For this week's #TinaTuesday I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ashton Simmons, General Manager of The Veranda.  First let me give you a little background on Ashton.  Ashton came from the East coast in September 2013 to be the Senior GM of both the Southland Mall and the Newpark Mall, then in 2017 he was hired by CenterCal Properties, LLC to be the GM of The Veranda.  Soon after becoming the GM of The Veranda, Ashton joined the Board of Directors of the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce and soon after became a Board Member with the Concord Chamber of Commerce.  On top of those two Boards,  Ashton serves as a Board Member for the East Bay Leadership Council and The YMCA of the East Bay, and also just became a voting member of the Government Affairs Committee with the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce.  That's all on top of managing The Veranda!  He's a busy man!

Now, about the Veranda.  The Veranda is owned by CenterCal Properties, LLC who currently have 14 open shopping centers and 5 that are currently being developed.  CenterCal Properties, LLC is a private retail development company. Their motto is... "to design and build unique, meaningful community gathering places which honor our customers as well as redefine the trends for the overall retail experience. We empower communities by developing spaces that sustain future generations rather than concern them.   At the same time, we provide our guests with destinations in which they can gather, connect, inspire, create, and be both surprised and delighted.  We are not simply building shopping centers - we are adding thoughtful elements to the communities we serve that are designed to increase the social fabric of each community in its own special way."  And they absolutely accomplished that at The Veranda!  The Veranda is a 375,000-square foot mixed-use plaza, and is the East Bay’s newest destination for next-generation shopping, dining and entertainment. The property is accented by unique architecture, local art and play spaces, including Northern California’s first-ever Luckey Climber, (which are three dimensional sculptures that define public spaces, encourage physical activity, and offer the sort of imaginative play experience that is important for intellectual development in children). 

Here are a few more fun facts about the Veranda...

• They have the 1st Whole Foods 365 in all of Northern California
• 1st Mikuni Sushi in the Bay Area (which Vlade Divac was spotted in the other day)
• 1st Super Duper Burger in the East Bay
• Soon (2019) to be home to the 2nd Yard House in the Bay Area (Original Yard House is in Santana Row)
• 2nd EMC Food in the Bay Area (1st one in Santana Row as well)
• 2nd Puesto in the Bay Area (1st one in Santa Clara)
• They have a park that they turn into a skating rink from November - January, and throughout the rest of the year it houses ping pong tables, corn hole, and foosball.  On the First Friday of Every Month, 9-10 am they have a free Yoga class, and on the 2nd Friday of Every Month @ 9 am they have a free fitness class  
• The Veranda is a mixed use shopping center with 20,000 sq. ft. of leasable office space in addition to the retail, entertainment and dining options.
• The Veranda has the largest hub of Tesla Super Chargers in the entire bay area
• The fountain in front of the LUXE Cinema has a light and music show every 30 minutes between 10 am-9 pm, 7 days a week
• Every 3rd Sunday of the month from 8-10 am they have "The Cafe Petrol Automotive Gathering," where if you have an exotic, specialty, classic, fun or unique car, or you're an enthusiast of any of those cars, they would love to see.
• It is the first shopping center development in this area since the mid 70's
• They converted what used to be the old Chevron Building location into The Veranda in less than 2 years
• It is home to the LUXE Cinema with the only IMAX theater within 25 miles
  • The LUXE Cinema is the only theater in the entire country with Dolby Atmos sound, (the speakers aren’t just in the front of the theater, but the side and back walls as well...talk about surround sound!)
  • They have Bargain Tuesdays (all Shows, all Day) $6.00 and Early Bird Specials (all Shows before 11 am) $7.25
  •  Luxury Electric Recliners and Conveniently Reserved Seating
  •  Full Service In-Theater Dining 
  •  Full Bar, Plush Cocktail Lounge and an Outdoor Dining Patio to enjoy before or after a movie!

As you can see, The Veranda has a plethora of many different options for the savvy shopper, diner and entertainment enthusiasts, with much more to come (of course Ashton wouldn't tell me who).  Thank you Ashton for taking the time to sit down with me and share all that is happening at The Veranda and all of the amazing places and things to do there.  If you would like to follow all of the happenings at The Veranda you can visit their website at  https://shoptheveranda.com/