Shop closures leave future of Irvine’s aging Woodbridge Village Center in doubt

Children scamper across the once-vibrantly painted tiles in the small playground in the middle of the Woodbridge Village Center in Irvine.

The hand-painted tiles, some portraying pictures of butterflies and gardens, were the creation of Irvine’s youngest artists.

A plaque, dated September 1991, from The Irvine Co., reads: “Dedicated to the children of Irvine for helping to build a better Woodbridge.”

Decades of sun and foot traffic have since faded the paint on the tiles. Several are cracked and broken, but the children don’t appear to notice.

Nearby a young boy climbs to the top of an oversized concrete frog that sits perched on a large rock. He wraps his arms around the frog’s green-and-orange body before leaping into the sand.

“There’s some history here,” said Bob Bibee, who owns the Pedego Electric Bike shop at the center. “There’s a lot of sentimental attachment to this center. My kids played on the toads, and Ruby’s was always our breakfast spot on the weekend.”

Woodbridge Village Center, one of the first shopping centers to open in the community, was once bustling. Now, “For Lease” signs fill the center like scars of failed businesses.

Over the past decade, many of the small shops, and even the larger retail businesses, have closed, leaving the center primarily vacant.

The revolving door of shops has local residents and business owners concerned that the Irvine Co., which owns the property, will choose to demolish the ailing center. They fear that more-lucrative housing developments may be put in its place.

Over the next several months, the Newport Beach-based firm plans to look at the mix of merchants, traffic and the center’s layout, in addition to consumer and retail industry trends, when evaluating the center, said Michael Lyster, vice president of communications.

Assi Natural Market, which took over a large portion of retail space, recently closed after just nine months at the shopping center.

“With the closure of Assi Natural Market, the company’s retail division is taking a comprehensive look at the center,” he said. “The center faces challenges, which is why we are undertaking our evaluation.”

There are not yet new plans for the center, and the Irvine Co. continues to lease space to interested businesses, Lyster said.

Bibee, an 18-year resident of Irvine, opened his bike store at the center about two years ago. His is the most recent business to open.

“It took nearly nine months for them to agree to lease one of the many vacant spots to me,” he said.

Businesses like Champagne Bakery, Barnes & Noble, a small candy store called Sticky Fingers and Ruby’s Diner have found success at the center through the years.

Anson Stewart, who grew up in Irvine, goes the center regularly when he visits home.

Woodbridge Village Center’s location in the community, as well as the bike path that runs alongside the center, make it one of the last walkable shopping areas in Irvine, Stewart said.

“It’s great to be able to ride my bike over there and catch up with friends,” he said. “It’s not a big deal to go there, which speaks to its role as a center of the community. It’s not a bright, flashy place.”

Still, it’s a place that holds memories of his childhood.

Stewart, who is working on his master’s degree in city planning at MIT, believes the center is worth preserving, but that it could use updating.

“People often see Irvine as an artificial bubble devoid of history,” he said. “Now, the center may be one of the few places where we could identify a certain level of authenticity and history.”