The Sarasota Herald-Tribune was nominated for the Associated Press Media Editors‘ 2014 Innovator of the Year.
I lead the effort and helped produced a video to convince APME voters why the Herald-Tribune deserved the award.
Check out the (shortened) trailer here:
And here’s the full five-minute pitch:
And my favorite, the Dick Vitale teaser:
By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune
Jackie Zumba strolled down the center aisle of the Mall at University Town Center one night, taking a break from the ongoing work and construction in her new boutique.
Zumba, a 27-year-old retail entrepreneur in Sarasota, marveled at the expansive — and expensive — storefronts of the many national and international retailers that will open alongside her store next week.
“I look at all these beautiful stores and think, ‘Wow, I’m in the big leagues, now,’ ” she said. “Even though it’s been really stressful, this is such a great opportunity for me.”
Zumba owns Jackie Z Style & Co., the only locally owned boutique opening inside the new mall.
The store also will be the only store that’s not a department store to sell multiple brands.
Making the move from Main Street in downtown Sarasota to the $315 million mall has been anything but easy.
Read more here.
I explored a new performance sports retailer that opened in downtown Sarasota as apart of my weekly What’s In Store retail video series.
Learn more here.
By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune
SARASOTA – Some local business owners and chain stores are flocking to University Parkway and Interstate 75 to be a part of the buzz surrounding the new Mall at University Town Center.
Others want to avoid it completely.
The only certainty is that Southwest Florida’s retail scene is undergoing a potentially seismic shift.
How downtown Sarasota, poised before the Great Recession to be the shopping and dining epicenter of the county, fares once the dust settles is still anybody’s guess.
Sarasota-Bradenton is the only place in the country getting a new, enclosed mall this year.
The mall arrives as the region’s existing players are being forced by a host of forces to think outside the box to remain relevant.
Westfield Group’s Southgate mall property, for instance, is becoming an outdoor complex called “Westfield Siesta Key.”
Sarasota Square mall is being renovated to fit a new 21,000-square-foot H&M apparel store and is courting other future tenants.
More retail seems to just keep coming.
“Shopping patterns are going to change, though we don’t know exactly how just yet,” said Jeff Green, a Phoenix-based retail analyst who is familiar with Southwest Florida’s offerings.
“Unfortunately, though, it is clear that downtown is one of the areas that will be hit the hardest.”
Read more here.
By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune
SARASOTA COUNTY – In August, Sarasota was named both the “sexiest small city in America” and the “top place to retire” in the United States.
Something of a paradox?
Maybe.
But Virginia Haley doesn’t care.
“Now that we’ve cracked the top 10 lists, I think it subtly validates our destination — even the gimmicky ones,” said Haley, president of Visit Sarasota, the county’s tourism agency. “I don’t think anyone is going to look at one of these lists and book a vacation, but over time, they’ll remember our destination because they’re hearing about it over and over again.”
Meanwhile, the online ranking accolades — though often strange when combined — have continued to pile up in Southwest Florida. Sarasota, its hotels, beaches and other venues have seen a steady rise in top rankings year after year. Though some may hold more weight than others, each has a positive impact.
The serious “listing” began in 2011, when Siesta Beach was named the No. 1 beach destination in the nation by Florida International University scientist Dr. Stephen Leatherman, aka “Dr. Beach.”
That coveted title, which still adorns signs on Siesta Key roadways, promotional pamphlets and tourism and hotel websites, put Sarasota County on the tourism map, so to speak.
Read more here.