Walnut Creek has a lot to look forward to. 👀

This week, we’re looking ahead at new businesses opening around town, including Shabugo coming to the former California Pizza Kitchen space, plus Masses Sports Bar getting closer to reopening at its new Locust Street location.

We’re also recapping an incredible Oktoberfest weekend, sharing what’s next for The Nut hats, and looking for the next spot to host a Walnut Creek Spotlight pop-up. 🌰

Plus, plenty of events are happening around town this week.

Walnut Creek keeps changing, and we’ve got a lot to catch you up on. Keep scrolling! 👇

Walnut Creek Spotlight Crew

Walnut Creek, You Showed Up at Oktoberfest! 🌰🍻

What a weekend.

Walnut Creek Spotlight had a booth at Walnut Creek Oktoberfest this past weekend, and the response to our locally inspired hats and shirts was honestly more than we expected.

Going into the weekend, we brought a pretty large selection of The Nut, The Creek, and Dub C hats, along with T-shirts and a few other designs. I thought we had plenty of inventory to last both days.

I was wrong.

By the end of Friday night, we had completely sold out of every single The Nut hat we brought. Not just one color or style. Every one.

As exciting as that was, I was also pretty upset with myself for not ordering more. I knew a lot of people had told us they were planning to come by on Saturday specifically to pick up a The Nut hat, and unfortunately, by the time they arrived, none were left.

We started Saturday with only around 30 hats total across all of our remaining designs.

If you came by looking for The Nut and couldn't get one, we have more coming! I set up a presale Google Form for anyone who wants to reserve a hat from our next order. I'll be placing a much larger order with our vendor in the next couple of days, and we hope to have everyone's hats ready in approximately 2 to 3 weeks.

So... What Do People Actually Call Walnut Creek?

One of my favorite parts of the weekend actually had nothing to do with selling merchandise.

We set up a whiteboard at our booth asking people a simple question:

What do you call Walnut Creek?

We handed out stickers and asked people to place their vote next to one of four choices:

🌰 The Nut
🌳 The Creek
🤙 Dub C
📍 Just Walnut Creek

The results weren't particularly close.

The overwhelming majority voted for The Nut.

But the best part wasn't necessarily the final tally. It was hearing everyone's stories.

People would stop at the board, cast their vote, and then stick around to tell us why they called Walnut Creek a certain name. We heard from people who grew up here, went to high school here, raised their families here, and have watched Walnut Creek change over the years.

Several people even brought up the days when they would cruise Main Street before cruising was banned.

Others were firmly on Team The Creek and told us that's what they and their friends have called Walnut Creek for years. Some preferred Dub C. And, of course, plenty of people looked at all three nicknames and said, "I've always just called it Walnut Creek." 😂

Those conversations were probably my favorite part of the entire weekend.

Thank You, Walnut Creek ❤️

More than anything, Oktoberfest reminded us why we enjoy running Walnut Creek Spotlight in the first place.

So many people stopped by the booth to introduce themselves, tell us they follow the page or read the newsletter, share a Walnut Creek memory, or talk about something happening around town.

A huge thank you also goes to my wife, dad, brother-in-law, and everyone else who helped us throughout the weekend. Between setting up, selling hats and shirts, talking with everyone, restocking, and eventually breaking everything down, a lot went into making the weekend happen.

And thank you to Walnut Creek Downtown for putting together another great Oktoberfest and giving us the opportunity to be part of it.

Most importantly, thank you to every person who stopped by our booth. Whether you bought a hat or shirt, tried to buy a sold-out The Nut hat, voted on our whiteboard, or simply stopped to talk with us, we appreciate it.

Where Should We Pop Up Next?

After how much fun we had at Oktoberfest, we definitely want to do another pop-up.

If you're a local business, brewery, restaurant, market, event organizer, or other Walnut Creek spot interested in hosting a Walnut Creek Spotlight merch pop-up, please reach out!

And if you're a reader who knows of an upcoming event or a place where you'd like to see us set up, send us your suggestions.

Hopefully we'll see everyone again soon. And next time, we'll bring a lot more The Nut hats. 😂🌰

Masses Sports Bar Hopes to Reopen Within Two Weeks

Masses Sports Bar is getting close to reopening at its new location at 1411 Locust Street in downtown Walnut Creek! While the exact date will depend on pending final inspections, the team says their goal is to open within the next two weeks.

They plan to start with a slow, soft opening to get everything dialed in before fully ramping up. “We cannot wait!” the team shared. Stay tuned for an official opening date as Masses gets closer to welcoming Walnut Creek back.

New Businesses Are Opening Around Walnut Creek 👀

There’s been a lot of movement around Walnut Creek lately, with several new businesses opening their doors or getting ready to welcome customers. Here are a few updates:

🛏️ Saatva is Now Open
📍 619 Mt. Diablo Blvd.

Luxury mattress brand Saatva has officially opened in downtown Walnut Creek, taking over the former Sleep Number location. The showroom offers mattresses, bedding, bed frames, and other sleep products.

🧋 The BOBA Lounge is Now Open
📍 Broadway Pointe

Another boba shop has arrived in downtown Walnut Creek! The BOBA Lounge is now open at Broadway Pointe, taking over a space that has previously been home to iTea, Teapot, and Li Cha Tea.

💪 BODYROK Walnut Creek is Now Open
📍 1380 N. California Blvd.

BODYROK recently celebrated its Walnut Creek grand opening. The fitness studio offers high-intensity, low-impact workouts using custom reformers and held its grand opening weekend on September 19 and 20.

🍲 Shabugo Coming Soon
📍 Former California Pizza Kitchen location across from Sala

One of the more noticeable downtown restaurant spaces is getting a new tenant. Shabugo, a Japanese shabu hot pot restaurant, is coming soon to the former California Pizza Kitchen location.

The storefront is now covered with Shabugo signage featuring thinly sliced meats, vegetables, and other hot pot ingredients, and a large “Coming Soon” banner is officially up. No opening date has been announced yet.

Know about another new business opening in Walnut Creek? Send it our way! We’re always looking to keep the community updated on what’s new around town.

Blast from the Past: Walnut Festival Throwback

I used to love walking over to the Walnut Festival when it was held at Heather Farm Park. I grew up nearby, so attending was always a staple of my childhood, especially throughout the 2000s through 2009. I really wish they still held it there today. So many great memories from those years!

📸 Photo from Facebook group Walnut Creek California Time Machine.

Wednesday 9/30

Thursday 10/1

Friday 10/2

Saturday 10/3

Sunday 10/4

Monday 10/5

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