Never heard of this place before. Seems like it will be a nice place to shop and a fresh alternative from some of the older malls.
Orlando Sentinel:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...3,0,2319189.story?coll=orl-business-headlines
Opening day for Festival Bay
But not all of the mall's stores will be ready for business.
By Sarah Hale | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 3, 2003
A new, 1.1 million-square-foot shopping mall makes its long-awaited debut today -- sort of.
Festival Bay at International Drive is not only opening almost three years later than first planned, much of the mall's retail space will remain a construction zone for at least another two months.
The mall, whose first three anchor tenants have been open for one or two years, will add two more anchors and a dozen other merchants today. But Ron Jon Surf Shop, the Putting Edge miniature golf course and almost 30 other businesses won't open until their interior construction is completed in coming weeks.
When it comes to Festival Bay, delays are not unusual.
Belz Enterprises of Memphis, Tenn., first unveiled its plans five years ago for the shopping and entertainment complex, which is just southeast of Belz Factory Outlet World at the north end of International Drive.
Because of permit delays and rumored financing difficulties, it took longer than expected to get the project rolling. Then the weak economy made it more challenging to secure tenants.
"You always want more stores to open up sooner," said Andy Groveman, Belz's executive vice president. "But we've got two major anchors and a dozen shops that are new to the market. This is good news."
Groveman said that, by mid-June, the mall should be at least 70 percent occupied, a level he is happy with given the current economy.
By industry standards, a 70 percent occupancy rate is not unusual for a new mall, though most established centers average between 80 percent and 90 percent, said Patrice Duker, a spokeswoman with the International Council of Shopping Centers in New York.
On Wednesday, just 15 hours before the doors were to open, Groveman circled the shopping center to check on last-minute details. It's a half-mile walk around the mall's main indoor loop, and "I'm walking at least 10 miles a day," he said.
At one point, he stopped to chat with an Orlando fire marshal, who was there to do the final fire-alarm checks and dole out certificates of occupancy to some of the tenants. She patted Groveman on the back and said, "We're done."
Meanwhile, other crew members spent much of the day polishing the tile floors, dusting light fixtures and cleaning up. A couple of maintenance workers were outside using nets and a small boat to fish trash out of the mall's artificial pond. Others touched up the walls with fresh coats of paint in typical Florida hues -- peach, pink and other pastels.
At individual stores, employees dressed mannequins and unloaded merchandise. Thirteen businesses -- including teen shops Hot Topic, PacSun and Charlotte Russe, and Canadian-based retailers CoKooning, Candle Time and Epoxy -- are scheduled to open today. The two new anchors are Shepler's Western Wear of Wichita, Kan., and Steve & Barry's University Sportswear of Great Neck, N.Y.
The existing anchors -- Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Van's Skatepark, and a 20-screen Cinemark movie theater -- opened in phases from late 1999 to early 2002.
Also new to the market and opening today is Hilo Hattie, a Hawaiian-themed clothing and gift shop named after a famous hula dancer. Only in the past four years has the decades-old chain expanded beyond the islands.
"Whether the mall is at full speed or not," said Jorge Nodal, the store's general manager, "we will be at full speed."
Even though current economic and political conditions make opening a new mall financially risky, Groveman said he is confident the center will appeal to tourists and local customers. The mix of entertainment and retail offer Orlando shoppers a different option, he said.
"They face a tough economic situation," said Duker, of the shopping center council, "but that doesn't mean the mall won't be a success. . . . It looks like developers did their homework and looked at the market to see what Orlando needed."
Duker also said it's not uncommon for new shopping malls to open in phases.
Eli Portnoy, an Orlando-based retail expert and president of the Portnoy Group, said he was impressed with the mall's visually stimulating style -- a "Disney-esque" look that he thinks will appeal to tourists.
The lineup of affordable stores "will be perfect for budget-minded visitors," he added. He did, however, find the mall's set-up to be somewhat confusing, and he worried that many local shoppers aren't familiar with the project because of its location.
In a series of recent focus groups devoted to local shopping patterns, most consumers said they had never heard of Festival Bay, Portnoy said, nor were they aware of its impending debut. "They were absolutely clueless," he said. "The brand 'Festival Bay' is still relatively unknown. It's going to take some time to build a following."
Orlando Sentinel:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...3,0,2319189.story?coll=orl-business-headlines
Opening day for Festival Bay
But not all of the mall's stores will be ready for business.
By Sarah Hale | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 3, 2003
A new, 1.1 million-square-foot shopping mall makes its long-awaited debut today -- sort of.
Festival Bay at International Drive is not only opening almost three years later than first planned, much of the mall's retail space will remain a construction zone for at least another two months.
The mall, whose first three anchor tenants have been open for one or two years, will add two more anchors and a dozen other merchants today. But Ron Jon Surf Shop, the Putting Edge miniature golf course and almost 30 other businesses won't open until their interior construction is completed in coming weeks.
When it comes to Festival Bay, delays are not unusual.
Belz Enterprises of Memphis, Tenn., first unveiled its plans five years ago for the shopping and entertainment complex, which is just southeast of Belz Factory Outlet World at the north end of International Drive.
Because of permit delays and rumored financing difficulties, it took longer than expected to get the project rolling. Then the weak economy made it more challenging to secure tenants.
"You always want more stores to open up sooner," said Andy Groveman, Belz's executive vice president. "But we've got two major anchors and a dozen shops that are new to the market. This is good news."
Groveman said that, by mid-June, the mall should be at least 70 percent occupied, a level he is happy with given the current economy.
By industry standards, a 70 percent occupancy rate is not unusual for a new mall, though most established centers average between 80 percent and 90 percent, said Patrice Duker, a spokeswoman with the International Council of Shopping Centers in New York.
On Wednesday, just 15 hours before the doors were to open, Groveman circled the shopping center to check on last-minute details. It's a half-mile walk around the mall's main indoor loop, and "I'm walking at least 10 miles a day," he said.
At one point, he stopped to chat with an Orlando fire marshal, who was there to do the final fire-alarm checks and dole out certificates of occupancy to some of the tenants. She patted Groveman on the back and said, "We're done."
Meanwhile, other crew members spent much of the day polishing the tile floors, dusting light fixtures and cleaning up. A couple of maintenance workers were outside using nets and a small boat to fish trash out of the mall's artificial pond. Others touched up the walls with fresh coats of paint in typical Florida hues -- peach, pink and other pastels.
At individual stores, employees dressed mannequins and unloaded merchandise. Thirteen businesses -- including teen shops Hot Topic, PacSun and Charlotte Russe, and Canadian-based retailers CoKooning, Candle Time and Epoxy -- are scheduled to open today. The two new anchors are Shepler's Western Wear of Wichita, Kan., and Steve & Barry's University Sportswear of Great Neck, N.Y.
The existing anchors -- Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Van's Skatepark, and a 20-screen Cinemark movie theater -- opened in phases from late 1999 to early 2002.
Also new to the market and opening today is Hilo Hattie, a Hawaiian-themed clothing and gift shop named after a famous hula dancer. Only in the past four years has the decades-old chain expanded beyond the islands.
"Whether the mall is at full speed or not," said Jorge Nodal, the store's general manager, "we will be at full speed."
Even though current economic and political conditions make opening a new mall financially risky, Groveman said he is confident the center will appeal to tourists and local customers. The mix of entertainment and retail offer Orlando shoppers a different option, he said.
"They face a tough economic situation," said Duker, of the shopping center council, "but that doesn't mean the mall won't be a success. . . . It looks like developers did their homework and looked at the market to see what Orlando needed."
Duker also said it's not uncommon for new shopping malls to open in phases.
Eli Portnoy, an Orlando-based retail expert and president of the Portnoy Group, said he was impressed with the mall's visually stimulating style -- a "Disney-esque" look that he thinks will appeal to tourists.
The lineup of affordable stores "will be perfect for budget-minded visitors," he added. He did, however, find the mall's set-up to be somewhat confusing, and he worried that many local shoppers aren't familiar with the project because of its location.
In a series of recent focus groups devoted to local shopping patterns, most consumers said they had never heard of Festival Bay, Portnoy said, nor were they aware of its impending debut. "They were absolutely clueless," he said. "The brand 'Festival Bay' is still relatively unknown. It's going to take some time to build a following."
I've been looking forward to it for ages!!!
Mandy if it isn't open when you go,you could take a drive to Cocoa Beach
Got a very pretty pink sarong there last year. Unfortunately I didn't wash it before I used it and the color bled after I wrapped it around my waist after a snorkeling trip in the Keys. Learned my lesson!
