FAO Schwartz and the Pointe

[kevin harrison]

Last time I was in Orlando my family stayed at the Rosen Plaza and my 2 year old loved looking out at the giant teddy bear that is on the road opposite. Now I know that Schwartz shut down, what I'm wondering is what happenned to the store on I-Drive and are the giant bears and rag doll still there?

Also I remember when the Pointe first opened up it was very nice, last time we saw it it was looking run down, has it improved any? Its not like there are not some big name stores there is it?

Thanks

 

[BiGGy]

We went in november last year and the big teddy and rag doll were still there. The shop is still empty but there are other stores there. We really only went to pionte to go to the clothes stores and the boys to go to hooters,lol. As you said it is still a little run down but still nice to have a look round to kill some time.

hope this helps

BiGGys wife

 

[Sian]

The toys are still there outside the empty shop. Most of the big stores have gone including Disney and Abercrombie and Gap.

 

[SplashMtn]

I didnt even know FAO Schwarz has closed loved that shop!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

We have stayed at the Rosen Center a few times.

The Bear and RagDoll are still there despite FAO Schwarz closing down.

I don't think that Pointe Orlando ever really fully took off as far as shops are concerned, there was still a Foot Locker, Gap, Boardwalk Surf Shop and I think a Tommy Hilfiger store the last time we walked around.
To be honest the toy store was the main reason we went and haven't been since it closed.

I haven't eaten at any of the Restaurants so cannot comment there.

I think generally speaking the International Drive area is now way behind in the shopping stakes, the Mercado being a prime example it would be a shame if PO followed suit.

 

[paulh]

ponti failed to pull in people as you had to pay to park up to shop as there was not much there not a good idea
Paulh

 

[maleficent_man]

Had a look around it last time I was there but will give it a miss this time. There is not a great deal to see or do. If you are up and down on I-Drive it is probably worth a quick walk around but no more.

 

[tim june and sam]

Pointe WAS very good when first opened, but much like Schwarz, it rapidly went downhill.

IMHO, Schwarz was also very expensive? Did you ever buy anything there?

 

[Night-train]

Only ever went to PO because of FAO Schwartz, World Of Denim and Johnny Rockett's. I agree that the issue of paying to park was probably a major factor in driving away potential customers, don't recall ever having to pay anywhere else on I-Drive! Might still go back to JR's (if it's still there!) or maybe Dan Marino's but outside of those two there's not much to tempt me any more.

 

[Tron[ADS]]

We paid the Pointe a visit last October, and if something isnt done (which I suspect it will be), it will probably be the last time ill go there. I had a peer through the windows of Schwartz and its totaly stripped of everything. Also the NFL Players grill has gone. There are a few other empty stores, but in my opinion, there is now nothing to draw in the customers.
Very dissapointing.

 

[dynamite100]

Only ever went to PO because of FAO Schwartz, World Of Denim and Johnny Rockett's. I agree that the issue of paying to park was probably a major factor in driving away potential customers, don't recall ever having to pay anywhere else on I-Drive! Might still go back to JR's (if it's still there!) or maybe Dan Marino's but outside of those two there's not much to tempt me any more.

Agree with you about Johnny Rockett's. This place alone is worth a trip to the Pointe. Hope it's still there.

Carl.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

ponti failed to pull in people as you had to pay to park up to shop as there was not much there not a good idea
Paulh

yes, that is why we never went to it. I refuse to pay for parking to spend my money in their shops when better shops with free parking are available.

 

[daveyoghurt]

There's a good bar there if I recall correctly, I think it was called XS or something? It was a (pretty good) restaurant downstairs and you went up the escalators where there was loads of video games - you bought vouchers to play them? I remember it being a great place to waste a couple of hours for the kids and there was a sports bar showing the NFL - also there were pool tables through the other side?

 

[Lisa1976]

oh no, i didn't know the disney store had gone too, got a good few bargins in there, thats a shame.

There is (well there was in December 04) a good music / dvd store there, we have purchased many a DVD there.

 

[SimonV]

The Pointe is an interesting example of how you need to keep modernising just to stand still in Orlando. It was a great shopping centre with a couple of excellent restaurants when it first opened in 1998 but, over the course of the last 5 years, it has struggled to find the right mix of stores, and the loss of FAO Schwarz when that company went into receivership was a real body blow. IMHO, the parking fee was a major mistake, but they seem to be stuck with it, and there are no plans to change that aspect any time soon. As several people point out, there is nowhere else shopping-wise that charges for parking, and even Universal allow free parking for CityWalk after 6pm (a lesson they were quick to heed).

There are two other factors at work here now, though. The first is that there is still a surprisingly good range of shops at The Pointe (unlike at The Mercado), plus Dan Marino's Town Tavern (one of the hidden gems of the I-Drive restaurant scene, IMHO), Johnny Rockets and (upstairs) Hooters (for those who like that kind of thing ), Adobe Gila's, Lulu's Baitshack, the two genuine nightclubs and the Muvico cinema multiplex (one of the best in town). Shopping wise, the music store (Sound Shop), is still there, plus Armani Exchange, Denim Place and Foot Locker. There is also an excellent jewellers, Tharoo and Co, Victoria's Secret, and a good golf shop, Players Golf. Here is the full list of what is currently open:

R - Adobe Gila's
S - Alpha Jewelers
S - AlX Armani Exchange
S - Andean Manna, Ltd.
S - Argos (not the UK one!)
S - B. Dalton Bookseller
S - Bath & Body Works
S - Bimini Shoes
S - Boardwalk Surf & Sport
S - Bond Street Jewellers
S - CartWorks
S - Chico’s
R - Dan Marino's Fine Food & Spirits
S - Dapy
S - Denim Place
S - Electronics Shop
S - Everything But Water
S - Express
S - Florida Wild
S - Foot Locker
S - Glow!
S - Gray Fifth Avenue
R - Hooters
S - ICING by Claires
S - Image Leather
R - Johnny Rockets
S - Kids Foot Locker
S - Lady Foot Locker
R - LuLu's Bait Shack
E - Matrix
E - Metropolis
S - Millennium
E - MUVICO
S - Players Golf
S - Soft As A Grape
S - Sound Shop
R - Starbucks Coffee
S - Sunglass Hut
R - Swensen's Ice Cream & Amy's Pretzels
S - Tharoo & Co.
S - Toni Bijoux
S - Touch by Perfumania
S - Toy Time
S - Victoria’s Secret/Victoria's Secret Beauty
S - Watch Station
R - Wise Guy’s
E - WonderWorks
S - Yankee Candle

The second factor at work is they are about to start a major re-build, which will demolish the FAO Schwarz building and open up the plaza along its I-Drive side (where the Disney store used to be) to make it look more inviting, and add some more restaurants and shops. The new restaurants include the first Orlando outlets of Tommy Bahama Cafe and BB King's Blues Club (which should be a great addition). The redevelopment will take place between now and mid-2006, so don't expect to see anything new straight away. It should be an exciting programme when complete, but it remains to be seen if it will work long-term (it should, given the vicinity of the Convention Center).

 

[Firestorm]

Drove past last week and all the old giant toy cubes round the outside were being broken up.The local paper.Orlando Sentinel carried an article saying both this centre and The Mercado had plans to upgrade as they both compete in the same area for customer's.One has the cinema complex as a major draw and the other has the Titanic.

I popped into the Mercado to seee the Hard Rock Vaults as advertised in a free magazine I picked up, to find the upside triangle building empty! Used to be the Guiness World of Records I believe.Wonder what it will be next unless it's due to be demolished with the redevelopement.

 

[tink too]

I agree - Johnny Rockett's was very good - burgers, fries and shakes kind of place, but good quality, large portions and reasonably priced.

We often visited the Muvico Theater, too and always found it clean and the picture quality very good. It also houses a giant IMAX screen which is amazing!

 

[Verity Chambers]

I love Jonny Rocketts. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[dynamite100]

the loss of FAO Schwarz when that company went into receivership was a real body blow.

Hi Mr. Veness.
Given what you say here, does that mean that all of this company's stores closed down. Used to love the NYC and Las Vegas stores.

Cheers, Carl.

PS Apologies for going off on a slight tangent.
PPS Use your book religiously for Orlando trips. Cheers.

 

[SimonV]

As I understand it, the original store in New York is still open, but all the others around the country were franchises and have closed down. It seems no-one outside New York could afford their prices!