Shopping districts see seasonal boom, malls struggle
The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year for Shirley Krauklis, who co-owns Annabelle and Company, a gift shop with home decor and more in Orlando’s College Park neighborhood.
The store bustles with customers buying ornaments or picking up gifts, such as shirts and candles. Annabelle and Company logs a majority of its sales in the months leading up to Christmas, helping it survive the lean summer months.
“People around here know we are local and want to support us,” Krauklis said. “Anyway, what we offer is hard to find in a store or on the internet.”
As some of the area’s shopping malls struggle, many of Central Florida’s neighborhood shopping districts are experiencing a renaissance.
Business district leaders, shop owners and real estate professionals say crowds are flocking to the eclectic collection of retailers and shops in places such as Winter Garden, downtown Sanford and Orlando’s Audubon Park. And as holiday shopping gets into peak season, shop owners say they are
expecting their biggest crowds in years.
Debbie Garcia, of Minneola, cruised Winter Garden’s Plant Street on Wednesday with her two nieces on bikes, stopping in cooking supply shop The Sacred Olive. As she sampled infused olive oils and vinegars, she said Plant Street has become a nice alternative to big-box chains.
“All the local shops makes it so much more interesting,” said Garcia, who had also eaten lunch at nearby Moon Cricket Grille. “I need to bring my husband back to check this out. He would love it.”
Plant Street has become a hub of holiday activity in the last three or four years, and foot traffic on the streets is heavier each year, The Sacred Olive owner Carolyn Hill said. Local business groups, Hill said, pack the holiday schedule with music, farmers markets and community events.
“Our store gets a big influx of shoppers during the holiday season,” Hill said. “Everyone loves food and what better way for someone who you think already has everything.”
The store has been able to compete with online retailers by offering tastings and expertise from seasoned experts, she said.
Plant Street had been known more for restaurants in the past. Recently, furniture and decor store Adjectives opened a location next to The Sacred Olive, and women’s apparel boutiques have also taken spots nearby, adding more retail.
The same is the case in Orlando’s Audubon Park, said Randi Kaufman, who works at the stationary and decor store R. Nichols on Corrine Drive.
In the same shopping center as R. Nichols, there is a gift shop, an outdoor sporting goods store, a women’s boutique and a thrift shop.
“This is a really good shopping area,” Kaufman said. “A lot of people come in because it’s a neighborhood shop, and they want to contribute to the community.”
Areas such as Winter Garden and Audubon Park are drawing attention from local and national retailers alike, which recognize the trend toward local shopping districts, said Bobby Palta, a retail broker with commercial real estate firm CBRE.
“There’s a lot more interest in these main street shopping areas,” he said. “Park Avenue [in Winter Park] is one of the most soughtafter pieces of real estate in the region, and a lot of other cities are trying to adopt the model.”
There is also a trend toward walkable neighborhoods. Palta said several of these districts are near bike and walking trails.
Events, such Small Business Saturday, have also helped local business districts rally around a one-day event. The shopping holiday first observed in 2010 was promoted by such groups as American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Mills 50 District executive director Joanne Grant said 15 retailers signed up to participate in the event with extra discounts, an increase over recent years.
Grant said new retailers, such as The District, Remix record store and the Retromended Vintage Fashion boutique, have given the area more variety and provided people something to do after they eat at popular restaurants, such as Pig Floyd’s Urban Barbakoa or Tako Cheena.
“Over the past few years we’ve gained a reputation as an artsy district and as a foodie district,” Grant said. “Now that people are coming here, stores want to be here too.”