Brownwood
 

Recently visited brownwood. So many stores still unrented. Can anyone shed light on this?

All the other town centers went thru this...........
Patience grasshopper they will come.

I agree, with the completion of the southern build out, there should be more vendors moving in. Not sure if the 'Fenny" village will have any impact.

give it another year. it will happen just needs more time

Too far south IMHO. SR44 doesn't seem to be growing anytime soon either. Welcome to the other quiet side of The Villages.

Southwest TV built out
 

I agree Brownwood isn't growing as fast as Lake Sumter did in the same timeframe and Brownwood was built so far south that there are no residents south of it. The new homes currently being constructed in the south east Villages (Pine Ridge, Pine Hills, LaBelle, Osceola Hills) are still a long way from Brownwood but will help Brownwood when completed. The Fenney Village will help Brownwood too.

I still look for The Villages to build more homes south of State Route 44. If for no reason other than to help their huge investment in the Brownwood complex.

Here's a headline from Orlando Sentinel

Lake Sumter Landing Market Square

Key West Comes To The Villages
August 4, 2004



What that headline means is, Lake Sumter Landing opened in 2004. Using LSL as an example of stores moving into a new square, Panera Bread didn't open at LSL until May 2011. That's one of the busiest restaurants and yet didn't move in until seven years after the square opened. At that rate, we'll see a Panera at Brownwood in 2019.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G7FHYF5hauc/hqdefault.jpg

TV residents alone do not keep the town squares viable, rather it's the surrounding communities. Hence the reason for the huge Brownwood billboard on SR44 attempting to attract passing motorists.

Not a real mix of stores or venues in any of the squares for that matter.

Developer control

Wasn't there something in that part of the building, before Panera Bread moved in?

Miles42
very poor mix of stores in all the squares. One store owner in colony plaza said the developer strickly regulates store policies. Developer regulates hours of operation & developer takes a portion of owner sales or profits. Real turnoff to open a business in the villages.

Faux Key West is far more attractive than Six gun City Brownwood. More akin to deputized children carrying around 6 shooters hunting down the stage coach bandits.


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Yes it was run by TV. And next door was southern lifestyle

:sigh:
This comes up periodically. Yet, there are few empty places in Spanish Springs or Lake Sumter. Sure, Brownwood has empty storefronts. Colony looks pretty full with new businesses coming. And most there have been there a while. When I moved here, Lake Sumter was only a few years old and it had empty storefronts, too. Sonny's place was an empty lot. Winn-Dixie and the nearby building were an empty lot. No Fross and Fross. Most of the buildings between TooJays and the square were empty. IIRC, the spot occupied by RedSauce was empty. Every retail development they have put up has eventually filled in.

Have business failed or left? Sure. Show me where that doesn't happen anywhere. It can't all be due to strangling rents or policies.

The developer sells 250 new homes per month. He should be able to fill his commercial buildings when they are built. Not 7 years later. But let's hear more how this is all part of the brilliant business plan. That keeping buildings vacant for 7 years is actually brilliant business strategy.

Maybe it's cheaper to age a property naturally rather than the faux Disney look.

There was a very successful restaurant in the spot now leased by Panera Bread. It wasn't seven years vacant.

In fact I liked it better. We were given a free meal there on our Life Style Visit. Someone will remember the name and post it.

That's probably it. I've always said, better to keep rental property vacant than to generate income and owe taxes.

The restaurant was The Veranda. We enjoyed it.

It was "very successful", yet it closed...maybe the lease terms were too onerous? No? It was probably mismanaged.

It was owned by the developer, and closed as part of the move to get out of the restaurant business, as he did with Lighthouse and others.

So you're saying, the developer, a world class business family, shut down a very successful business because they wanted to get out of the restaurant business? That's hard to believe.

They have never wanted to be in the restaurant business. They are developers. All restaurants, they got them running then sold them.

Perhaps it wasn't as profitable as the other hundred businesses they own. It isn't uncommon for an organization to spin off or shutter a portion of its business that is a distraction from its core operations.


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Most everything they run is successful. It is because they know how to change when needed. Why would they close down this restaurant ? because the realized they could get much more rent for the property then they could generate in the food business.

Seems they were correct and we are better served by the new business .

That appears to be the developer's business plan. They owned and ran several restaurants, Southern Life Style Furniture, The Entertainment Department and The Villages Transportation. The Restaurants included The Lighthouse, Cane Garden, and The Veranda in my memory.

These businesses were established for the convenience of people living in The Villages and of course to turn a profit. They were run very well under the Morse management. That appears to be one of the successful components of The Villages that needed businesses were established which sets this development apart from other like developments across the country.

They were established and in the case of some of the restaurants and the entertainment department and the paper then sold to the person who managed it. It appears that it was not in their long term plan to keep them, but they still own the property which is leased to these businesses.

The Veranda was a wonderful restaurant, really much nicer than Panera, in my opinion. They did not fail, any of these businesses. I think that was the plan for The Villages Health System as well, but sadly it is failing. At least I think it was established to fill a need. When we moved here, all of the decent doctors had waiting lists. We were left with shady quacks in many cases who were not board certified and had other not good things in their past. They tried. It appears that health care is not an easy endeavor.

And, of course, one cannot forget restaurants such as Chula Vista, Santiago, Silver Lake, Cafe Ole' and Augustines. We loved those restaurants.

Retail real estate is a difficult business these days. We all point and click on Amazon and all the other internet shopping sites. Everyone wants the best price. Brick & Mortar stores are falling by the wayside everywhere. The Villages may be a bubble, but the residents are educated, intelligent, and certainly shop around. Malls are closing everywhere, strip centers are struggling, Macy's and Sears are closing stores by the 100's.
I have spoken with "the developer" about leasing property to open a business, and the terms were no different than anywhere else. Yes, they were looking for a percentage of top line sales, all GOOD retail centers do. You don't build a development like Brownwood without a long range plan. But it is a long range plan. It would not be prudent for any business person to disclose the long range plan as it would invite speculators that would cut into the profits.
I think it will just take many more years for the right type of business to locate to the squares. Foot traffic and browsers are one thing, but ringing the cash register pays the bills.

It's not hard to believe if their time, money and energy could generate a higher rate of return in another business like building homes...

Yep, they only want to develop. They definitely aren't restauranteurs.

Getting back to Brownwood...... It is a very unique place. For example, the Barnstorm Theater. I doubt you will see anything like the lobby of the theater anywhere. The entrance to Brownwood with the cattle etc. Brownwood is different and no expense was spared. It's an attraction in itself and the Developer has made a "statement" here. I don't know this but have the feeling Brownwood has Gary Morris written all over it.

In our travels to other retirement communities around the country, it's the unique commercial properties that separates The Villages from other retirement communities. Their business model has been very successful and I suspect Brownwood will be too.

I guess you aren't from the southwest! Most of those folks like it just fine. :smiley::smiley:

I loved that place. It was more like a tea room.

Great post! :bigbow:

I've read the developer tries rent to businesses that they consider to have a great chance of being successful.

I am one is is very well please as to how the Morse family runs TV and no one can argue with their successful formula but I"m sure some will bring up the businesses that have been closed.

Businesses fail for a variety of reasons and it's not the developers fault. IMHO

weren't they in the restaurant business back in Michigan before moving to FL? Maybe I got that wrong.

When they first started building in the town square, there was very little going on. What stands out in my mind was a trailer set up to serve food. It sort of reminded me of being at a local county fair. With subsequent visits to TV, the streets expanded with businesses, though not fast enough for some. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with the progress. The developer has done a beautiful job in planning everything in TV, so far. I have faith that the same will apply to Brownwood. For this reason, I chose to buy there. Brownwood, IMHO, is a great work in progress.
:thumbup:

You are correct. Oh well. Maybe they just got tired of making money in the restaurant business?

With the addition of Fenney, not to mention the 14 acres of land which was recently rezoned for residential units at 44 and Buena Vista, I think Brownwood will do just fine.