• About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Submit Story Ideas
Subscribe
The Coastal
  • Development
    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Sugar Factory to Town Center; Orange Park Mall adding amphitheater

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Tunis to Brierwood; TownePlace Suites to North Jax

    Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

    Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: The Great Greek coming to St. Johns; Concealment Express seeks Southbank HQ

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Park Place at San Marco ready to build

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: DDRB reviewing plans for apartments at River City Brewing Co. site

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: New developer for LaVilla townhome project

    Estrella Cocina

    Estrella Cocina Coming to Rooftop of VyStar Downtown Campus

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: GreenWise Market to anchor WGV retail center

  • History
    • All
    • Jax Evolved
    Before Normandy Mall, There Was the Loew’s Normandy Drive-In Theatre

    Before Normandy Mall, There Was the Loew’s Normandy Drive-In Theatre

    Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

    Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

    San Marco Theater, San Marco, Jacksonville, FL

    Story of a Building: San Marco Theatre

    Sun-Ray Cinema building Five Points Jacksonville FL

    Story of a Building: Sun-Ray Cinema Building

    The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

    4 Older Neighborhoods in Jax with Big Potential

    Stanton High School Jacksonville FL

    Remembering the Old Stanton Normal School

    Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, FL

    Story of a Building: Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church

    Levy's department store, Jacksonville, FL

    Levy’s Department Store Once Dressed Jacksonville’s Elite

    Skinners' Dairy milk retail huts, Jacksonville, FL

    Remembering Hardwick & Lee’s Distinctive Skinners’ Dairy Huts

  • Culture
    • All
    • Art
    • Hidden Gems
    • Local Quirks
    • Music
    • Shopping
    Jacksonville Jazz Fest to Return This Fall

    Jacksonville Jazz Fest to Return This Fall

    Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

    Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

    Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

    Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

    MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

    MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

    “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

    Sugar Ray, Quad City DJ’s Highlight Jax River Jams Lineup

    Art Notes - Jacksonville, FL

    ART NOTES: Jazz Discovery Series 2021 Kicks off Friday Night

    “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

    “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

    Joseph E. Lee Jacksonville's first black attorney

    Joseph E. Lee Was Jacksonville’s First Black Lawyer – and He Didn’t Stop There

    Confederate monument removed in Jacksonville, FL

    5 Biggest Local Stories of 2020

  • Community
    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Cowford Chophouse Partners with JAMS for 2021 MOO-VE IT 5K

    Cowford Chophouse Partners with JAMS for 2021 MOO-VE IT 5K

    Taverna Meals for Medical Workers Jacksonville Baptist Health

    Taverna Gives Back to First Responders with “Meals for Medical Workers”

    Local Companies Anact, SurfearNEGRA Join Forces to Address Aquatic Inequality

    Local Companies Anact, SurfearNEGRA Join Forces to Address Aquatic Inequality

    The Pitman Sisters, TikTok video stars from Jacksonville, FL

    How “The Pitman Sisters” Became TikTok Famous During COVID-19

    Local Women in Cannabis, Jacksonville, FL

    Breaking the “Grass Ceiling”: Local Women in Cannabis

    Urban Mining Jacksonville FL

    How Urban Mining Utilizes Donations to Provide Computers for Local Kids

    Cowford Chophouse Teams Up with Jacksonville Arts & Music School for 4th Annual MOO-VE IT 5K

    Cowford Chophouse Raises Over $18,000 for Jacksonville Arts & Music School

    COVID-19 Testing homeless population in Jacksonville, FL

    Entire Jacksonville Homeless Shelter Population Tests Negative for COVID-19

  • Food + Drink
    • All
    • Beer
    • Reviews
    Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

    Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

    Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

    Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

    Dochi, Jacksonville, FL

    Japanese Donut Pop-Up Shop Dochi Coming to Town Center

    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Taverna Meals for Medical Workers Jacksonville Baptist Health

    Taverna Gives Back to First Responders with “Meals for Medical Workers”

    The Homestead Restaurant, Jacksonville Beach, FL

    Long Before Taco Lu, There Was The Homestead Restaurant

    Norikase Jacksonville

    BENTO Group to Debut Norikase Concept in Jacksonville

    Chef Tom Gray Introduces Line of Grocery Store Culinary Products

    Chef Tom Gray Introduces Line of Grocery Store Culinary Products

    Palace Saloon, Fernandina Beach, FL

    Florida’s Oldest Bar, the Palace Saloon, Can Be Found on Amelia Island

  • More
    • Hidden Gems
    • Local Quirks
    • Lists
    • Sports
    • 904VIEWS
    • Seven Bridges
    • Music
No Result
View All Result
The Coastal
  • Development
    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Sugar Factory to Town Center; Orange Park Mall adding amphitheater

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Tunis to Brierwood; TownePlace Suites to North Jax

    Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

    Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: The Great Greek coming to St. Johns; Concealment Express seeks Southbank HQ

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Park Place at San Marco ready to build

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: DDRB reviewing plans for apartments at River City Brewing Co. site

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: New developer for LaVilla townhome project

    Estrella Cocina

    Estrella Cocina Coming to Rooftop of VyStar Downtown Campus

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: GreenWise Market to anchor WGV retail center

  • History
    • All
    • Jax Evolved
    Before Normandy Mall, There Was the Loew’s Normandy Drive-In Theatre

    Before Normandy Mall, There Was the Loew’s Normandy Drive-In Theatre

    Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

    Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

    San Marco Theater, San Marco, Jacksonville, FL

    Story of a Building: San Marco Theatre

    Sun-Ray Cinema building Five Points Jacksonville FL

    Story of a Building: Sun-Ray Cinema Building

    The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

    4 Older Neighborhoods in Jax with Big Potential

    Stanton High School Jacksonville FL

    Remembering the Old Stanton Normal School

    Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, FL

    Story of a Building: Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church

    Levy's department store, Jacksonville, FL

    Levy’s Department Store Once Dressed Jacksonville’s Elite

    Skinners' Dairy milk retail huts, Jacksonville, FL

    Remembering Hardwick & Lee’s Distinctive Skinners’ Dairy Huts

  • Culture
    • All
    • Art
    • Hidden Gems
    • Local Quirks
    • Music
    • Shopping
    Jacksonville Jazz Fest to Return This Fall

    Jacksonville Jazz Fest to Return This Fall

    Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

    Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

    Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

    Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

    MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

    MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

    “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

    Sugar Ray, Quad City DJ’s Highlight Jax River Jams Lineup

    Art Notes - Jacksonville, FL

    ART NOTES: Jazz Discovery Series 2021 Kicks off Friday Night

    “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

    “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

    Joseph E. Lee Jacksonville's first black attorney

    Joseph E. Lee Was Jacksonville’s First Black Lawyer – and He Didn’t Stop There

    Confederate monument removed in Jacksonville, FL

    5 Biggest Local Stories of 2020

  • Community
    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Cowford Chophouse Partners with JAMS for 2021 MOO-VE IT 5K

    Cowford Chophouse Partners with JAMS for 2021 MOO-VE IT 5K

    Taverna Meals for Medical Workers Jacksonville Baptist Health

    Taverna Gives Back to First Responders with “Meals for Medical Workers”

    Local Companies Anact, SurfearNEGRA Join Forces to Address Aquatic Inequality

    Local Companies Anact, SurfearNEGRA Join Forces to Address Aquatic Inequality

    The Pitman Sisters, TikTok video stars from Jacksonville, FL

    How “The Pitman Sisters” Became TikTok Famous During COVID-19

    Local Women in Cannabis, Jacksonville, FL

    Breaking the “Grass Ceiling”: Local Women in Cannabis

    Urban Mining Jacksonville FL

    How Urban Mining Utilizes Donations to Provide Computers for Local Kids

    Cowford Chophouse Teams Up with Jacksonville Arts & Music School for 4th Annual MOO-VE IT 5K

    Cowford Chophouse Raises Over $18,000 for Jacksonville Arts & Music School

    COVID-19 Testing homeless population in Jacksonville, FL

    Entire Jacksonville Homeless Shelter Population Tests Negative for COVID-19

  • Food + Drink
    • All
    • Beer
    • Reviews
    Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

    Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

    Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

    Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

    Dochi, Jacksonville, FL

    Japanese Donut Pop-Up Shop Dochi Coming to Town Center

    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Taverna Meals for Medical Workers Jacksonville Baptist Health

    Taverna Gives Back to First Responders with “Meals for Medical Workers”

    The Homestead Restaurant, Jacksonville Beach, FL

    Long Before Taco Lu, There Was The Homestead Restaurant

    Norikase Jacksonville

    BENTO Group to Debut Norikase Concept in Jacksonville

    Chef Tom Gray Introduces Line of Grocery Store Culinary Products

    Chef Tom Gray Introduces Line of Grocery Store Culinary Products

    Palace Saloon, Fernandina Beach, FL

    Florida’s Oldest Bar, the Palace Saloon, Can Be Found on Amelia Island

  • More
    • Hidden Gems
    • Local Quirks
    • Lists
    • Sports
    • 904VIEWS
    • Seven Bridges
    • Music
No Result
View All Result
The Coastal
No Result
View All Result

Can The Avenues Avoid the Same Fate as Regency?

by The Coastal
October 4, 2018 - Updated on May 20, 2020
in Development, Shopping
The Avenues Mall, Jacksonville, FL
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

At the height of the popularity burst of enclosed suburban malls, Jacksonville featured half a dozen of them throughout the city.

Today, we have just two within city limits: The Avenues and Regency Square Mall. And to be frank, calling Regency a mall at this point is generous.

The balance has shifted in recent years, both locally and nationally, toward open-air centers like St. Johns Town Center and River City Marketplace. Enclosed shopping malls across the country have either shut their doors permanently or are barely hanging on by a thread like Regency. (It’s worth noting, though, that nearby Clay County’s Orange Park Mall is still holding strong.)

It’s been thirty years since work began on The Avenues, which opened its doors in 1990. With vacancies mounting and another open-air center planned for the greater Jacksonville market, the mall now finds itself at a critical transition point. Can it avoid the fate of Regency and the city’s other malls?

The Avenues has managed to stay relatively successful in spite of mounting odds against it.

In its early days, it outlived the upscale Grande Boulevard Mall that was located just down Southside Boulevard. It survived two anchors, Maison Blanche and Gayfers, going out of business during its first ten years. It even added a fifth anchor, the upscale Parisian, to deal a death blow to Grande Boulevard.

You MightAlso Like

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: Sugar Factory to Town Center; Orange Park Mall adding amphitheater

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: Tunis to Brierwood; TownePlace Suites to North Jax

Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: The Great Greek coming to St. Johns; Concealment Express seeks Southbank HQ

In 2005, when St. Johns Town Center’s arrival began to loom heavily over the mall’s future, a multi-million dollar renovation project brought in major upgrades and did away with the mall’s distinctively-‘90s color scheme.

The next year, Parisian went out of business as well, but the mall quickly filled the vacant space – first with existing anchor Belk expanding to a second space, and later with Forever 21.

For the first quarter-century of its lifespan, The Avenues handled just about everything thrown at it.

But can the mall keep up its time-defying stunts as a new set of cracks begin to show?

The mall currently has twelve vacancies – a small number for a large regional mall, but still more than it’s had in recent years.

And with brick-and-mortar brands, like the recently-closed Brookstone, continuing to collapse at a high rate, that number is always at risk of rising. One of the mall’s anchors, Sears, has been on the verge of financial ruin for over a decade and announces new store closures multiple times each year. (Editor’s note: Sears has since closed its Avenues location.)

Losing Sears, which seems likely within the next few years, would force the mall to find yet another replacement anchor tenant – at a time when competition is about to be at an all-time high. Also looking to lock in future anchor tenants is St. Johns County’s Durbin Park, which is set to eventually become the Durbin-Julington area’s equivalent of St. Johns Town Center.

It’ll be a hard sell for The Avenues to convince anchors – or even regular tenants – to choose their enclosed shopping mall over the lure of a brand-new outdoor center in a fast-growing area.

So far, it looks like the mall’s management team – Simon Property Group, the same managers behind SJTC – is making the right moves to keep the mall going. They’re avoiding notable mistakes that helped accelerate Regency’s demise, like holding out for big-name tenants while vacancies start to pile.

There would be far more than twelve vacancies if the mall hadn’t recently started opening its doors to tenants that would have once felt out of place. Tenants like a furniture outlet, a movie poster store, a crystal shop, and others now stand alongside the mall’s existing higher-end offerings.

And local startups like Savory Olive are using the mall’s still-steady traffic as a launching pad for success.

The potential remains for The Avenues to enter decline, as American shopping habits continue to change and the e-commerce revolution marches forward. It’ll largely depend on how much of Durbin Park’s plans are realized, and how the mall can adapt if another anchor tenant is lost.

But at least so far, the mall is doing the right things to stick around for a while longer.

Share41TweetSendShareShare
Previous Post

Jacksonville Icemen Begin Training Camp Ahead of 2018-19 ECHL Season

Next Post

58-Year-Old Time Capsule from City Hall Annex Building Opened

The Coastal

The Coastal is a local magazine in Jacksonville, FL, founded in 2015 to bring you stories about the past, present, and future of the First Coast.

Related Posts

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: Sugar Factory to Town Center; Orange Park Mall adding amphitheater

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: Tunis to Brierwood; TownePlace Suites to North Jax

Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: The Great Greek coming to St. Johns; Concealment Express seeks Southbank HQ

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: Park Place at San Marco ready to build

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: DDRB reviewing plans for apartments at River City Brewing Co. site

Next Post
58-Year-Old Time Capsule from City Hall Annex Building Opened

58-Year-Old Time Capsule from City Hall Annex Building Opened

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Development and Construction News Every Saturday - The Coastal

Building Up Jax: Rec Room arcade bar now open in Five Points

6 Great Places to Get Married in Jacksonville

6 Great Places to Have a Wedding in Jacksonville

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

LATEST POSTS

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday
Development

Building Up Jax: Sugar Factory to Town Center; Orange Park Mall adding amphitheater

SUGAR FACTORY TO JOIN MARKETS AT TOWN CENTER Sugar Factory American Brasserie, the designer sweets restaurant popular with Instagram celebrities,...

Read more
Jacksonville Jazz Fest to Return This Fall

Jacksonville Jazz Fest to Return This Fall

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: Tunis to Brierwood; TownePlace Suites to North Jax

Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

Crazy Beans Coffee Makes Debut Inside JRTC at LaVilla

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: The Great Greek coming to St. Johns; Concealment Express seeks Southbank HQ

The Coastal

© 2015-2020 Cowford Media / The Coastal Jacksonville LLC. All rights reserved.

Browse by Section

  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Submit Story Ideas

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Development
  • Culture
  • History
    • Jax Evolved
  • In the Community
  • Food + Drink
  • Sports
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Submit Your Story
    • Advertise

© 2015-2020 Cowford Media / The Coastal Jacksonville LLC. All rights reserved.