***** Delray Marketplace *****
***** Delray Marketplace *****
Finally, Delray Marketplace a 258,000 square foot “center” opened in Delray Beach at the intersection of West Atlantic Avenue and Lyons Road.
Check www.delraymarket.com for a list of stores/businesses that includes Publix, Frank Theatres CineBowl & Grille, Chico’s, White House/Black Market, Jos. A Bank and Burt & Max’s Grille.
Here’s a “call” for you guys…the Delray Marketplace will prove to be an absolute “white elephant” and a financial disaster for most of the tenants that took leases.
Just for starters- stop and think for a second…
Do we really need another Jos. A Bank men’s clothing store peddling–buy 1 suit and get 3 suits and 9 ties for free?
Do we really need an upscale candy store named IT’SUGAR where candy sells for “an arm and a leg?”
Do we really need another White House/Black Market a women’s chain which literally has stores in every major American shopping mall?
Do we really need another Chico’s a women’s chain which literally has stores in every major American shopping mall?
Look! Jeff Eats could go on and on–telling you that Delray Marketplace is just like that movie “Groundhog Day”—but I won’t.
Real simple…America’s retail-space is OVERBUILT. In this particular case, Delray Beach–doesn’t need any new retail businesses. Trust me, every one of its residents has seen it-done it.
I’m hearing that some “tenants” are paying 50 bucks a square foot…to be part of what will prove to be Armageddon.
Only time will tell, but my money says that most of Delray Marketplace’s tenants will dread the day that their lawyers said it was “ok” to sign their leases.
Heard that the Chico’s is doing great.
I also heard that 3 men from Mars landed in NYC this morning and want to play for a the Mets.
Wondering what anyone/everyone was thinking
when they signed on to this location.
For starters, if someone wants to look ‘em up
and makes the mistake of going to
http://www.delraymarketplace.com
they are directed to two other venues, not this one.
For another, there is little in the way of support
offered by the (nominal) overseers, namely
Kite Realty. Their local rep. ignores phone messages. Their two recent efforts to sponsor
themed events were dismal failures.
Note to Burt and Max’s: If you want to attract
crowds to your new location, don’t dare think
of gouging people $30-$100 to sit on a crummy
plastic folding seat (in the rain, no less) and force these schlemiels to listen to a really lame
version of an iconic rock group from the 60s.
And while you’re at it, if you’re asking guests
to pony up and offering small plates and mixed
drinks on the lawn remember to install some
interior lighting in the pop-up tents. After 8:30pm
there was no illumination and you had to guess
what it was you were about to sample.
Back to the Marketplace…
Burt and Max’s have a loyal following, as does
Tierra Fiamma, but as someone pointed out the
sole Italian place features (mostly) outdoor seating…which is pleasant enough but pointless
in a downpour.
The movie theater draws a crowd, but the service in the Grille can be lacking. And their ushers are WAY too friendly, insisting on
physically connecting with the guests by means
of ghetto high-fives and outrageous requests
such as “Hey, can I have that?” to a moviegoer
in front of me using his iPhone.
Frank Theatres might do well to invite those
travelling to the Marketplace in buses (have seen at least three different condo communities
touring the area) to come in for a Seniors Matinee and a sandwich…they are way not busy
during weekday afternoons.
The candy store…beautifully designed, missing
everything in the way of unique character that
a typical candy store has…no personality.
And the ratio of sales staff to actual customers
making purchases is about 8:1…and that would
be 8 teens floating around the store to1 actual
buyer.
The yogurt shop. I feel really bad for this guy.
His rent must be at least $10,000/month and
even during peak evening hours there’s not more than 10 patrons inside and outside the store.
Olive oil…in Delray? Had an exchange with the
knowledgeable gal behind the counter and she
told me (with a straight face) that the reason they opened here is because there was a huge
demand for another branch, based on feedback
they had/have from their store in CityPlace.
Really?
Photo shop? Again, nicely realized store
build-out but where are the customers?
The ROC whatever…and Charming Charlie’s…
are these locations funnels for some shadier
enterprise further south?!
Latest poor souls to open is the candle shop…
yup, when it’s 97 degrees and equally humid
I race to a shop where I can find sources of
heat-generating illumination…
Nail spa?
Chico’s and Black/White and Bank Clothiers…
I’ll pass.
Of the stores opened, I would guess that those
who’ll survive during the next 12-18 months
will be Frank Theatres, Chase Bank, Burt & Max’s, (maybe) Tierra Fiamma, the pizza by the
slice shop, coffee shop, possibly Japango and
if they can attract a younger crowd, the beer hall
next to the movie theater and the Latin place
across the road…and Publix.
Kite Realty needs to aggressively court new
tenants, like a gourmet market, a liquor/wine
shop and possibly a bookstore.
Otherwise, it’s curtains
About to leave muggy South Florida and
head back to California for the summer.
This Marketplace obsesses me; try as I may,
can’t quite fathom it.
As others have observed “What were they
thinking?”
While the place has a nice look to it, it’s been
beset by problems (some of their own making,
others not) since its’ delayed opening this
winter.
Roads to/from still a mess.
Lack of parking is unbelievable; if the movies
are doing decent business there is no self-parking to be had anytime after 1pm on
Saturday or Sunday. What were the Kite
people thinking when they pitched these
storefronts to potential leasees?
And how did the renters who commited manage to collectively go out to lunch before
commiting to space, not realizing that fewer
than 1,500 parking spaces would not meet
the needs of potential shoppers and visitors
at a 50+ series of stores?
That’s about 30 spots for each store…really?
And as someone also observed, how does
a food business meet its monthly nut without
benefit of a brisk breakfast or lunch business?
Since I shop at Publix (always no waiting, very
nice staff) about 3-4 times weekly I see that
there is nothing going on between 11am-5pm
on weekdays. As in no one open for lunch
(except the CineBowl Grille) and no foot traffic
in the blazing sun (or recent downpours)
before Happy Hour commences at the movies
and Burt’s and Terra Fiamma.
The glitzy candystore usually has more
sales help than customers, the guy who got
suckered into opening the yogurt store is now
in a perpetually bad mood (and the vibes are
as intense as his Customers Only bathroom
is filthy) has already partly given up the ghost
by changing his open from 11am to noon.
The brainiacs behind the photo shop can’t
seem to draw flies (let alone customers) and
the space vending delicious (but pricey)
custom blended vinegars and olive oil is so
down and out that they haven’t been able to
scare up the scratch to fully fill in their shelves
of pre-packaged product. A bad sign, for sure.
No nearby offices clamoring for an alternative
to fast food, no Seniors being offered anything
in the way of a “try us out” promotion with
a movie or game of bowling and a snack (and
the Bowl Grille is more often than not empty
anytime earlier than late afternoon) or some
kind of Saturday breakfast/brunch from
Burt & Max’s (one of them comes from an
illustrious food family on the Lower East Side
and should be ashamed for not offering
traditional blintzes, lox/onions, matzo brei, etc.
to an elderly prosperous crowd who grew up
on these down home delicacies)…or anything…from anyone there that will draw
guests to the locale.
Because there is no anchor (other than the
movie/bowling complex) there is no perpetual
ebb and flow of foot traffic, which could sound
the death knell for this overblown mistake.
Maybe there’s hope: perhaps one of the
head-up-the-keester honchos at Kite will
realize that if this place is going to be anything
other than a ghost town within 2 years that
they plow some major bucks into building
multi-level parking and attracting the likes
of a Bloomingdale’s or Macy’s and a gourmet
quality foodstore. Glades Road mall is over
10 miles away, the Boynton Beach mall is
borderline dangerous to visit and within a 5+
mile radius you’ve got new condos and established condos where the median income
has to be in the six figure range.
It’d be nice to have an alternative to the
beat up strip malls that line Atlantic.
Will be mighty curious to see how this
white elephant weathers the summer months.
BEING A FORMER OWNER OF A RETAIL SHOP,AND KNOWING THE COST AND EFFORT THAT GOES INTO A PROJECT ,I WISH THESE TENANTS WELL.
TRUE THE PARKING IS TIGHT. BUT THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE COUNTERS IN STORES AND RESTAURANTS DESERVE A CHANCE FOR THEIR EFFORTS.
BUT THE PLACE DOES REMIND ME OF THE COCONUT CREEK OUTDOOR MALL. I THINK IT TOOK A WHILE FOR THAT PLACE TO GET ESTABLISHED .IT LOOKS TO BE DOING OK NOW.
WHAT THIS AREA NEEDS IS SOME THING UNIQUE WHETHER IT BE THE RETAIL SHOPS OR THE RESTUARANTS. AND THE RESTAURANTS NEED TO BE EXCEPTIONAL.
JAPANGO WAS PRETTY GOOD,BUT IN THE WORLD OF RESTAURANTS PRETTY GOOD MIGHT NOT BE GOOD ENOUGH.
BEST OF LUCK TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TAKEN A RISK IN TIME,LABOR AND INVESTMENT.WE NEED MORE IN THIS COUNTRY AND YOU DESERVE TO BE REWARDED FOR YOUR EFFORTS.
My wife and I have been to the Delray Marketplace something like 5 times. Twice she bought a small cup of yogurt. That’s the total of purchases. We have walked around 5 times trying to like this place but each time we agreed that there really isn’t anything special going on here. Olive oil, high priced candy, blowup photos, buy 1 suit and get 6 ties an 12 shirts, the list of waste your time stores goes on and on.
This center is going to be a failure.
For the Beer World type of store by the movies, 65+ year olds don’t sit around drinking beer at night. Maybe South Beach but not on Atlantic and Lyons Road in Delray Beach.
This center is a DISASTER.
Parking is terrible.
The merchants stink.
Going to go bust.
jeff,
the sun sentinel yesterday had a very positive story on itsugar
and how successful the chain is.
what do you think?
YHT:
Just had a chance to read your comments.
Like you I also read that article.
Can’t comment on other locations, but if I was a betting man, my money would bet that the location in the Delray Marketplace proves to be a financial disaster.
Thanks for readin…