Is The Villages too small?
 

Just to look at things from another angle:

When people question why their favorite store/restaurant is not here the answer is often that the community is not sufficiently large to support it.

So when The Villages, Wildwood, Fruitland Park and Leesburg eventually become one...

....we will finally get a Costco! And a ___________ <fill the in the blank>

LOL

It's not only about size for many businesses, it is also about the intense cyclic nature of the business here.
With TV population cycling 50% +/- throughout the year it is very hard for many businesses to survive. It must be included in their business plan and finances to endure the slower summer months. Only they can decide if the profits in the high months are worth the costs of the negative cash flow in the slower months. For most businesses the answer is no, this is most likely why we don't see a Costco or Trader Joes here. If the business can remain cash flow neutral or better during the lean time it is likely they'll make a go of doing business here in The Villages area.

Of course the naysayers will go on about the price of rent and % of GR the commercial properties claim each month. They obviously have no idea how a business works or how commercial real estate works. Premium locations command premium prices. Every business that goes into a leased property knows exactly what their cost is when they sign the lease. If they can't survive in the premium town square locations it's not because of the rent, it's because they either didn't plan for their overhead costs or they over estimated the value of their products or services, normally it's the latter. Those that do plan well prosper, examples easy to see - Rustic Rose, City Fire, World of Beer.

Sadly Don't hold your breath. :( Considering there isn't one in Gainesville (a very large college town), Ocala and just about anywhere north of I4 between I4 and Jacksonville the chances of getting one here are slim to none. If you look at the "Costco locations" map on their website and see the areas where there are NONE you'll realize that T.V. would be low on the "coming soon" list. Aside from the fact 1/3rd (??) of the homes are empty here between April and Jan the size of T.V. doesn't accurately reflect the population. Also the demographics is bad here, they need lots of industry to sell all those bottles of water to. We've resigned ourselvers to 1 day trips south to Orlando for a Costco, Trader Joes & Shopping Mall day once a month or so. :)

Yes, that is a headache for businesses, most of which prefer a steady footfall year-round

Maybe they could operate out of a trailer and drive back north in April...

Too small
 

I believe there's more to it that population size and the seasonal nature of living here. You can Google Costco Florida locations and see there are stores in places with populations much smaller than ours, but also seasonal.

I would like a Trader Joe's. I must be the only human who has never been IN a Trader Joe's, but people I admire and take seriously rave about them. They must be terrific. When I ask what makes them so special they sort of can't tell me. Only thing they bring up is cheap wine and amazing things you can't get everywhere else.:popcorn:

:thumbup: Finally a really good response re: business! No...I'm not a business owner neither!

I would think with the addition of Fenney, DeSoto, Southern Oaks, etc there would be enough of a population to support a Costco and/or Trader Joe’s. The locations need not be “within” TV, but just reasonably close. These stores will draw customers from other areas, just not TV. Sam’s is a good example. A location on Hwy 44 between TV and Leesburg would be an ideal spot for Trader Joe’s or Costco.

I think Trader Joes needs to be located in a strip mall so there is plenty of parking. All the TJs Ive visited have been in strip malls

They have the best, THE best, graham crackers in the world. Someday I will bring you some. That's a start.

But I think, too, that our age group is not conducive to stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods and Costco. We're not the big spenders anymore, we've gotten too old, and the market analysts think we have reached our buying peak and tend to just keep what we have, stay with what we're used to buying and making, etc. They are targeting our kids and grandkids instead. The up-and-comers.

If the businesses you seem to think should be here they would be if their market research showed they could make a profit here. As long as Villagers think Cody's Roadhouse is a class act you should forget about trying to attract real class acts!

Yea, where? If the towns they are in are relatively small (Miami Lakes for example) they are within minutes of major traffic/population areas. We are around an hour or so from everywhere. The nearest "bustling metropolis" is Leesburg which is pretty much a ghost town then you have to head to Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa or S. FL areas. Even Gainsville doesn't have one and that's a majopr college town with lots of businesses they could support.

Costco Florida FL Locations Map

Trader Joes = Aldi. Owned by the same family members. They divided up the US. One will never come to TV. I have read that they use similar sourcing for their products.

Are Aldi and Trader Joes Under The Same Parent Company? | Kitchn

I would have to agree completely.