The thing I love about Katie Belle's is the high ceiling and openess. The food is OK but we don't go there looking for the best food in town. We have seen Uncle Bob's Rock Shop at Katie Belle's numerous times and it is just a great venue for live music. I fear that moving it upstairs, with a lower ceiling, will not be as good.

You are absolutely right. It is designed to be an 1800`s dance hall. We were there last night and had another great time with Cactus Jack and the Cadillacs. They were gracious enough to bring all the employees on stage and share singing a Beatles song with them. They received much applause and sadly the tears were flowing from many of the employees eyes. Besides ruining this beautiful, iconic place, there will be many people looking for jobs. It`s always about the money for our "Villages Leaders".

Oh for crying out loud. Doesn't that argument grow old after a while? If it wasn't for the pursuit of a profit, The Villages wouldn't exist at all...nor would much else in this grand old U.S. of A..

I agree. I wonder what people would do if it was their money ! LOL :22yikes:

Polar Bear is exactly correct!

Only someone who is not aware of the vision of Harold Schwartz would use such words. Harold was not a money hungry person, he considered Villagers to be his family and in that vain he wanted all of us to share in the wealth. let me write out the numbers that were listed as the personal wealth of Gary Morse. 1.2,000,000,000. Same thing as 12 thousand millionaires. This is not what m
Mr. Swartz invisioned.

Katie Belle's
 

I seriously doubt Mr. Swartz would have any problem with those numbers, as long as the quality and integrity of TV development has been maintained.
(Besides, how would it affect you if it was 12 million millionaires?!?)

I don't see what the problem is with a company being good enough at what they do to make that kind of money.

So, do you want him to give it back? I don't care who the businessman might be, they will not support a business model that is a loser. That is what makes them successful. If Katie Belles is not profitable then it is time for a change.

Would the folks wanting to keep Katie Belles the same as it is now be willing to pay a $10 cover charge per person to keep it open? I bet we would be hearing the same arguements from the same folks. Just another reason to b!tch about the developer.

It's called free enterprise and I for one am glad the developer has not taken his bat and ball and gone home. Many people lament what is going to happen to TV if the developer leaves.

I personally think the Morse family is here to stay for the forseeable future. I know I will be long gone.

All people will not like some changes made, but the developer has done a lot of things right. IMHO

They simply found a way to add more square feet ($) of commercial space without building a new building. Just add a ceiling over the dance floor and now you have Katie Bells upstairs and they can have several more stores downstairs. I'm sure they are aware of the 70% + of those surveyed (I saw it somewhere here) who were against this but also know that after a year or so it will all blow over and They will be ahead in the long run.

Agree.
It's all about the $$$$$

The Morses aren't anybody's mother. And no one should expect them to be. However, good business stratagy keeps this place blowin' and goin' and protects OUR property investment.

Aren't you glad you didn't buy somewhere else???????????????????

I'm glad I bought a second home here, but I don't agree with the renovation of a unigue dance hall like Katie Belle's to make room for more commercial property because it's a good business decision to make more money. What's next? Demo the squares and add shops?

Absolutely ! :thumbup:

Past performance was the vision of Gary Morse. Jury is still out on Mark and the others.

THE ONLY THING IN LIFE THAT'S CERTAIN IS CHANGE.....I am sure the re-design will be outstanding and the new Katie Belles beautiful....Spanish Springs needs more retail shops anyway........

Maybe on this holy day, with all the worship of the Harold . He will rise
and heal TV.
LET US PRAY.

You're going to he!! for that one.....:22yikes:

Nope
I am going to church today. I will be forgiven.
Maybe in the eyes of the followers of Harold.

The 10 commandments is on today.
You can watch Harold part lake sumter so they can build the bridge on dry land.

Sorry to see it go but I was no solution
 

The folks that invest the money and cover the losses have the right to seek any solution without my approval. I am one of the large majority who went there 3 times a year with visitors or just because. I'm very sorry to lose this venue in it's present form but I don't think it fair to castigate others for not indefinitely subsidizing my indifferent patronage. In fact, I thank them for their past efforts on my behalf.

:BigApplause:

I agree that the whole two floors needed to be renovated I dont agree that we need more shops. If this has been in planning for a while why wasnt it in the annual survey? I have never been laid off but can only imagine how it feels that the loyalty of some of the people who have been there a long time is disregarded to up the $$$. The changes are linked to The Sharon why ? Is it parking or just a reluctance to keep anything different North of 466

It was kept a big secret until April 1st for very obvious reasons. Damage control. People have a right do protest and others have a right to free enterprise, often the two clash. I will light a candle today and include in my prayers that Mark and his sisters read this and keep Katie Belle as a two story villagers club, in his dad's honor and for all those poor folk in the poor original villages.

Silly question. Was this survey mailed?

I would venture to say this has been in the planning stages for quite some time with Dad very much involved in that decision and the planning.

Imagine how many people were sworn to secrecy.

Absolutely. :D

Is there a link for the survey?

This is no different from how the family normally operates. I don't see a conspiracy with the timing. Much planning goes on behind the scenes, and there is no announcement until the plans are finalized and approved. On one hand, it leads to a lot of speculation and wild, at times, rumors. On the other hand, we never have to see our hopes dashed when a plan is announced and then doesn't come to fruition. I once visited Golf Administration and was seen in a room that had a map of all the golf courses to be constructed south of 466A. I started to take a photo with my cell phone and was told firmly that I could not.

I think it is telling that Katie Belle's has never been duplicated at Lake Sumter or Brownwood. If it was a successful residents' club, I think we would have a similar club in another town square, especially as the community expands southward. The fact that we don't, tells me it was a losing proposition. Perhaps we should be satisfied that it is not closing entirely. Perhaps the income from the retail/commercial space created is the saving grace for Katie Belle's to survive.

Well spoken !! :thumbup:

Any time I've ever been there, which is as seldom as possible, there are many signs that lots of their clientele are NOT "Residents". I don't know who they are but you need to be blind not to notice they are "non residents".

I found the survey, it's to late for me as I cant get access to my access code before midnight, but for others the link is Survey Login

Express your feelings about Katie Belles etc. Before this Katie Belle downsizing plan, I did not have anything to complain about.

There is one unique place to dine & dance in the Villages and it's being destroyed. People take visiting friends there to show off the community. Some of those visitors buy at the Villages partially because of seeing KB's. It's part of the tour Village real estate agents give to prospective buyers. There are golf courses, rec centers, restaurants, and bars in other retirement communities. But there is only one two-story dance hall, restaurant, and entertainment center that looks like it's something from the set of Gunsmoke. And it's in the Villages.

Management is taking something unique and turning it into a commodity. People can go to multiple places in the Villages for a reasonable quality meal, listen to free music, and dance on a small dance floor. There will be nothing "special" about the new KB's. It will be a commodity. What will be the point of even keeping it "residents only" any more?

Commodities don't increase property values. Unique venues increase the value of a community. It would be far cheaper & less risky to experiment first with opening KB's to the public to increase profitability. And/or charge a cover charge. BB King's in Orlando charges a cover charge just to enter -- whether or not you buy anything to eat. And its decor is mundane compared to KB's.

There is a "goodwill" value to KB's that should be added to its bottom line each year to determine its real value to the corporation & the community. The same technique used by accountants to assess the value of a business beyond its balance sheet. The goal should be to maximize the total value of the Villages corporate & private community, not individual components. Some components will contribute more, some less, to the overall value. Much like "loss leaders" are used in retail stores to draw in the customer who will then spend money on other items, increasing the store's total profit. Will another "commodity" restaurant increase the total value of the community more than a refurbished unique venue?

I say this as someone who meets friends at KB's two or three times a month for dining and dancing. Either lunch or dinner, or both. I drive 110 miles and 2 1/2 hours (round trip) to do it. Because KB's is unique. I won't do that for the "new" KB's. I will be able to have that same experience much closer to home.

Wasn't too much of a secret. We heard about it two months ago.

BigbirdPhila, perfectly stated. You should have been a writer.

Another parking space has now become available.