This weekend, developers Richard Weintraub and Richard Sperber will at last celebrate their Malibu Lumber Yard mall with a ribbon cutting attended by Malibu City Council members, and with families and children of Malibu invited to the festivities. The ribbon cutting will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, and the whole weekend is devoted to family/children activities.
The grand opening is slated for Tuesday, April 21, hosted by Richard and Liane Weintraub, Shawn and Richard Sperber, and a slew of celebrities, including Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn, Anthony Kiedis, Brooke Burke and David Charvet, David Spade, Gabrielle Reece and Laird Hamilton, Jewel, Matthew McConaughey, Nichole and Steve Tisch, among others. Invited attendees will enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and music from Ravi Drums and DJ Reach.
Weintraub, CEO of Weintraub Financial Services, and Sperber, CEO of landscaping firm ValleyCrest Co., had originally announced the ribbon cutting for March 27 and the grand opening for this coming weekend, but both events were delayed by several weeks.
Just six days before the ribbon cutting, workers were still seen putting more than finishing touches on the stores at the site, including putting siding on the large building that once housed lumber and other materials for builders, but will now be filled with retail items.
The site of the former Malibu Lumberyard has been completely redone, with a second-story addition, Ipe wood-decked walkways and 70-year-old Kentia palm trees, among other ornamental foliage.
Among the 15 retail and food establishments that will open at the mall are Café Habana, a Cuban-style restaurant by Malibu resident and nightclub entrepreneur Rande Gerber; MILK, a cafe, ice cream and bake shop (the original, owned by Bret Thompson, is in Beverly Hills); home design store Adrianna Shamaris; clothiers Maxfield, Tory Burch, Intermix, James Perse, alice + olivia, J.Crew, Kitson Men, Planet Blue Kids and Theory; and Crumbs Bake Shop. In addition, a family-style restaurant is planned for upstairs, in a corner with big glass windows that overlooks Pacific Coast Highway with a clear view of the Malibu Lagoon. A children’s dance studio is also planned for the mall.
This weekend’s family activities, including face painting, arts and crafts, an appearance by Sponge Bob, magic show and more, will take place Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
-Laura Tate