St. Johns Town Center: Nordstrom comes to town

Rolling reminder: as I was going into work for my Saturday shift 

at the bank branch in Palm Valley (south of Jacksonville Beach),

I saw this truck-doubled-as-a-billboard. 

Palm Valley/Ponte Vedra are several miles southeast of Jacksonville,

but the anticipation of the new addition to the town center is widespread.

Friday, October 10 was the grand opening of a new portion of
St. Johns Town Center known as “Phase 3”.
Eight new stores and a fresh modern outdoor lounge area are anchored by
The first Nordstrom to come to northeast Florida.

Nordstrom was proposed to come to Jacksonville in 2012.
Who better to bring it on board than SJTC?
A fenced lot has had a banner on it since at least early 2013.
The company decided putting a store in this town center was
A great move because of the amazing success rate of the outlet store
Nordstrom Rack, which opened on the outside lot of SJTC in 2012.

St. Johns Town Center was built in 2004,
The first open-air “mall” to grace Jacksonville with it’s retail presence
Since before the era of the enclosed malls.
“Phase 1” was the only part available to shop
when I arrived in north Florida in fall 2005.
The large L-shaped strip-mall that includes Old Navy,
JoAnne Fabrics, Target and Pier 1 was there.
DSW Shoe Warehouse was sitting across from it.
There was a row of shops and restaurants with a roundabout
And Cheesecake Factory was at the end next to Barnes and Noble.
At the other end, Dicks Sporting Goods sat in front of its bahai turf quad
With its rows of shops on either side including Gap, Express, J. Crew and more.
Apple was across from it with several other stores.
And Dillard’s, with its little run of shops like Hollister and Brighton on either side,
Was on the far end.
And that is where it stopped.
After that was nothing but open, dusty lots and construction equipment.

In 2007, “Phase 2” began to unfold.
Urban Outfitters went up,
And so did some higher-end specialty stores like Betsey Johnson 
Louis Vuitton, Puma and LuluLemon,
As well as a large Pottery Barn.
Within a few years, several more stores
including Forever XXI, West Elm
and some new restaurants opened their doors.

Most of what has been added to SJTC has come to stay.
Only a few changes were made over the past decade.
The Sharper Image went bankrupt and was later replaced by
California Pizza Kitchen.
A Microsoft store opened in place of
A failed Puma store,
Sperry overtook a failed LaCoste.
A video store related to Game Stop closed and became a Jos A Bank.
The space next to Starbucks was home to a health food cafe,
then an ice-cream shop, and now a Teavanna.
Cold Water Creek is gone, boards over the front with banners 
for a women's fashion store called "Altar'd State" 
that is coming soon.
Drills and saws can be heard inside.
Shopping seasons change, but most of SJTC stays the same.

My tour of Nordstrom and “phase 3” happened today,
Saturday 10/11 because of my work schedule.
It was a beautiful, sunny day today but unseasonably warm.
Between the heat and the phase three strip that greeted me,
I felt like I'd just walked into some ritzy part of south Florida.
It makes the great shiny white Nordstrom look right at home.
With its palm trees, white fabric canopies over white and blue outdoor furniture,
and "endless" fountains (the water pours over the edges for a modern look),
It seems like you could be in either Miami 
or a resort. 
As I walked through, I heard a girl say to her friend
"This looks like that shopping center in Naples!"
(note to self: go visit Naples some day soon).

This is different from the rest of SJTC.
While all of it looks fairly modern, 
most of phase 1 and 2 don earthier colors 
like dark wood and stone that make them look like
they could actually be somewhere further north.
And there aren't any other fountains like that.

Phase 3 sports such retail goodies as:
Boston Proper, Yankee Candle,
a new Disney store and a huge upscale 
two-story home goods store called "Arhaus". 
That's "our house" cleverly spelled out to look like German.
There are a few other shops and an "E-bar"
which is Nordstrom's own version of Starbucks.
It's on the outside but connected to the building.

And now for the main event: The very first and only Nordstrom in north Florida.

Modern, cutting edge and couture with its shining white walls and hard wood ceilings,

the Seattle-based department store boasts a wide range of goods for the whole family

at a higher price point and a few steps up from Dillard's,

but not at such a high tier as Saks Fifth Avenue.

    

Dining in?: Nordstrom even has its own grille called Bazille,

located upstairs.

I'm no expert economist.
I'm not actually an economist at all.
Just someone who took a shine to sociology in college.
I like to observe things, especially trends.
And in my (humble) opinion.... Nordstrom is perfect for 
St. Johns Town Center.

SJTC is situated in the "nicer" part of Jacksonville,
where there is a little more affluence. 
It is also easily accessible from J. Turner Butler Blvd (AKA "the 202")
and JTB goes east, over the inter coastal, dropping you off about 10 miles later
right by Ponte Vedra.
If anyone knows Ponte Vedra, they know it has some of the most affluent people
in the area, thanks to the golf scene.
There is also a steady flow of tourism.
That being said,
SJTC can host some everyday stores like Target and Old Navy,
some middle-tier national chains like Dillard's,
Express, Abercrombie and J. Crew,
and some high-tier, high-fashion names like Louis Vuitton,
Michael Kors and Coach all in the same sprawling outdoor mall
and they can hold their own for season after season.
If you could turn the stores into math,
averaging together everything there from the JoAnne Fabrics
to the Pottery Barn to the Michael Kors,
the median would probably be a store like Nordstrom.
Bloomingdale's or Saks Fifth Avenue would be a bit too high end,
ultimately unable to draw enough affluent shoppers to stay afloat in Jacksonville...
But Nordstrom is that step up for everyone else looking for what's next after
being in a city full of Dillard's, JcPenney and Belk.

Welcome to the St. Johns Town Center, Nordstrom!

To celebrate the new retail attractions,
a gala event was set up for this weekend.
Placing all their faith in the sunny weather to stay constant,
people were already putting together a fashion show runway,
seating, tables and a bar in a blocked-off part of the street.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102077830#.

Yin-Yang: The curious case of Regency Square

Remember those little symbols, so popular in the 90's? 
Half light, half dark.
If you could stretch those circles out into a longer shape,
That is essentially what the Regency Square Mall looks like right now.

When it opened in 1967, it only existed as what is now the "east wing"
part between JcPenney and Belk,
where the food court is now.
In 1981, the long west wing was added on.
What is ironic is that present day, the original part is what is populated.
The west wing is not.

The mall has been falling into decline for years now,
but a new owner has high hopes of giving it another chance.
It went into this new ownership in February of this year.
So far, there has been success.... in just the east wing.

Here are most of the national chains that still exist in Regency Square:
anchors JcPenney, Belk and a Dillard's Clearance store.
smaller inline stores Champs, foot locker, journey's, claire's boutique, Aeropostale,
Rainbow fashions, Kay Jeweler, Victoria's Secret, Torrid...

The other empty spaces have been mostly filled in with family-owned ventures in retail such
as Modern Furnishings by Matisse, Stag (menswear), Brow Art, a discount store not unlike a Dollar Tree (but with wine for sale up front), several cheap fashion stores, health foods, vitamins and an art class studio and glow-in-the-dark mini golf.

This shows creative use of vacant space, much like the Orlando Fashion Square.
Lunar Golf took over the large Old Navy space that vacated around 2008 or 2009.

There are still other spaces that belonged very recently to well-known national brands like
American Eagle (the "A" and "E" still on the old doors) and Express (identifiable by its red trim)
that reside in the east wing that need something to come and fill them in so
that portion of the mall can go from about 75% occupied to more like 90%.
The food court, which has room for about 10 restaurants was down to only
a handful but is now gaining some new ones.

What makes this mall such a bizarre case, however, is the dead West wing.
I remember it from 2006 when I visited the first time.
and at that point, it was suffering but there were still stores taking up
about half of it.
I would visit this mall maybe twice a year.
One by one, the lights went out.
When I stopped in for a visit of its Forever XXI store in 2010
(just before Avenues Mall got their massive two-story one)
There were considerably less stores open by then.
Many family owned stores offering discount
men's, ladies and juniors hip-hop fashions had given up.
A shoe store was down to its last few days,
so I got a pair very inexpensively.
Some furniture stores were going out of business.
A store that sold African-American home furnishings
and art was leaving or had left by then.
I remember my friend renting a tuxedo for a formal work event at
a tiny prom rentals store that is now vacant.
The other west wing anchor store has been empty for awhile.
It's creepy to walk into.
You come out of the bright, noisy and perfumed Belk and walk
into a "ghost town".

 
The only light comes from the skylights.
Somehow, there has been no luck filling this side at all.
Possibly because for one to make it,
there need to be several more to draw a crowd there.
The Dillard's Clearance can be accessed from outside,
so being at the far end of the vacant corridor hasn't
brought on it's demise yet.
Despite there being nothing but a clearance department store
at the other end,
there were plenty of mall walkers in the darkened corridor.
Walking fast, laughing with their friends.
Maybe it is good exercise.

There has been talk of the owners finding a way to fill that half
with clinics and law offices.
At least they will be making use of a pre-eqisting facility!
It may not be shopaholic heaven right now,
but it is a somewhat historic structure.
If they don't tear it down and replace it with a Wal-Mart,
that will be very "green" of them.

Trouble ahead:
There is talk that Belk may vacate it's middle-mall space
because of a new Belk being constructed nearby.
This could occur early next year.
What will the owners do with this new
very large vacancy?
Will Dillard's move up?
Or will someone else move in?

Updates as I find them,
coming 2015.

A little bit about the author....

This post really belonged at the beginning of the blog, 
but here it is.

Malltopia blog was created by a legitimate mall enthusiast.
It puts in words and photos one of the things I enjoy most.

How long will I be a mall enthusiast?
Well I can tell you what being a mall enthusiast isn't.
It wasn't some hot new trend that I bought into.
In fact, with economists saying that indoor shopping mall numbers are shrinking,
it's about the exact opposite.
I also didn't decide to love malls to hop on some popularity bandwagon.
It is true that when I was in high school, my teenage friends and I
did hang out at the mall the most.
Because it was something to do.
But present day, none of my married 20-something friends
have the time or the energy to keep up with my enthusiasm.
So let me tell you what it is.
It's a legitimate passion.
It began when I was very small, almost too small to remember.
The mall was just a happy place and a sign of a good time.
Even before I could appreciate fashion and marketing,
It was a place to go with my parents when we wanted to relax
or accomplish something positive, like redecorating the house.
For me as a child, it meant candy shops and toy shops.
It also meant quality bonding time with mom and dad.
As a teenager, it meant quality bonding time more with mom
who enjoyed shopping more than dad
and also with friends.
It meant shopping for cute clothes to wear to high school.
It meant somewhere to hang out with new boyfriends.
It meant picking out my prom and homecoming dresses.
As a young adult, it still meant many of those same things-
A place to buy cute clothes to wear to events,
a place to shop for a date-night dress,
a place to hang out with someone special,
a place to take my friends on a day off.
It also became my sanctuary.
I went to the mall to get away from the stresses of everyday life.
Even when I had to reign in the spending and learn more financial responsibility,
it was still somewhere to go to get away.
It was a place of good vibes-
happy families and friends and couples,
people buying gifts and having a good time,
colorful things to distract me from my anxieties,
sweet smells,
herbal tea and coffee,
cute pets for sale.
I have very few bad memories tied to a mall, if any.
Even a sad, struggling mall has still served me pretty well at times.

The one I called "home" in Lakeland, FL was decent enough
but the one I call "home" hear near Jacksonville is a perfect setting.
It is the bright, wide open, double-decker classic with many skylights.
Built in 1990, it is the epitome of "the American mall experience".
It has 5 anchors, a bustling food court and all sorts of treats for
middle class young ladies like myself.
I spent so much time there in the nine years I've lived here.
Sometimes my visits made no sense at all.
I had no money to spend and no legitimate purpose for
making the 26 mile trek from St. Augustine.
I didn't need anything, and no one was going to meet me there.
It was later that I realized I was drawn to the place because
it felt like a sanctuary.
I could go there no matter what the weather
and there were freebies and things to do even if there was no cash in my purse.
I became so much of a regular there that mall employees thought I was one of them.
And then I got discounts.

One day I finally realized, sadly, that though it might have brought me comfort
to spend my free time there,
since I didn't really have a purpose to go there and spend all that gas money,
I needed to find other hobbies.
For awhile, I had gotten heavily involved in my church
so I was being given volunteer work to do
and that kept me out of the mall.
When it all slowed down,
the mall started to "call" to me again.
Finally, I found my happy medium.

I started this blog.
And the very first entry I put in it
was "The Avenues Mall"... which is the nice two-story middle class beauty I call home.
I have even used its giant center court skylight as a Facebook cover photo.
Then I added my other favorite- my fair weather friend St. Johns Town Center.
They go hand-in-hand on a nice day that's not too hot or cold.
If you are going to drive nearly 30 miles to one indoor mall,
why not go visit the more upscale stores and get some fresh air too at the other one?
(Well, technically SJTC isn't a mall).
Then I went to the others that were within reach.
There's one in Orange Park, one in Daytona,
one mostly dead mall in Arlington (a subdivision of Jacksonville).
There's another dying mall within an entertainment complex
on the river front in downtown Jacksonville.
There's a tiny dead mall here in St. Augustine.
There's two outlet malls. One is more of a strip mall though.
Then I had a week off of work and I decided to make a trip
to my hometown (Lakeland)
and make a tour on the way.
So I hit seven shopping hotspots on the way down,
out in Tampa Bay,
and on the way back.
This year I got married and spent time on the gulf coast
and added a few more.
I even added one from a day trip over the Georgia Border.
Throw in some case studies about things that used to be malls-
used to be someone else's day off sanctuary in another life.
Update the mall's progress or ailments so they don't wind up forgotten.
Tell a story about one that got resurrected as a church.
You have a blog.

Boom.
A constructive outlet for an otherwise non-constructive obsession.
Shopping is fun, but it takes away from all that financial responsibility.
Studying a mall teaches you valuable lessons about economics and marketing.

And that brings me to my other purpose for the blog.
Besides indulging myself on a bit of an unusual passion,
I have dreams of the time and effort poured into the project creating a bit of a portfolio.
I went to Flagler College for Public Relations.
Though I work at a bank now and have not yet used the PR degree, I haven't given up hope.
While I was there, I dabbled a bit in writing for news.
Politics were never my cup of tea, so I shied away from writing about government issues
and economy crisis and instead enjoyed populating the entertainment column
of the college's paper "The Gargoyle".
I went to movies and wrote about them.
Occasionally I wrote about something else like an art walk or a fundraiser.
It was something I believe I did for credit in a class,
but I enjoyed it.
I got a summer internship (also for school credit) writing media kits
for a restaurant association.
I may not have risen to fame or gotten hired to write for the city newspaper,
but I took what I learned and logged it away
and now it helps me write my blogs-
blogs where I can write any amount about anything and promote it
on social networking all I want.

I don't abuse the privilege.
I could spend hours writing bad poetry or misguided song lyrics.
I could rant about celebrities or I could rant about ex's.
I could post images from reddit all day.
Instead, I try to stick to an agenda and a format.
My goal is to someday use all of this mall talk
plus my newest blog about St. Augustine attractions
as a couple of portfolios that will get me hired.
Hired to blog from home, write for an entertainment magazine,
help manage a website like Tripadvisor,
or maybe even travel the country doing valuable research
like the men who wrote Labelscar.

My husband hates shopping.
He doesn't like to be at the mall because he is more of an introvert.
He likes his quiet office in our condo.
But he has similar dreams of launching a web design business from home
and has passions that I don't understand 100%-
one of them is to possibly write video games.
If he could get paid to play video games,
I could get paid to love the mall.
I thank him for inadvertently inspiring me.

For the future of Malltopia:

Coming this fall:
-The birth of a Nordstrom
-An update on the curious case of Regency Square
-A possible addition of Gainesville's mall to the list

Coming this Christmas:
-Lakeland's case study
-The first enclosed mall built since 2006?

(Hopefully) Coming in 2015:
-Miami Malls
-Florida pan-handle Malls
-A tour for the outlet malls of Orlando and Tampa