Willows Shopping Center

Let’s just say that the face lift is looking pretty good so far. There’s some new places to eat, and it looks like more will be coming in. When I checked out the improvements the other day I noticed in a section they have added some benches outside for just chilling. I remember when the Trader Joes used to be here.

Willows Shopping Center seems to be a nice shopping center. I am glad to be seeing security patrolling the parking lot. I came here to go to Panera Bread for lunch. I had a good time at Panera Bread. The shopping center seem to have a lot of good stores and paste to eat. This seems to be one of the best shopping centers in Concord.

They’re slowly revamping this place and more places are popping up like Ike’s and soon a Eureka Burger. The more modern look makes the place a little more inviting than before. I just worry that as more restaurants show up, it might be harder for parking. I do like that there’s a lot of different places to eat and shop at like Jamba Juice, Fuddrucker’s, Panera, REI, Old Navy, Ulta, Krispy Kreme, Lazy Dog, etc.
It’s fairly quiet and just so close to work that it’s pretty convenient for me.

I would not recommend shopping here in the slightest! Unless you are taking a taxi and are getting picked up. Or always keep someone in your vehicle at all times to keep your car safe. Their is no real security protecting this place. The security drivers don’t do ***t to say the least. They drive around and can’t arrest anyone so there’s no point to have these guys rolling around on their phones. Completely useless. No cameras surrounding the perimeters so they can’t catch the people breaking into your vehicles.
This supposedly happens between 3 – 5 times a day is what we have heard from the manager of lazy dog management, security, and the cops alone. This place needs a new owner/​manager or something that cares about their business and the people stopping around here. Or a warning would have been amazing around the parking lot notifying everyone that the crime rate is through the roof in that parking lot alone. My boyfriend and I lost more than 2,000 dollars in makeup, laptops, tablet, and glasses and a necklace and pictures I will never see again because these people sell it on Craigslist the next day and no one can do anything about it. So I am warning you now don’t even bother stopping here!

This is a nice shopping center, it used to be kinda run down when I was a kid, but all the remodeling & new stores really restored the place!
There are awesome stores like Ulta, REI, Any Mountain, Panera Bread, UFC Gym, Claim Jumper & The Jungle. As well as Benihana!
The area is really nice, quiet, and there’s usually plenty of parking. Except during dinner time!

Great shops and restaurants

I don’t find myself thinking of the Willows when I want to go shopping, which is pretty rare anyhow. I’m not much of a shopper, but if I need to shop for something I’d rather go to the bigger Sun Valley center. But I do end up at the Willows for food!
We have been to Off The Grid: Concord, Krispy Kreme, Benihana (though, it’s not as good as it used to be), and our new favorite: Lazy Dog. Claim Jumper, Fuddruckers, and a few other places are here too — even the nearby Seafood City brings me this direction (it’s just outside of the Willows).
Last time I shopped here it was a stop at Old Navy — but not even that store, or any others, would make me drive out of my way for a shopping day here.

The Willows is a good choice for dining. Lazy Dog is a great addition to this shopping center and joins Benihana, Claim Jumper, Fuddruckers & Panera. Krispy Kreme has returned for a sweet treat. The shopping is okay– nice to have Cost Plus & Pier One in the same center. Old Navy & DB Shoes are the only other stores I frequent. I’m really looking forward to Ulta– a much needed addition to the area. I think a coffee shop would be a nice addition– yes even Starbucks.

There are so many empty stores in this small shopping center. Sadly chains have replaced the small mom and pop business that set the Willows apart from Sun Valley Mall on the other side of the freeway.

The Willows Shopping Center is an interesting sprawl of shops and restaurants. Unfortunately there’s nothing uniquely local in here, but it can be a good place to grab some lunch or dinner and do a little casual shopping.
Decent eats in the Willows (btw are there any actual willow trees still around the center???) include Benihana, Fuddruckers and Panera. The long-​standing El Torito was replaced with Lazy Dog, a chain but not one we have in our area so it is nice to have a new option. And of course, the infamous drive-​thru Krispy Kreme, which left us once but came back with a vengeance! They’ve also recently become our local site for Off The Grid food trucks, which is a VERY welcome addition!
For shops, Aaron Brothers has a big and beautiful location here. Old Navy is here for clothes, and Cost Plus World Market and Pier One Imports offer their usual wonderful collections of idiosyncracies, not to mention well-​priced wine! I’ve also always had good luck at DB shoes, TONS of options at competitive prices. And to get your activity on, The Jungle and UFC Gym have locations here.
While the Willows isn’t quite as glorious as it once was, it’s a nice place to spend an afternoon strolling, shopping and dining, and parking is ample even during the holidays.

I love this lil’ shopping center and yeah it’s got all my favorite shops but this place needs a coffee shop like a fat kid need a salad. Starbucks, Peets, ANYTHING (Bonus points if it’s a mom and pop coffee). Sorry Panera and Krispy Kreme but I need strong coffee and REAL latte’s that won’t kill me, and by that I mean I need a place that offers soy milk.

Willows Shopping Center is way different from a decade ago. now it’s
just all the big box/​chain operators. no more indys, no more mom & pops. even gourmet burritos is gone. lots of vacancies here.
big boxes/​chains here:
–old navy, benihana, cost plus world market, pier one, krispy kreme, arron brothers,
jamba juice, road runner sports, juingle fun, UFC Gym, claim jumper, any mountain, panera bread, fuddruckers, ulta beauty, a realty office, and a new eatery to be opened, name forgotten. …
just not interested in these so probably wouldn’t be back soon.

As with almost all my reviews, this is from the point of view of someone frequently out and about with small children. The Willows turns out to be a great place to run a few errands with a kid or two in tow. It’s all outdoors with LOTS of room to run around, and fairly nice landscaped areas for admiring, and fountains to ooh and ahh at if your kid is into that. I didn’t even make it into the Jungle or Gymboree, but you can grab a snack at Panera or BYO at one of the many benches.

The Willows Shopping Center is kind of a moving target in terms of a shopping or dining experience. I stopped by a few days ago and noticed that the formally long standing Mexican place was now demolished. That was sad as one of my early dates with Gayle was a show at the Willows Theater (no more) followed by dinner that restaurant.
Krispy Kreme Donuts came, went, and came back, while one of the early Bay Area Trader Joe’s and ARF were once here. I took my son play at the Jungle and now that he’s grown, we still enjoy a Burger at Fuddruckers. Benihana and Claim Jumper are still here, while Panera, UFC, and REI are relative newcomers. It all jumbles together after all these years. And through it all, it remains a bit complicated to drive here, park, and find the shop that I seek.

This is a pretty nice shopping center with lots of stores.

Nice shopping center. You can circle the entire shopping center via the parking lots but its kind of a tight squeeze cuz its a crappy designed small parking lot in its entirety. Great passage way between UFC & REI. Interesting that there are several signs in this area that note the area is under surveillance. This tells me bad things have happened in this area, so beware!
These are some of the stores you will find in the Willow Shopping Center:
Old Navy, Pier 1, REI, Arron Brothers, UFC Gym, Golf Mart, Jungle Fun, Road Runner Sports, Clam Jumper, Krispy Crème, Jamba Juice, Gourmet Burrito, etc.

Has almost everything you could really want in a small condensed area. The food here is great, with my favorites being Fuddruckers and Panera. Most of the clothing stores surrounding are well kept, and the walkways through the whole shopping center are very clean and accented well with the flowers and sculptures.

What a hodgepodge of stores in this plaza! Excuse me, shopping center. I only come in here for Old Navy, but I still remember my Jungle days. I went to many a birthday party there. I still don’t understand how both REI and Any Mountain are still in business, but something really needs to replace the empty Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. It looks so sad.

Kind of a weird joint. Mixmatch of stores, and the public restroom location is hard to find and boggles the mind a bit. Needs more places looking to the interior. I do like the upgrade to the landscaping.

Another fond memory from back in the day when the Willows Shopping Center was ‘the place’.
My first big live Theater experience was at the Willow’s Theater when I was a girl scout.
Very few stores remain from back in the 70’s when it first opened. Alot of empty space.