[jchase]

We contemplating on building a new home in Buttonwood. However, we are concerned that there aren't any stores/shopping facilities nearby. We currently live in a very convenient location.

Does anyone know if there will be any shops/stores built nearby?

[NJblue]

If you take Buena Vista to 466A and take a left, there is an undeveloped site that I believe will eventually be retail establishments. If you take a right at 466A toward Wildwood they are putting in a new county building. They have announced that next to the county building (which will also house a library) there will be a Sweetbay super market. If you go straight on BV you will get to the new Brownwood townsquare which will also have some sort of mall adjacent to the town center. I would think that all of these locations will be within 5-15 minutes from Buttonwood.

[Tom Hannon]

Is that 5-15 minutes by car or golf cart??? I also am concerned the distance needed to drive to find a place to get something simple. Say we run out of milk or are having unexpected company and want to run out and get some munchies.

[Russ_Boston]

Tom - Sweetbay in LSL is about 3.4 miles from my house in Buttonwood. Granted, to get to the stores (like WALMART) on 466 will be about 6+. 3.4 miles even in a golf cart is not that far.

[Tom Hannon]

Knowing me and my sense of direction, I'll take a quick ride to get a gallon of milk and I'll pass a sign that says "Next exit- Dallas, Texas."

[GMONEY]

In that case, it wouldnt matter if you lived right next to the Mall of America..

[Jhooman]

See yea in Dallas!

That was funny!!!

[Ohiogirl]

Our villa is in Sabal Chase, pretty close to LSL and not far from Colony Plaza either. (Moving here for our first snowbird season this fall, but have been coming down 3-4 times a year for 4 years).

I think you will find that you will do "pick up" errands on your way to or from something else (probably golf if you are a golfer, or a rec center meeting for whatever your interests are). If you forget, there's always tomorrow (remember, you're likely retired) or your neighbors to borrow from for a true emergency - you know, in the middle of making brownies, and out of eggs.

I personally LIKE grocery shopping (there ARE a few of us out there) and there are certain stores I will hit every 2-3 weeks (probably Sam's Club and Aldi's) by car, and then probably Publix and Sweetbay weekly or more by golf cart, to take advantage of the weekly loss leader specials and other things I like or forget from each store. I'm a great list maker, but sometimes forget the list! (I don't see this moving anywhere but on a downward trend .

I haven't tried the libraries yet, but am termed a "power user" in Columbus (yes, they rate your library usage here) and think I'll probably be using the new Sweetbay on 466A near the new library and probably whatever else is going in on the north side of 466A whenever it's finished, even though I'm closer to Colony Plaza and LSL Sweebtay.

I do find it a big pain to get to Walmart et al and go thru the tunnel system and all those parking lots. Maybe that will change as I get more used to it. I'm not a big Walmart shopper though so I probably won't.

[laryb]

Buttonwood is not close to any of the shopping centers when compared Virginia Trace, Caroline, etc., but when I last timed it, it was 16 minutes by cart to the LSL Sweetbay and maybe 5 minutes by car. Didn't time it for Colony plaza, but probably about the same. Certainly not to far for me. Love driving the cart and getting to see the sites. And look at it this way, you won't get all the traffic in front of your home from people going shopping!

[Mikitv]

I am out in Pennecamp and we run down to Colony Plaza in the golf cart for some of our groceries, hair cuts, etc. Not that long a trip and it is so nice by cart. Sometimes we take the truck out if we are getting a lot or it's over in Spanish Springs. Nothing is really too far. You're retired, you have the time, enjoy it.

[mak44070]

My husband left The Villages about 3 weeks before I did this spring - he wanted to go turkey hunting. My only two modes of transportation were the golf car and my own two feet. I traveled from Bonita to Walmart, Bealls, Spanish Springs, Colony and every place in between. It was even fun getting lost...many people would stop and ask if I needed help.

[spk7951]

Originally Posted by NJblue

If you take Buena Vista to 466A and take a left, there is an undeveloped site that I believe will eventually be retail establishments. If you take a right at 466A toward Wildwood they are putting in a new county building. They have announced that next to the county building (which will also house a library) there will be a Sweetbay super market. If you go straight on BV you will get to the new Brownwood townsquare which will also have some sort of mall adjacent to the town center. I would think that all of these locations will be within 5-15 minutes from Buttonwood.

If you are talking about the area on the north side of 466A between the Turtle Mound and Truman golf courses I read somewhere that the space is for "professional" offices.

[pooh]

Eventually, you'll find all kinds of stores nearby, I have no doubt. Sweetbay and Publix in Colony were not here when we moved in and neither was Sam's Club. Honestly, those early days here were a busy blur and I'm not sure where the heck we bought groceries!

The Villages is a large community and is still growing. Commercial space is planned and the shop spaces will be filled. Getting to shops outside of your local village doesn't really take long by auto, and if you head to a shop that's really a great distance away in your cart, just don't buy ice cream. Driving around here in a cart is really fun, the scenery is beautiful as is the bird population. In your cart you might just stop for a bit to enjoy an area you find to be scenic, so save the ice cream for a trip to the store made in your car.

[Ohiogirl]

about 6 or 7 years ago, Ohioboy picked up this coolerbag at Sam's - it's about 3 feet wide by 2 feet deep. We didn't use it for years (and I personally thought it was really a stupid buy), but a couple of years ago on one of our visits I discovered it fits really great in the golf cart shopping bag, so now when I go shopping by golf cart, it goes in first. It's almost flat when it's empty (well, about 4 inches thick - has pretty good insulation).

Works great; I no longer think it's stupid