Things were looking bad for Regency Court Shopping Center a few years ago. The center lost two of its major tenants, Tiger Direct and Sports Authority, to economic woes and a third, Office Depot, had moved to a different shopping center nearby.
Over on Atlantic Boulevard, Regency Park lost Hobby Lobby and Outback Steakhouse. Barnes & Noble, Pier 1, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and other big-name retail chains shut their doors, leaving behind a barrage of empty storefronts in what was once one of Jacksonville’s busiest retail corridors.
And it didn’t help that label scars from failed businesses like Linens and Things and Circuit City had already begun accumulating in the area.
It’s all emblematic of an area built up around a thriving shopping mall and the problems that arise when that mall begins to decline. Regency Square Mall’s well-documented struggles and the lack of available customers led to retailers fleeing to more prosperous opportunities, such as the St. Johns Town Center or Sleiman Enterprises’ piecemeal retail venture at Atlantic and Kernan.
For such areas, there are two options. Option one is to wait around for the dying mall property to be revived, either in its existing form or through redevelopment; the other is to build a new identity for the area, one that doesn’t revolve around hoping the mall may one day be viable again.
For Regency, option one is a nonstarter. Regency Square Mall has had plenty of opportunities to change and evolve, but it has failed to do so at every turn. The most recent attempt at saving the mall, led by the lawsuit-riddled International Décor Outlet, was a failure from day one. And while the property may soon be auctioned off as a result of legal proceedings, hope for a revival is still pretty limited.
So now, the Regency area is exploring option two. Led by ownership changes and aggressively low lease rates, the once-dying shopping centers surrounding Regency Square Mall are experiencing a renaissance in spite of the dying mall they once complemented.
Regency Park, for example, replaced Hobby Lobby with Celebration Church and Outback Steakhouse with The Soul Food Bistro. It also added Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and Surplus Warehouse.
Regency Pointe renovated and added a Sketchers outlet – and Foot Locker and Champs Sports are both expected to join the center after moving from the mall.
National brands like ALDI and Chipotle have started filling in once-empty storefronts along Atlantic Boulevard.
And Regency Court has enjoyed perhaps the biggest transformation of all thus far. It was purchased for $5 million by a new owner who then pumped millions more into renovating the center.
It has since added multiple event-oriented tenants, including the Halloween-favorite 13th Floor Haunted House and Rose and Lily’s Upscale Events. Surge Adventure Park, a family-oriented trampoline park co-founded by NFL star Drew Brees, took over the former Sports Authority space recently. Axe-throwing venue Class Axe opened in the center late last year, and SK8 City Fun Zone opened in January.
The hope is that this new surge of momentum can continue further north on Atlantic Boulevard and Arlington Expressway, where conditions continue to decline. At the very least, it’s proof that the Regency area, and Arlington as a whole, are far from dead.
It’s possible that the property housing Regency Square Mall will become something great one day. But for now, it’s time to accept that the mall itself is dead and won’t be coming back – and for the long-term success of the surrounding area, that may be for the best.
