Peterbrooke Downtown closed

[jaxlongtimer]

Peterbrooke and Bread & Board Update:

Peterbrooke Chocolatier closes Downtown location

Peterbrooke Chocolatier permanently closed its Downtown store at 100 W. Bay St., Suite 2.

The closure, the week of Aug. 16, followed slow business, according to staff at another location and its Downtown neighbors.

The Jacksonville-based franchise first opened Downtown on Feb. 26, 2016. It temporarily relocated to the VyStar Tower at 76 S. Laura St. before opening its Bay Street location on Oct. 15, 2021, following renovations...

...Next door at 100 W. Bay St., The Bread and Board and Provisions closed May 26. It said on Instagram it was "closed for maintenance and repairs throughout summer." A flyer posted at the restaurant indicated an early June opening. It appears little to no work has taken place.

On Aug. 21, the restaurant was locked with no activity. The last permit issued there was Aug. 23, 2023.

VyStar Credit Union said it was deferring comment on both closures.

Other tenants at 100 Bay St. include the rooftop Estrella Cocina restaurant, is open Wednesday-Thursday for dinner, and the walk-up Bread and Burger in the VyStar breezeway, open Monday-Friday for lunch.

Both restaurants have the same owner as The Bread and Board. The Bread and Board ownership could not be reached for comment.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2024/aug/22/peterbrooke-chocolatier-closes-downtown-location/

[landfall]

Preparing to be shot down for this, I have no data or stats but this is simply my perception of Jax from my own eyes and socialisation. In Jacksonville unfortunately unlike like bigger and more progressive cities the goal for young adults isn't to move Downtown or to an urban area, it's to move to the Southside, STJC or Clay, buy a Mcmansion in a good school district and an F-150. Social circles revolve heavily around going to church, college sports or activities like boating and fishing. Jax just moves far slower and has a small town mentality. Downtown is just not a desirable place for locals, they look down on it. The way the Southside and adjacent counties have pillaged the urban core is just tragic.  It's why I take the growth of Jax with a pinch of salt, it's all virtually suburban.

[thelakelander]

^Infill and adaptive reuse projects in Riverside, Springfield, Brooklyn, San Marco and even downtown continue to fill up quick when they can get built and completed. I believe there's a demand. There are other things, self inflicted IMO, that ruined what could have been done during the previous two historic urban development economic boom periods.

[CityLife]

Preparing to be shot down for this, I have no data or stats but this is simply my perception of Jax from my own eyes and socialisation. In Jacksonville unfortunately unlike like bigger and more progressive cities the goal for young adults isn't to move Downtown or to an urban area, it's to move to the Southside, STJC or Clay, buy a Mcmansion in a good school district and an F-150. Social circles revolve heavily around going to church, college sports or activities like boating and fishing. Jax just moves far slower and has a small town mentality. Downtown is just not a desirable place for locals, they look down on it. The way the Southside and adjacent counties have pillaged the urban core is just tragic.  It's why I take the growth of Jax with a pinch of salt, it's all virtually suburban.

Agree and disagree. You are describing a particular subset of suburban resident in NE Florida that you know. I know a few types too, and I'm sure there are many more.  I know people that live in SJC/Nocatee/Beaches that do so because they are hardcore runners/cyclists and there are better places to do that (and it's safer for women). Some that do so for golf or surfing. And others that do so for youth sports. But the quality of schools seems to be a draw for those with families as well.

It seems to be increasingly difficult to move to or stay in the urban core if you have kids. If you live in the urban core of Jacksonville, how far do you have to drive for your kids to play competitive baseball or soccer? How far do you have to drive to send your kids to a good school or to go shopping? Many people also like their kids to live near the kids they go to school and play sports with, which is a challenge in the urban core. This leaves die hard urbanists, people that work downtown, and those with kids that are more into arts than sports in the urban core.

To offset some of the advantages the suburbs have, the urban core has to have an overwhelming advantage in the arts, culture, and dining. These things have to be so strong of a draw that people will drive a little extra to go shopping, hit the beach, or take their kids to school/sports; not to mention put up with homeless people and maybe a little extra crime. Historically in Jax, culture tipped heavily in the urban core's favor, but seems to have more parity with downtown's decline. St. Augustine has especially made it easier for people to move to SJC. It's always been a draw, but seems to be an increasingly favorable place for a date night over the urban core of Jax. Plus Ponte Vedra Music Hall and the St. Auggie Amphitheater get a lot of the best concerts in the area. Then you have the rise of SJTC and suburban office parks, which have also made it easier to live there over the urban core.

Fortunately for Jax, it has an absolutely fantastic housing stock and some great bones in it's urban core. There are also a lot of people that prefer urban living over suburban living, especially those without kids. So there should always be a base of middle class residents in the urban core...but there is no doubt that Nocatee, Beaches, and other suburban areas have made it easier for people on the fence to opt for that lifestyle. If things do not get fixed in the next 5-10 years, the urban core could have a major out flight of the middle class.

On a slightly different, but related topic. I recently saw Richard Florida speak. He's a well respected urbanist that always seems to be great at looking into the future and forecasting trends. He brought up a great point and that is that Gen Z does not drink and party as much as Gen X and Millennials did. He noted that one of the big draws in cities has historically been nightlife, but that Gen Z seems to be increasingly looking for healthier lifestyles. Which sometimes can be in suburban or exurban areas with nature preserves and outdoor activities. If Gen Z is not able to backfill Jacksonville's urban neighborhoods as older residents pass away and some with families opt for the burbs, it could lead to a big decline in the future.

In summary...Jax has to create/maintain special places in the urban core, hold tons of events, foster a great culinary scene, and create a unique experience that you cannot get in the suburbs. We all know and post about this idea, but at the same time the City also seems to be incapable of executing. Hopefully, some of the new projects under construction or in the works come to fruition. Otherwise, we may see a slow and steady decline that may or may not already be underway.

[jaxlongtimer]

I agree with much of what CityLIfe posted.

Different strokes for different folks.

Even in major cities like NYC, there seems to be a tendency for city dwellers to be young childless couples, single or older empty nesters.  With kids, many families want the wide open spaces for ball fields, courts, gymnasiums, cycling, running, playgrounds, swimming, fishing, etc. that kids "require" more than not that are more sparse or are not conveniently accessible in the urban core.

Add that school buildings in the urban core are often aging which, right or wrong, creates a perception that adds to parents believing newer schools in the burbs will service their kids better.  This is why putting magnet schools in the urban core and investing in rehabbing older urban core schools can play a significant role in offsetting the draw of suburban areas for a certain demographic.  (Unfortunately, thanks to our governor, much of such funding is being siphoned off for "new" charter school buildings rather than going to where the real needs are.)

But, regardless of demographic status, most everyone does want safe and secure public spaces and the ability to recreate on some reasonable level.  The latter is why I keep saying parks are critical to the future of Downtown and we can't have too many of them if Downtown wants to compete with the burbs.  Curious, is there one ball field (other than the stadiums!) within walking distance of the "North Core"?

Another key missing ingredient here for living in the urban core is poor urban core mass transit.  A major draw for urban living is be able to go "car-less."  With our poor walkability and lousy urban core mass transit, a car remains a must for living in the urban core.  With that, again, the urban core loses an edge to the burbs.

As stated, repeatedly, here, none of this is rocket science but we have no leadership, consistency or master plan to appropriately connect these dots and execute appropriate steps to address our shortcomings.

[Zac T]

As someone who works in the DT residential space, I think CityLife and Jaxlongtimer have hit the nail on the head. There is a massive demand for urban living in Jacksonville however Downtown in its current state struggles to provide the urban lifestyle that many seek and are willing to pay for. We have many people both from within Jax and newcomers who are excited about the prospect of living Downtown until they actually get Downtown. The lack of reliable public transportation, decaying building stock, the steadily increasing homeless population, lack of nightlife outside of weekends or special events. All of these are real and visible issues that can be fixed but until that happens, many people will choose the Beach, SJTC, and to a lesser extent St Johns and Clay County over DT.

Jax is not unique in having multiple parts of town that appeal and compete for the same demographic but we are unique in continuously doing the exact opposite of what we should to create an attractive and vibrant downtown. The demand is there and occupancy rates prove that but until the city gets its shit together, people who want to live Downtown will continue to choose other parts of the metro where they can get more at a comparable price

[thelakelander]

Curious, is there one ball field (other than the stadiums!) within walking distance of the "North Core"?

The closest ballfields are in Springfield (Klutho Park), LaVilla (Florida Dwight Park), Brooklyn (Brooklyn Park) and the Eastside (Robert F. Kennedy Center/Flossie Brunson Park). If there was a reason to walk, Klutho Park and Florida Dwight Park would be within walking distance of the Northbank core. But no one is walking to these places if the walk is characterized by vacant lots, surface parking lots, blank walls and fast moving traffic. However, as the Emerald Trail comes online, it will make these spaces more accessible for Northbank residents.

[CityLife]

Curious, is there one ball field (other than the stadiums!) within walking distance of the "North Core"?

The closest ballfields are in Springfield (Klutho Park), LaVilla (Florida Dwight Park), Brooklyn (Brooklyn Park) and the Eastside (Robert F. Kennedy Center/Flossie Brunson Park). If there was a reason to walk, Klutho Park and Florida Dwight Park would be within walking distance of the Northbank core. But no one is walking to these places if the walk is characterized by vacant lots, surface parking lots, blank walls and fast moving traffic. However, as the Emerald Trail comes online, it will make these spaces more accessible for Northbank residents.

The problem is there is one baseball field at Klutho, one at RFK and they are both terrible. Neither even has a fence. I don't think there is even a tee ball league at either, let alone a travel baseball league.

Burnett Park in Mandarin where I played as a kid has 8 actual baseball fields that are in great shape. Davis Park in Nocatee has six baseball and four softball fields. There are tons of other baseball fields in both areas and elsewhere in the burbs. Soccer is as or more popular than baseball in many parts of Florida, and there is nothing in the urban core. Even though I think Lacrosse is meh, it's also gaining popularity as well and there are no leagues in the urban core.

There are virtually no youth sports opportunities in the urban core, other than maybe hoops and football. Even then, I would imagine the burbs have better opportunities.

[Ken_FSU]

There are virtually no youth sports opportunities in the urban core, other than maybe hoops and football. Even then, I would imagine the burbs have better opportunities.

Between Shipyards West (fully funded through the CBD) and Met Park (which should be fully funded between the CBD, Jags, and another public funds), we should start to see some progress to that end in the next couple of years, thankfully.

[thelakelander]

Urban core parks need love to! Hopefully well before new playing fields are built in the Northbank. I also agree with many of the recent posts in the thread.

[thelakelander]

Bread & Board plans to reopen:

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2024/aug/23/the-bread-and-board-is-planning-to-reopen-downtown/

[Ken_FSU]

Bread & Board plans to reopen:

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2024/aug/23/the-bread-and-board-is-planning-to-reopen-downtown/

Truly lazy journalism here by the Daily Record.

Dudes have been bouncing checks to their staff for months, have multiple suppliers after them for unpaid bills, froze their bank accounts so their workers couldn't cash their final paychecks, and have a long history of similar behavior both locally and on the other coast.

Daily Record should talk to the staff and their current and past business partners before copying and pasting an email and calling it a story. Anyone's who's walked by Bread & Board in the last 3 months knows these dudes have done nothing.

Would hope they'd make things right with all the people they misled and screwed over before they even dreamed of "reopening."