Southern Tide, a coastal-themed apparel brand, will open its first Orlando-area location soon.
A new retailer has inked a lease to set up shop on Winter Park’s trendy Park Avenue.
Southern Tide, a coastal-themed casual apparel brand, will open its first Orlando-area location in a 1,500-square-foot space at 335 S. Park Ave., Orlando Business Journal has learned.
Why this matters: New-to-market retailers reflect growing demand for brands to be in metro Orlando and can attract further investment.
Brian Grandstaff, managing partner for Orlando-based Millenia Partners, and associate Michael Curtis represented Southern Tide in the five-year lease deal.
Landlord Winter Park-based Egret Estates LLC was represented by Michael Winn of Winter Parkbased RealCom Real Estate Services Inc.
The space formerly was two retail suites that housed Mon Petit Cheri Cafe and Cigarz on the Avenue. It is adjacent the Pottery Barn at 329 S. Park Ave. in the Colony Building.
Founded in 2006, Greenville, South Carolina-based Southern Tide is a lifestyle apparel, accessory and home goods brand with classic preppy Southern products inspired by coastal culture for men, women and children. Items it sells include sports shirts, casual pants, traditional sweaters, T-shirts, hats, fashionable swimwear, bedding, towels and drinkware.
Its four existing Florida stores are in Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Miramar Beach and Islamorada.
It is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Oxford Industries Inc. (NYSE: OXM), which also owns the Lilly Pulitzer brand that has a nearby store at 114-118 N. Park Ave.
Southern Tide, after seeing the success of the Lilly Pulitzer store, has been eyeing a Park Avenue location for a few years, Grandstaff told OBJ.
The combined space it now will move into was originally to become a Mexican restaurant, given that half of the space already had second-generation restaurant infrastructure, but when that deal did not work out, Grandstaff said his client was motivated to secure the space.
“Southern Tide decided ‘we’re not going to miss this opportunity – we’re not going to miss this chance,’ “Grandstaff said. “This location was something they were determined to secure.”
Winn said the property owner believes Southern Tide should be a good fit for the popular shopping district. Executives for Southern Tide could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, the retail outlook in metro Orlando and specifically Winter Park remains strong and continues to attract new-to-market additions such as Southern Tide, even amid larger economic headwinds such as inflation.
As an example, plans recently were revealed for luxury furniture retailer Arhaus to enter the market at nearby Winter Park Village.
The local retail activity can be traced to a burgeoning reputation as a place where economic growth is prioritized Bobby Palta, senior vice president for The Shopping Center Group who is not involved with the deal, told Orlando Business Journal. “Florida, Texas, Tennessee — those are arguably the best states in the U.S. for economic growth despite all of these headwinds. You continue to have an influx of people from other states who want to be in economies that are open to growth.”
The Winter Park retail submarket has an average rent of $34.02 per square foot, second-highest among Orlando submarkets, and Its average vacancy rate is 3.3%, according to CoStar Group. In comparison, metro Orlando has an average retail rent of $25.53 per square foot and an average vacancy rate of 3.6%.