Urban Flats coming to San Marco, closes Tinseltown location

[BeachBum924]

This company has no business opening up anymore locations. I am a previous employee of the Jax Beach location. They don't pay their employees yet are coming up with money to pay nightly entertainment. Tinseltown closed and atleast a dozen of those employees are looking for paychecks. They keep deferring employees to the higher ups yet no one can get in contact with them. The labor board has been called and they have even caught the media's attention. They also filed chapter 11 once before.

[spuwho]

Yes! And soon after that, the residents will also return.

You have it backwards. Bring back the people, then the stores will come, not vice versa.

COJ already tried the "stores first" approach with the Landing. I think you know what that turned into.

Increase the downtown population again, and the stores WILL come.

[Dapperdan]

Something very strange is going on with the whole Urban Flats thing. When  a company suddenly shuts its doors without letting employees know until they come to work, then something is seriously wrong. Plus with the employees not getting paychecks, that is also worriesome. I have a feeling the Riverside location may not happen after all.

[thelakelander]

Yes! And soon after that, the residents will also return.

You have it backwards. Bring back the people, then the stores will come, not vice versa.

COJ already tried the "stores first" approach with the Landing. I think you know what that turned into.

Increase the downtown population again, and the stores WILL come.

This is where fixed transit comes in handy within an urban core area.  We already have the residents.  They happen to live just outside of the imaginary bubble we've put the central business district in.  Take the same amount of money, we'd invest in an isolated overpass in the Southside and use it to develop a starter transit line that ties Riverside and Springfield together, which downtown having a couple of stops along the way.  Also find a way to get the skyway across the FEC and down to Atlantic Boulevard in San Marco. Speaking in Jacksonville terms, what you'll develop is a transit highway that provides high access and visibility for properties adjacent to the corridor, creating an environment for market rate mixed-use infill.

[acme54321]

Something very strange is going on with the whole Urban Flats thing. When  a company suddenly shuts its doors without letting employees know until they come to work, then something is seriously wrong. Plus with the employees not getting paychecks, that is also worriesome. I have a feeling the Riverside location may not happen after all.

Totally.  Are the Jacksonville locations all owned by the same franchisee, multiple franchisees, or corporate?

[duvaldude08]

Well hear it is.. They are not paying ANYONE!

Urban Flats in Tinseltown closes, doesn't pay employees
11:15 AM, Sep 5, 2012   |   0 comments Tweet 
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Urban Flats describes itself as a refined casual restaurant and wine bar. There are several locations, but the Tinseltown location closed abruptly after serving a number of employees worthless checks.

The facility has been closed for more than a week and the workers are asking "where is my money" and "can anything be done?"

First Coast News met with five of those workers at the now abandoned looking Touchton Road restaurant. They are still hoping someone from the Florida-based company would give them some answers.

The company was formed in 2004 and is headquarters in Ocoee, near Orlando. The owner filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2011. These workers say they knew the restaurant was in trouble financially, but had no idea it would affected them the way it has.

"It wasn't just employers, it was distributors, DJs -- they didn't get paid either," said former employee Hunter Sparks. "It was the past couple of months, employees would go to deposit their checks it would bounced after a couple of days, or they would go to a Publix or check cashing place the cash checking place sent it back and they would tack on a fee."

"The company knew that they were closing because the night before, they came with a U-Haul and took all the tables and from the bar and we haven't been paid either so it is an awful situation," said Sherry Goldberg, another former employee.

Jerimiah Hersey, another former employee, said the company still owes him about $800.

Last year, the company filed Chapter 7, and the case was closed in February of this year, according to court records. The company said its assets were $0 to $50,000, but it owes more than $1 million.

[copperfiend]

This company has no business opening up anymore locations. I am a previous employee of the Jax Beach location. They don't pay their employees yet are coming up with money to pay nightly entertainment. Tinseltown closed and atleast a dozen of those employees are looking for paychecks. They keep deferring employees to the higher ups yet no one can get in contact with them. The labor board has been called and they have even caught the media's attention. They also filed chapter 11 once before.

I know the beach location was in the "Coming Soon" stages for over a year and just opened a few months back. Is it still open?

[tufsu1]

yes...the jax beach location is open...but ponte vedra is closing

[urbaknight]

Yes! And soon after that, the residents will also return.

You have it backwards. Bring back the people, then the stores will come, not vice versa.

COJ already tried the "stores first" approach with the Landing. I think you know what that turned into.

Increase the downtown population again, and the stores WILL come.

I do agree with you, but it seems more feasible to bring more businesses in first. Feasible in this case meaning more likely to happen than apartments. Developers just don't seem all that interested in building DT apartments.

I'll say it here first. (and I'm not being sarcastic at all) If I ever become wealthy enough, I'll buy one of these empty buildings and convert them into some kind of living space. It might just be a few units, it might even be a boarding house. But if I can do it, I promise I will.

[BeachBum924]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1824492958001


Click for video. Urban Flats in Jax Beach opened the first week of August. They had no marketing or advertising and NO sign even on the front until a few weeks later so alot of people did not know about it. It's really sad because it has such potential, however they have horrible business practices. I have already emailed First Coast because it is not just tinseltown employees, it is also servers and bartenders at Jax Beach that either aren't receiving checks are they are bouncing. The word needs to get out and no one should visit this establishment, I see pictures on their facebook of new couches and various entertainment that they are obviously allotting money for, but are not paying their workers. All locations should cut ties with this brand! Ponte Vedra location is doing this, and opening with a different name as well as a location in Nashville now called Music City Flats.