Author Archives: Justine88

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Opening the only locally owned boutique in the UTC Mall

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.

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The downtown question mark

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.

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Sarasota’s name recognition grows with top 10 lists

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.

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Foundation raises funds for Nathan Benderson Park

By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune

A new foundation headed by community and political leaders has raised $3.5 million for Nathan Benderson Park and hopes to raise at least $11 million in private donations for the emerging international rowing venue over the next 12 months.

The Nathan Benderson Park Foundation, headed by Randy Benderson of the Manatee County-based real estate firm, aims to be the fundraising arm that will draw the private financial support needed to complete the rowing facility’s major structures. The nonprofit organization, which is separate from the Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates — another nonprofit that is responsible for the park operations — will continue to raise donations to help build towers at the start and finish lines, a boathouse and several other buildings at the park.

“When the Sarasota Scullers Rowing Club came to us with an idea for the rowing park, we never thought this would become what it is now — one of the top facilities in the world,” Benderson said. “While the foundation is only a month old, we’ve been talking about fundraising efforts and working hard to get to this point.”

The foundation hopes to raise $5 million to $6 million by the start of 2015, said Mike Bennett, a former state senator and the Manatee County elections supervisor who was named to the foundation’s inaugural board.

Read more here.