The Avenues (shopping mall)

Infobox_shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = Avenues Mall


caption =
location = Jacksonville, Florida, United States
opening_date = 1990
number_of_anchors = 5
number_of_stores = 165
floor_area = 1.32 million ft²
floors = 2
parking = 5,000
owner = Simon Property Group
manager = Simon Property Group
website = [http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=857 St. Johns Town Center]

The Avenues is an indoor shopping mall located on the southside of Jacksonville, Florida. It is located at the intersection of U.S. 1 (Phillips Highway) and Southside Boulevard near Interstate 95. The mall opened in 1990 with four anchor stores; Gayfers, Dillard's, JCPenney and Sears. The Gayfers anchor store was later converted to a Belk store. A Parisian department store was built later. The mall has two shopping levels and contains a parking garage. It is owned by Simon Property Group. Some of the 165 stores [ [http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2004/03/01/daily22.html Jacksonville Business Journal: Mar 4, 2004-New retailers moving in to The Avenues] ] inside of the mall include: Gap, Pottery Barn, GameStop (formerly EB Games), Aéropostale, Abercrombie & Fitch, Oakley, Express, Ann Taylor, Williams-Sonoma, and Coach.

Renovation

A $10.5 million renovation of The Avenues was completed in April, 2005 and included a newly designed entryway, stained glass windows, a neutral color scheme that includes Italian limestone flooring on its lower level and new lounge chairs, benches and lamps; new restrooms, lighting, ceilings and a children's "soft" play area.

The Avenues is positioned for its market of young, family-oriented customers with mid- to upper level incomes who are involved in their communities. [ [http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2005/04/04/daily30.html Jacksonville Business Journal: Apr 8, 2005-Simon finishes $10 million renovation of The Avenues] ]

Lineup change

On August 2, 2006, Saks Incorporated announced an agreement to sell its Parisian specialty department store business to Belk, Inc. [ [http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=110111&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=890941 Saks, Inc. website: Aug 2, 2006-Saks Incorporated Agrees to Sell Parisian to Belk, Inc. for $285 Million] ] Shortly thereafter, the Avenues Parisian store was briefly closed and converted into a "Belk Men, Children and Home" store. The original Belk store catered to Women.

The mall was home to an official store for Super Bowl XXXIX which was played in Jacksonville in February 2005.

Current anchor stores

* Dillard's (210,104 sq. ft.)
* J.C. Penney (123,029 sq. ft.)
* Sears (125,330 sq. ft.)
* Belk (181,460 sq. ft.)
* Belk Men, Children and Home (116,298 sq. ft.)

Former anchor stores

* Gayfers
* Parisian

References

External links

* [http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=124 Avenues Mall website]