Spanish Springs is for the old, old, old people.it wont change till they are gone.

So there!

People who live in Stonecrest, Spruce Creek, Water Oaks, Leisure Meadows, Blue Parrot, Recreation Plantation, and similar all enjoy Spanish Springs. None of those are in The Villages, but they're all within 10 minutes of the Square. They come for the free music and dancing, buy drinks, buy dinner, sometimes come early and go shopping. Also Villagers have families from out of town who come to visit, and they enjoy the square as well.

Now that several restaurants are closed though, there are fewer options for people who WANT to enjoy the afternoon/evening at the Square. I imagine the restaurants north of Spanish Springs are profiting from our loss.

Restaurants and businesses close for their own reasons. McGrady's and Sunny Pint, reataurants just a few years old in the newest area, have recently closed. IT HAPPENS EVERYWHERE. I have been here over 20 years, there have been too many closings to count. IN ALL THE SQUARES! Need a little proof? Explain how FMK was/is able to open restaurant after restaurant? Answer? The former occupants left.

Btw: We ate in Spanish Springs three times this month. Each time, we had to wait to be seated because the restaurants were full. Try it yourself. See if your luck is better than ours. I will be surprised if you are seated right away.

Not all businesses that leave the squares do so because of failure. For example: At one time, there was a mexican restaurant (kinda like Chipotles) located where Amerikanos is now. It was independently owned. Within a few years, the owner made enough money to retire quite comfortably. Decided the work was too hard, bought a premiere home, and now, enjoys golfing and relaxing every day.

McGradys did not close, it was re-branded and still operating. Sunny pint is not in the new area, it is in Wildwood. It's a tavern.

McGradys changed ownership, therefore it is a new business.

We went to Sunny Pint several times. The tavern depended on Villagers for success. I do not know the reason they closed, but my hunch is they grew tired of the hard work.

Maybe, both former owners walked away with a sweet deal and $$$$ in their pockets. Who knows? Businesses close for their own reason. The reason is not always failure.

I have owned several businesses. Fortunately, each was a success. However, there were times when I got too big for my britches or a business partner wanted something I was not willing to do. I closed some locations to make my life easier. Ask anyone who is self employed. It is hard work. Sometimes, enough is enough, and you walk away with a sweet profit. Move on, and never look back.

I've been here 5 years and I haven't seen any restaurants shutdown in Brownwood, yet at the same time SS has lost several restaurants. One of the most recent, World of Beer was very empty in SS in the months before it closed down. WOB in Brownwood still has a lineup outside almost every night.

Sunny Pint closed down because the owners expanded to an Ocala location and then proceeded to lose large sums of money on that failed restaurant as they even admitted publicly that they didn't correctly understand the Ocala market. The Wildwood location also went downhill during this phase as one of the owners was tied up running the Ocala location, and the staff was spread thin over the two locations.

Even though the food was quite good, the owners also seemed to run the restaurant very inconsistently. The hours were quite sporadic and it felt like they ran it more as a hobby with the the restaurant closing at 8pm even on Friday and Saturday. Their concept of not employing waitstaff was also something that most people were not big fans of. Instead of having bartenders waiting for people to come to them, waitstaff would've made things a much better experience and likely more profitable as well.

It is difficult to compare the two squares. I believe World of Beer was at the SS location for nearly 20 yrs. People tire of the same ol' same ol' and go elsewhere. There are many, many restaurants located within miles in that area. Have you heard the saying, when people have much to choose from, they choose nothing? This applies to Spanish Springs residents. They have an abundance to choose from, yet they purchase so little.

Brownwood is busy every night because there is nothing else for the nearby residents. Once MIddleton and Eastport open completely, that dynamic will change. Residents will enjoy the new offerings and forget the old. It happens!

There is no reason to fret. SS will attract new business as they have since opening. Brownwood will slow down once Eastport is open. Some businesses will go and be replaced. Change is good.

I will live happily in the middle until i die ,, i'll let you know when,,:wave:

I was just informed that they are doing the last car show this Saturday, I’m hoping it was bad information.

I was under the impression it was the final show before the revitalization work but that they would come back after the work was done. I don't remember where I saw that and I don't know if it is true but there is hope.

They might be replaced by other older people

There was an article in the Daily Sun last month that indicated the long running monthly cruise in was being discontinued. If my memory is correct, there was no mention of it starting back up again after the planned work on the square is completed. I certainly hope it comes back, my wife and I very much enjoyed checking out all the beautiful old model cars. More importantly, why bother to spend money revitalizing the square if they keep discontinuing the events that draw people there. People aren’t going to go to the square to see updated entry points and reimagined store fronts, they go to for the entertainment, including special events like the cruise in.

I saw it in an article in the news source which shall not be named. The statement was that the event will be on hold while the renovations take place. That implies they will resume afterwards but it is not a definitive statement or authorized source of information.

There was always lots of foot traffic, but How much $$ actually spent in business around SS during car shows? For years SS car events have been well attended, yet businesses continue to vacate the square. Even with possible higher rent, if Business is profitable they will continue to serve the residents. If a large event shuts down a square, that isn’t beneficial to local businesses, how does event contribute to keeping SS vibrant.

For years we attended SS car shows 1-2 times a year. But our memory is very good, and it’s the same cars event after event. Rarely a change, even if a car is sold it remains the same car, just a different person sitting in the chair next to it.

Maybe TV Event Planner thinks the Renovations will take more than a year, and some won’t remember where or when the car show was but just an event from their past.

An old Spanish Springs story. A lot of people want to enjoy what SS provides, but do not want to spend any money. It's why things go away.

The crowds of 2004-2007 in SS will never return. Too many places to access, younger residents leave the bubble in far greater numbers for better restaurants, and retail.

Does anyone have a link to info regarding the planned improvements to Spanish Springs.

Comment # 63.

The same thing has been happening to many smaller coastal Florida towns that were booming in the 80's-90's. The older people are either dead or not spending much money. Sure there's a small percentage of "younger" retirees buying their homes, but it's way less than it was.

Spanish Springs will surely die out and the developer will sell off the area on the other side of 441 to another trailer park company.

What exactly will "the developer" sell, since likely every home and lot is privately owned?

Yes, exactly. It's amazing how often people simply make-up stuff, that they actually believe, and pass it off as real. Smh, where's the down vote button on here?

Intelligently, the upcoming upgrades to SS will include expanding more seated outdoor food/beverage places. Blondies is full every night so, they will run with that concept to meet the demand..

Could a big part of the problem be that people don’t go there because the area doesn’t any longer get the prime entertainment that draws people there? The weekly farmers market used to fill the square every week since people always need fresh fruit and vegetables. That was moved to Brownwood and replaced with a weekly crafts fair with the same stuff every week that people don’t need. The Cruise In, which appears to be discounted going forward, was another big draw. The entertainment schedule for next month just came out, and Relic, which is probably the biggest draw, is scheduled three times, Lake Sumter, Brownwood, and Sawgrass, but not Spanish Springs. People don’t show up at the town squares on a regular basis just to walk around, they want entertainment. The St. Patrick’s event last March proves that people will go to Spanish Springs if they have prime events, yet the area keeps getting under emphasized. Take away the best entertainment and you take away the traffic. I fear Spanish Springs will get shortchanged even worse when Eastport opens up.

I believe you are probably correct. Kind of a catch-22 situation: Lack of activities drives low attendance while low attendance "proves" that activities aren't popular. Hopefully, the refresh will attract more visits with bands and activities following soon after.

The Developer has no ownership in any of the other side of 441, besides the Country club (the 18-hole golf course, adjacent pool, the building where the restaurant is, and the parking lot). The restaurant is run by FMK, which is not the Developer, but the Developer owns the building.

The Paradise Rec Center, Silver Lake Rec Center, Hilltop Pool, and Southside Pool are all amenities, and not owned by the Developer. The homes themselves are owned by homeowners, not the Developer, and the land is not leased.

All correct. It's nice to hear from a well-informed resident.