Tag Archives: business journalism

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Can Bass Pro Shops open in 2016?

By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune

It’s one of the most anticipated retailers to appear since the debut of the Mall at University Town Center and the beginning steps in the remaking of Southgate Mall.

But exactly when the first Bass Pro Shops to hit Southwest Florida will arrive remains cloudy at best.

No official permits have been filed with Sarasota County to start construction on the proposed site, and emails between county government employees and the retailer’s real estate division seem to suggest that Bass Pros’ targeted 2016 opening date may be pushed back.

Bass Pro Shops officially announced in July that the company will open an 80,000-square-foot Outpost store and anchor a new 260,000-square-foot retail center called “Fruitville Commons,” off Interstate 75. The popular outdoor-focused retailer’s arrival had been rumored for more than a year.

At the time, Bass Pro officials were vague about the opening date. They said that the new store — which will employ 200 people and have a restaurant and bowling alley attached — could open any time in 2016.

Read more here.

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Same-sex marriages could provide tourism boost

By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune

In just a few short weeks, Florida could become the next state to allow same-sex marriage.

It’s a day that tourism boosters in Southwest Florida have been preparing for for some time.

Barring a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court, same-sex couples should soon — at least legally speaking — be able to obtain a marriage license from county clerk’s offices across Florida.

A federal judge in Tallahassee ruled during August that the state’s voter-approved prohibition of same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. He stayed his ruling, pending appeal, until Jan. 5. Earlier this month, with no appeal scheduled, a federal appeals court denied requests to extend the stay, which could the allow same-sex couples in Florida to begin marrying as soon as Jan. 6.

Sarasota County’s Clerk of Court staff is looking at the necessary corrections that will need to be made to all marriage licenses if the law does change in January.

Read more here.

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Mall a sign of renewed optimism for retailers

Column by Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune.

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The future of the Mall at University Town Center project, a multimillion-dollar shopping mall that promised to bring high end brands to Southwest Florida for the first time, was almost dead in the water this time six years ago.

Plans to build the $315 million center stalled amid the worst recession several lifetimes. Key tenants Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus abandoned plans to open new stores here. Brick-and-mortar sales continued to plummet as national chains struggled to combat the ever-growing online shopping threat.

But that was then.

As the regional economy was finding its footing, Taubman Centers Inc. and Manatee County’s Benderson Development Co. resurrected plans to build the ambitious shopping center, breaking ground two years ago on a 276-acre parcel that would be home to the most upscale shopping mall between Tampa and Naples.

On Thursday, shoppers will walk through the doors to the 880,000-square-foot mall for the first time.

Read more here. 

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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.