroll between your stops. + Feels safe, even at night.

[Review #805] 2024-004…read more I started shopping at the Torrance Promenade when I moved to the South Bay in the late 1990s. My former co-worker, Jayne, loved this discount fashion store (don't remember the name & the store is no longer a current tenant) that stocked named brand fashions at discounted prices. Originally built in the early 1970s, the mall was designed for 100+ tenants with Kmart as the sole anchor store, & a section called "Artisan's Way" dedicated to glass blowers, crafters, & silversmiths. Since the entry of Del Amo Fashion Center & South Bay Galleria, the mall was remodeled & anchored by Marshalls & Plums in the 1980s. I watched more transitions: OSH Outdoor Supply Hardware (discovered the lemon boy tomato here & started a small patio garden), Aki-Home (home furniture & kitchen essentials), Bally Total Fitness (workouts with my manager who was also my exercise partner), Office Depot (personal office essentials), Babies"R"Us (supplied most of my daughter's clothing & entertainment; essentials: bottles, nipple replacements, pacifiers, baby food & pouches; safety: car seat, stroller, booster seat), & David's Bridal (my daughter's one & only flower girl dress), come & go, or just go, since shopping at the Promenade. OSH & Babies"R" Us spaces are still vacant & it's been several years with no tenant on the horizon. The best additions were Trader Joe's in early 2002s when I started to transition from the staple grocery stores, & In & Out about a decade ago for its convenience to grab a bite after shopping. I think I ate onsite twice? I mostly ordered via drive-thru & enjoyed my burgers in the comfort of home. In the 2020s, part of the south side parking was removed to make way for Jollibee, a Filipino fast food restaurant. David's Bridal vacated, & will be succeeded by New Balance. I think I shopped about 1/3 of all the stores at one point or another with my regular or infrequent go-tos: Trader Joe's, In & Out, Marshalls, Burlington, HomeGoods, Carter's (my son is aging out), Walmart, Party City, just to name a few. Besides In & Out, & Jollibee, there's not too many food options are available: Flame Broiler, Jersey Mike's, Simply Salad, Togo's Sandwiches. The Promenade offers plenty of parking, but gets super congested during the winter holidays, & businesses with lots of food traffic like Trader Joe's, north side by Walmart & Marshalls, & In & Out. Sometimes I'm not buying a huge amount between stores, I prefer to walk the distance than hop in my car by parking in the middle of the 2 furthest (& drop off the bags as I walk south), but it's not designed to be walker-friendly, especially if you're walking from Walmart down to Burlington & need to stop at Party City & Trader Joe's. If you're seeking an alternative to the larger malls & off-priced retail, Torrance Promenade is conveniently located between the 2 largest in the South Bay & is likely to serve this niche market.