• Wildomar Square Inches Closer to Opening

If you've lived in Wildomar for more than a couple of years, you've heard about Wildomar Square for more than a decade. The first sign I saw suggested that it would be opening in Fall of 2008, but the recession came and put it on the back burner. 

The stated hope of "Spring 2017" was off by about six months.

So far back on the burner that it lost it's original anchor, In-N-Out Burger (or so the story goes), but The Habit will make everyone else forget about them in short order. 

With all that water under the bridge, Wildomar Square is finally getting set to open... at least in part.

I've noticed that the Taco Bell has looked ready for business for a couple of weeks now, so I thought I'd stop by and take some pics to share. 

It's funny to think about all the fuss some people engaged in when passersby
thought this was going to be a purple building.

I bet the people that freaked out over the primer paint that was used, thinking the building was going to be purple all over, also get upset if they see their scrambled eggs when they are still liquid, worried that they are going to be served cold egg soup. ☺

While there, I spoke to one of the managers (or was he an owner?) and I learned that they had been hoping to open last Saturday (September 16th, 2017), but it's been pushed back to sometime this week.

Bear Creek Optometry, which is currently in the shopping center directly west from Wildomar Square, is going to be relocating to the new center. I stopped by and learned that they anticipate the move to be around the start of the new year.

Another business that will be coming online is called Petrichor Float. They use sensory deprivation tanks for the process of "helping and healing the victims of PTSD and other stress related conditions that traumatize the body and soul". 

Link to Petrichor Float's Facebook Page

There are several businesses in the shopping center that are very close to opening too. Where others appear to have many months left before they'll be able to open for business, one of the buildings hasn't even had the foundation poured yet.

Below are several photos to give you a feel of how far the construction progress is to this point. 

A look at Jersey Mike's and Dunkin' Donuts.

Another view of Jersey Mikes.

Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins are in the same building which has a drive thru.
Not sure if ice cream cones will be sold that way or not.

A peek inside Baskin Robbins.
Does anyone else still refer to it as 31 Flavors?

This building, which the back of it is against Hidden Springs Rd, will house Angelo's Brick Oven Pizzeria. There is no sign up at this point, so I attached my own.

A look at the right side of the establishment.

Follow their facebook page to know when they'll be opening.

A look at the left side of the restaurant.

Country Kitchen looks to be a good sized eatery, a future breakfast destination to be sure. They have a "Now Hiring" sign, but don't just walk over to Starbucks without calling that number first. I was told by the barista that they've had many people just come in and ask about the interviews but haven't actually seen any conducted. 

Here's a link to their website. I checked the menu, but didn't see any prices.

A look at the inside of Country Kitchen as they get closer to opening.

Sushi Ka is right next to Angelo's. I spoke with Chris (I think he was the owner),
a nice guy and I look forward to tasting their specials once they've opened.
You can probably tell that I added the "coming soon" sign to the building.
It had been hanging on a fence.

The Habit, which is also a drive thru, takes up most of this building.
It's not clear what will occupy that small suite on the far end.

As you can see by the placement of the plants, and other fragile decorations, they are getting ready to open.

Link to their website

After a quick look at their menu, I see that they are a very reasonably priced hamburger place.

This photo reveals that this unit is many months away from being ready for business.

This building hasn't even gotten off the ground yet,
and behind it appears to be the new tire shop (Mountain View Tires).

In total, there are said to be 21 occupants that have signed to do business there, and there remains a few open spots. The site is over 45,000 square feet in total and sits on the southwest corner of Clinton Keith and I-15.

The one thing I haven't seen under construction yet is the 65 foot high sign, with the 200sf LED display, that will be visible from the freeway. 

This graphic was part of the developer's presentation to the Planning Commission. The image on the left represents what it would look like in the daylight hours, and the right side is what it would look like in the evening hours.

You'd think that the owner (and the businesses) would want that thing up BEFORE they opened, not after. Either which way, this center is getting ready for your business.

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“The pessimist looks down and hits his head. The optimist looks up and loses his footing. The realist looks forward and adjusts his path accordingly.”
— King Ezekiel from The Walking Dead, writer Robert Kirkman.

Wildomar Rap still hasn't hit its head, or lost its footing, in nearly 4 full years of operation.