This describes me.

Except I didn’t get a package, I got a very attractive remote job. But, all else applies.

That is exactly what happened to me, but I did not chose the Spanish Springs area.

Commercial properties are not only closing in Spanish Springs. Just recently, Sonny's BBQ left Lake Sumter. The theatre in Brownwood closed and
several more. Plans for the new hospital has been scratched. It also appears business owners are not knocking the doors down in Middleton. Commercial sales there has been slow. A recently built coffee shop and other buildings are sitting empty with no interest. Big Box Stores like Costco and Hobby Lobby chose the area near Spanish Springs. It appears a "booming location" is in the eyes of the beholder especially for those with $$$$ to invest.

Booming? I think not.

Do you think that the age demographics are also factored in as to where big box stores choose to build? I know folks in my parent’s age group still enjoy physically patronizing the big box stores on a regular basis, and being in close proximity is very important to them. Having a plethora of retail and shopping options appears not to be such an important factor to younger retirees. In fact, many want to be as far away as possible from the traffic and congestion caused by endless strip malls. It’s not uncommon for me to have several home deliveries daily from Amazon, Costco, Kroeger, UPS, etc.

The retail landscape is changing not just in The Villages, but everywhere.

Shifting
 

I totally agree. The older generation doesn’t shop the same way. They are more hands on. They can’t seem to let go of the tactual experience and few even trust internet commerce.

Commercial real estate isn’t what it used to be as a whole anyway. It’s demise was assured after the COVID tide receded.

Brown theater close at Pandemic, and so far no movie houses are taking on sites due to lack of new releases. In fact at our other homes not in TV 11 theaters with 12-20 screens have closed.

Middleton is a construction zone and no new businesses (11) at last count with leases, can open until it’s safe to open. Citizens bank is on the outskirts of Middleton that’s as far as one can go. Coffee shop is too far in.

My guess is You work for Developers since You stated “Commercial sales are slow. If you don’t have that first hand knowledge then are you assuming.
Your demographic is very off for Costco, it’s in the “6’s”. Nowhere near Spanish Springs. Maybe you are confusing Sam’s club on 441, now that’s kind of in the general area of SS. SS did not renew leases for at least 3 restaurants that are now closed, along with couple empty store fronts when we were there last week.

You have been in TV for awhile, how long before you decided TV is no longer making you happy?

All 3 of those restaurants had terrible food. The only other thing they offered was booze, which you can get at any other number of places in SS.

Coastal Del Mar and Bella Vista have good food, and they’re packed and constantly have a wait.

There’s plenty of demand in SS, but you can’t serve crap food and expect people to still come.

The big reason for the decline of ALL shopping malls is the dominance of Amazon for retail purchases

👍👍👍

The Hobby Lobby and Costco is 6 miles from Spanish Springs, 4.1 miles to LSL, and 8 miles from Brownwood. It's certainly not "near" Spanish Springs.

Do you really think that "Big Box Stores" will commit to that much capital, just to satisfy the boomers who will soon be "aging out" of The Villages?

You’re probably right - I was just throwing out a question as to what demographics retailers look at before investing in a storefront. There’s been some talk here on TOTV about the lack of retail south of 44 (though I expect that to continue to slowly change in the years ahead), but in my interactions with the new residents south of 44, most don’t bring up or seem to care about the sparse retail down here. It appears to be a bigger issue for the older residents up North. That’s all fine, but there appears to me anyway, to be a bit of generational split on this issue.

My wife and I have different shopping habits at home vs The Villages.
At home, we do MUCH more online shopping, in TV, we get in golf cart more often and hit the Brick and Mortar.

They tell you they don't care, so they don't have to admit that they really want it, but don't yet have it...

Same with us. Up north it’s about a 50 mile round trip to get to most brick and mortar retailers, so we get just about everything, except food, delivered to our northern home via Amazon et all. From our Villages home, we love being able to jump in a golf cart and take a short ride to pick up just about anything we need. I just wish we could get to the Lighthouse Seafood store on 466 via golf cart, but the seafood at Fresh Market is a good alternative.

Well said. Those that continue to point out the 'disadvantage' of being farther away from retail (and golf) simply don't understand what is important to some, is not to others.

The restaurants that recently closed in SS committed suicide. If you stop cleaning, provide poor service, and cold food. Guess what.

Now Katie Bell's was a different story. Never heard why it closed. Happening place. The most fun inside venue in TV. Music and dancing on a real dance floor.
Who, why, was it killed ?

I still like SS. Americano's is my favorite restaurant in TV, unless I want to spend over $100 on a meal. Not so often.
Talking about over $100; and it seems every FMK has a fatal flaw - if not just attitude, , ,

I like Americanos too but the water tastes horrible there.

Much closer than south of the turnpike. I can get there pretty easy in my golf cart.

Easy answer it was a moneypit with zero profit. KB’s was developer owned. Our lifestyle package included, 2 rounds of golf on any championship for two, tennis, classes, dinner at Palmer for two, anything on the menu, and lastly dinner at KBs for two which we were served salad, Lobster, steak, sides, and dessert, soft drinks and coffee. This was all included with our $50 night stay.

KB’s was highlighted as upscale dining, for residents only. Food was excellent. Once the developer no longer needed to give out free food things started to change. KB’s food started on a downward slope, tumbling into you didn’t want to embarrass yourself by taking guests.
There was free entertainment and dancing, which residents would take up a table for hours, order water and a drink, and sit for hours spending under $10.
Developer decided to make a two drink minimum, which also failed, then a time limit on tables, which basically angered people. When KBs was no longer profitable, after all the changes, it was closed.

How’s the gin?

I like gin less than their water. Brown liquor please.

Quite a bit of locals hanging out at Margarita Republic did it wonders.

Why is it so hard to believe that we actually don't care about making an occasional drive in our cars? Stores bring traffic. A common complaint in the areas near retail.

I like the food there also, but I will only do take out because every time we have eaten there our meal was ruined by someone smoking.

I'm south of the turnpike and Hobby Lobby is 9.1 miles from me, 19 mins away. According to Google, Hobby Lobby is 14 mins from Spanish Springs. I don't really think the extra 5 mins is a big deal. I can get there easily in my golf cart as well.

I definitely think you're on to something there. I'm south of 44 and many of my neighbors and myself get things delivered frequently rather than bother going to a physical store. We get Amazon and Kroger deliveries at least once per week. I don't really feel like the retail is that sparse. I can get to Home Depot or Lowes in around 10 mins. That's about the same as my "up north" home. A closer Walmart would be convenient but having to drive 15 mins to the one in Oxford doesn't bother me very much.

I have nothing against Spanish Springs. It's just that I live in the Fenny area and other restaurants/attractions/bands are closer to me in Brownwood, Sawgrass, and developing/soon to develop, Eastport and Middleton.

So unless there is something very special in SS to get me there (really good restaurant, entertainment, special event) I'm not going to make the multi-traffic circle drive. I'm certainly not going to take my golf cart.

So assuming folks down here think like me, it's going to be up to the Lake Sumter area and north people to keep it going. Are there enough with enough disposable income to make that work? I would think so, but the boarded up locations awaiting revitalization would argue against that. Time will tell, I suppose.

I certainly want to see it succeed, it benefits all of us. But I'm not that far removed from the business world to understand that business must make a profit. It's not a charity.

The only thing I want closer are good dining options. Anything else I can order on line and have delivered. I don't look at shopping as entertainment. It's a necessary evil. Hunt it, gather it, and be done with it.

Depending on your needs there is a closer neighborhood Walmart across from Colony Plaza.

Well said.

I think that is the secret, they need to make SS something special.

I think it can do okay with those N of 44 supporting it - but they want those around Sawgrass driving to SS, just as they want those around 466 driving to Eastport, even if its only once or twice a month.

I live just north of 44...

When I want to go up to the shopping on 441, we drive our car. We've taken our cart to SS only a couple of times.

It's a reasonable car drive for us. Once you add the additional distance from Eastport, it's much, much farther..

Why is it so hard to believe that distance/drive is something that many people don't want to deal with...

Makes sense to me. This is why we live just north of 466A. We do go often to LSL and Brownwood and shop regularly on 441 but rare to go to Spanish Springs

I live less than a mile from Spanish Springs and totally understand why folks living south of 44 don’t want to drive up here. I don’t travel south of 44 either. This place is just too big for its residents to travel to its furthest reaches. I don’t even go to Brownwood. Ever.

My point was commercial business is suffering EVERYWHERE.It makes no sense to discuss the demise in one square and not the others. I will believe Middleton will have lots of commercial interest when I actually see it. I think it will.take MANY years to be fully leased.The cost to operate a business is much more expensive than years ago. Instead of expanding, businesses across the USA are cutting back.

To me, Costco is in the Spanish Springs area. It definitely is not in the southern section. Business is not booming in the south. So why worry about the Northern area? We are ALL in the same boat. The world is changing. What is happening in Spanish Springs and OTHER PARTS of TV is occurring throughout many towns in the USA.

Like most of you, I purchase online and enjoy having the items delivered to my door. This is the reason brick and mortar stores are suffering everywhere. A vast majority would rather buy online. Many also prefer to order meals and have them delivered instead of going to a restaurant to dine.

It is about where you live. I only go to SS and LSL. I have not been to Brownwood since the theater closed.

The Hobby Lobby on Wedgewood - just north of 466 - is about 4.6 miles from SS and easily accessible by golf cart. I play pickleball in a league at Everglades RC. I CAN drive my golf cart there but do not since it will take me about an hour from the area near Tierra Del Sol.

It takes me 35 to 40 minutes to get from my home, about 2 miles south of SS, to get to Everglades RC. I call BS on your claim to get to Hobby Lobby from south of the turnpike in 19 minutes.

You're right it's not 19 minutes, it's closer to 15 minutes.

Google Maps starting address is not from my actual home but one on my street.

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