Orlando Fashion Square [Renovation in Progress]

[Camillo Sitte]

7 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

The Wild Card: Target. The Maguire store continues to do OK but what has always been an odd layout for the chain (it was built as a Gold Triangle, not a Target)

Pretty sure that the current Target was purpose-built as a Target in the early 90's.

Federated's Gold Triangle store [later a Service Merchandise] was where Burlington is now. There also used to be a Radio Shack at the west end of that strip.

Edited August 22, 2018 by Camillo Sitte

[spenser1058]

14 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

You darn kids and yer rock and roll!

Doesn't anybody care about Orchard closing?

Hey, NSB is getting a Tractor Supply so you can make do!

9 minutes ago, Camillo Sitte said:

Pretty sure that the current Target was purpose-built as a Target in the early 90's.

Federated's Gold Triangle [then Service Merchandise] store was where Burlington is now.

No, the Gold Triangle is where the Target went (Dayton Hudson bought several of them and converted them in the late '80's-early '90s.) Target did do an addition about 10 years later so it's bigger than it was originally.

An oddity of Gold Triangle was that, outside Florida, it was known as Gold Circle.

The Burlington Coat Factory was originally a Miller's Discount department store and later became a Service Merchandise.

Edited August 22, 2018 by spenser1058

[JFW657]

I remember going into the Gold Triangle on Maguire where Target is now, back in the late 70's before I even lived in O-town.

I remember the big triangle on the front of the building.

I also seem to recall it sat empty for a good while prior to Target, who I'd never heard of before, moved in.

Edited August 23, 2018 by JFW657

[HankStrong]

I remember when our Ayr-Way store (shout-out to the Midwest) suddenly became a Target.  No one understood what the bulls-eye meant.

[spenser1058]

My first foray into Target was a new store they opened in Nashville in 1981. I was astounded by how nice it was compared to the Zayres and J M Fields of the time. At the time, there was one Walmart on the west side of Nashville but it was by no means the juggernaut it is today and was a little dumpy.

I did know that Target was a discount store only because they carpet bombed the Tennessean and TV stations for weeks prior about the 3 new stores.

[I am Reality]

Target announced it's most spectacular financial-quarter in 13 years yesterday.   The company is just killing it.

https://realmoney.thestreet.com/articles/08/22/2018/target-continues-aim-high-after-record-quarter?puc=CNBC&cm_ven=CNBC

[Jernigan]

So what could replace Orchard Supply at Fashion Square?  I could see them plucking another tenant from Colonial Plaza.

[spenser1058]

14 minutes ago, Jernigan said:

So what could replace Orchard Supply at Fashion Square?  I could see them plucking another tenant from Colonial Plaza.

If I were at Colonial Plaza, I'm not so sure I'd want to move. I hate the layout of the thing, but as bqknight has pointed out, the place sure is popular. It's a totally different story a few blocks east. 

[HankStrong]

I think ALDI or their competitor LIDL is a natural fit, although LIDL hasn't started moving in Florida yet.

 

Maybe even a Trader Joe's instead of a mainline ALDI store?

[I am Reality]

Something totally unique with for the area:

Florida's first L.L. Bean or maybe a Terrain store.

I'm not sure the demographics can support the, but it's time we get some better shopping choices.  

 

Edited August 23, 2018 by I am Reality

[JFW657]

1 hour ago, Jernigan said:

So what could replace Orchard Supply at Fashion Square?  I could see them plucking another tenant from Colonial Plaza.

Pottery Barn?

Academy Sports?

Guitar Center?

La-Z-Boy?

Other furniture store?

[HankStrong]

I just mentioned this to a co-worker and got "An Amazon Fulfillment Center!" I'm guessing this is because he lives in Baldwin Park.

[spenser1058]

The high point for retail between Maguire and the Greeneway came in 1988 with the Fashion Square addition. It was already too little, too late as the new Florida Mall (followed by others that, apart from Millennia, are in dire straits themselves) siphoned shoppers away.

The 1991-92 recession, followed shortly thereafter by the closure of NTC-Orlando, began a slow demise of the mall. The few upscale retailers like Mayors began to depart  (or in the case of Rutland's, close entirely; when the '88 expansion could only attract JCPenney as the fourth anchor was the first sign that problems lie ahead) and the overbuilding of strip centers by GOAA exacerbated the problem.

Macy's is still there largely because of the cheap rent that concludes with their 50-year lease in 2023.

Today, my question is, exactly who has any incentive to drive there to shop? Baldwin Park residents have made clear they won't (it's been 20 years and if they haven't started, why would they do so now?) Audubon Park Millennials now have hipster options on Corrine Dr or can just veer over to 17-92 and Colonial Plaza for chain shopping.

I live in Thornton Park and have not been east of Primrose in a decade. For the life of me, I can't figure out who the market for that stretch of Colonial is. Also note that I haven't even mentioned the shoppers who are now online and aren't coming back (I'm one of those except for Publix and Miller's Hardware.)

I truly believe it's time to think beyond retail for that area.

Edited August 23, 2018 by spenser1058

[dcluley98]

The only time I ever have the impetus to travel east of the Macguire/Colonial intersection by vehicle is to go to Home Depot.  Other than that, anything down that sprawville urban corridor is awful and not worth the hassle. I suppose I have gone to UCF too, once or twice for work or something, but I usually take the 408 there even though it is out of the way just to avoid the traffic on Colonial. 

Orchard would have kind of filled the space in between DT and the Home Depot. Shame it didn't happen. 

[Jernigan]

There’s an Ace not far from there at Coytown Plaza.

I generally don’t head that far East either but mostly because there’s not a lot there to go to.   Driving wise, if I made it that far, traffic usually at least let’s up the further you go 

[jrs2]

45 minutes ago, dcluley98 said:

The only time I ever have the impetus to travel east of the Macguire/Colonial intersection by vehicle is to go to Home Depot.  Other than that, anything down that sprawville urban corridor is awful and not worth the hassle. I suppose I have gone to UCF too, once or twice for work or something, but I usually take the 408 there even though it is out of the way just to avoid the traffic on Colonial. 

Orchard would have kind of filled the space in between DT and the Home Depot. Shame it didn't happen. 

HD and Sci Fi City.

I'll tell ya that new SR 50 bridge over SR Four-Thirty-Sux really transformed that immediate area for the better.

[spenser1058]

One additional bit of irony: both Dillard's and JCPenney gave up their Winter Park Mall stores to relocate to Fashion Square. Who among us now thinks that was a good idea?

2 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

HD and Sci Fi City.

I'll tell ya that new SR 50 bridge over SR Four-Thirty-Sux really transformed that immediate area for the better.

And Hot Dog Heaven!

[codypet]

When I made the post about dead retail I forgot all about the Colonial Promenade until I went to HD last night.  Other than HD I only go that way for Sweet Tomatoes.   I don't even go to Best Buy anymore.   

[JFW657]

Maybe it will become a Harbor Freight Tools store.

[spenser1058]

16 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

Maybe it will become a Harbor Freight Tools store.

Tractor Supply Company is the bubba version of Orchard - saaalute!

[WAJAS]

Could Downtown developments attract some of the mall retailers that used to be or will soon not be at Fashion Square? With UCF Downtown I don’t see why 

[spenser1058]

4 minutes ago, WAJAS98 said:

Could Downtown developments attract some of the mall retailers that used to be or will soon not be at Fashion Square? With UCF Downtown I don’t see why 

That was our goal a couple of years back but the City seemed uninterested in helping to make the case. One hopes that, now that time has past, thousands more have moved downtown and thousands more coming to UCF/Valencia and with retailers like Target who have survived the retail apocalypse (with a newfound love for urban stores near colleges), the time has arrived.

First, though, there needs to be a unified belief that retail belongs back downtown and not on a decaying strip of Highway 50 that no one has wanted to shop at for 25+ years. Here's hoping.

[HankStrong]

As malls are dying around the country, very few of the properties are being re-used.  That's sad. 

[orlandoguy]

Are the apartments at OFS ever happening?

[I am Reality]

I visited the Oviedo Mall for the first time in years recently.  The last time I was there, it was almost completely empty.

This time, there was a new bar/arcade/bowling alley.  It was really nice and surprisingly large.  The mall also had a new "Children's Museum" that seemed pretty popular.