Ikea coming to Jacksonville

jaxdan3 · October 09, 2015, 03:51:45 PM

So maybe stores like Crate & Barrel and The Container Store are more realistic expectations then.

I-10east · October 09, 2015, 04:34:58 PM

Simms: "Jax is not gonna get this, and Jax is not gonna get that" Just like he said IKEA wouldn't supposed to come here yet... Another Simmism "Blah blah blah is much more fashionable than anything Jax currently has" What, by your standards? Same old tired script, just a different day...

Adam White · October 09, 2015, 04:54:16 PM

Quote from: simms3 on October 09, 2015, 02:58:22 PM
Neiman Marcus and Saks are pipe dreams, I think (and frankly, for at least one of them, who cares - it's for stodgy old rich white ladies). Particularly Neiman Marcus is a dream but they'd be way more exciting than Saks. They don't need the ~2 million general people that Ikea says it does (and I'm sure that has evolved, frankly). But they do need to prove out seriously big *disposable* income, something Mountain Brook and that whole side of Birmingham still have over any single area in Jax. Perhaps if you aggregate the different parts of Jax, the Beaches, SS, Ortega/Avondale, then you'd get a Mountain Brook equivalent or better (but that becomes difficult from an investment committee pitch - it forces people who don't know and don't care about lil ole Jacksonville to connect dots and see a bigger picture when it's up against a town that is incredibly segregated so that all the rich people live on one side and they can easily and mathematically check a box). Can't really compare Sarasota or Naples to Jax - those areas of FL are pure high disposable income on a different level (very wealthy retirees and snowbirds in serious numbers resettling their lives from wealthy places up north to that part of FL). Also, if you consider population, from Sarasota down to Naples that is more people than NE FL, and it's A LOT more wealthy retirees sitting on $$$$.

I would be more hopeful for a Barneys Co-op or a Bloomingdales. Barneys Co-op would in my opinion offer up a higher level of fashion (by far) than anything currently in the city. Bloomingdales is perhaps a tad nicer than Nordstrom, but is still affordable. I've been a Bloomie's rewards member since college, so it's doable from the $ standpoint, yet also still fashion forward with good service. I will be switching to Barneys the day I can justify it financially - for young people, it's tops by far, though some would argue Neimans.

Honestly, if I were a young guy in Jax, I'd clamor more for things like Zara than anything else. Zara fits slim people really well and is inexpensive, and is frankly more fashionable than just about anything in Jax now, but for Banana Republic prices. It could easily fit into SJTC with current demographics...I wonder why it's not there yet! These retailers DO look at the whole picture and not just demographics on paper.

They have their people visit the city and spend time to gather shopping habits, anecdotal evidence, per se. They can easily look around and see what people are buying. Zara is on the fashion forward side, so while their on-paper boxes might already be checked in a city like Jax, perhaps they've seen anecdotal evidence from other stores that sell some similar merchandise that didn't sell as well, or their representatives didn't get the best vibes that their store would fit in well with the local population. Frankly, you need a lot of gay guys to make Zara work, but there's a reason gay guys like it so much!

Playing into this, not every Banana Republic or Nordstrom is the same. A Banana Republic in Chicago is going to be very different and sell different things than the one in the Avenues or Birmingham. Maybe the Avenues every now and again goes out on a limb and tries to sell some of the things that the one in South FL sells or the one in Dallas, and it just doesn't work. Industry knowledge is widely available (and turnover across these retailers is high, each person taking this kind of knowledge with them as they hop around).

I really wish I worked in retail real estate as much as I used to, it's at least as interesting as anything else!

Zara, really? Their stuff is so poorly made. I realize you can't expect amazing quality from the usual denizens of the high street (Zara, H&M, Top Shop, Uniqlo) but I am really over buying stuff from those retailers (when I find stuff that can fit my 6'6" frame, that is).

fsujax · October 09, 2015, 05:17:57 PM

Well time will tell on Saks or NM....remember IKEA was well over 10 years or more from opening a store here. Then wham!

I-10east · October 09, 2015, 05:21:53 PM

Quote from: Adam White on October 09, 2015, 04:54:16 PM
Zara, really? Their stuff is so poorly made. I realize you can't expect amazing quality from the usual denizens of the high street (Zara, H&M, Top Shop, Uniqlo) but I am really over buying stuff from those retailers (when I find stuff that can fit my 6'6" frame, that is).

I looked at their (Zara) stuff online, and I wasn't impressed at all. I would rather go to Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Saks off 5th Ave, Dillard's, Belk, and others.

Adam White · October 09, 2015, 05:24:37 PM

Quote from: I-10east on October 09, 2015, 05:21:53 PM
Quote from: Adam White on October 09, 2015, 04:54:16 PM
Zara, really? Their stuff is so poorly made. I realize you can't expect amazing quality from the usual denizens of the high street (Zara, H&M, Top Shop, Uniqlo) but I am really over buying stuff from those retailers (when I find stuff that can fit my 6'6" frame, that is).

I looked at their (Zara) stuff online, and I wasn't impressed at all. I would rather go to Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Saks off 5th Ave, Dillard's, Belk, and others.

Zara's okay. But it's like all the other stuff you find on the high street and in malls. The problem I have with most of those companies is that the clothing is made so poorly. Yes, it's not very expensive, but it loses its shape or falls apart very soon. So it's a false economy, really. Of course, a lot of it is very trendy and so I guess the shelf life isn't really expected to be that long anyway.

Edit: It would be great if Jax could get a Zara or a Uniqlo or maybe a Topshop/Topman. I could see one of those fitting in at the Town Center. I think Topshop/Topman would be the best option, personally.

simms3 · October 09, 2015, 05:39:54 PM

Of course poorly made and of course you need to follow wash instructions to a tee. But cheap. Duh

You don't get fashion forward, well fit, and well made for less! Also, yes, 6'6" is quite a frame. Sorry on the clothing front, but sounds like a nice height otherwise to me

And I still don't know where you live, but none of those stores (except H&M I believe) exist in Jax. I think the Jax consumer needs to go through some sort of evolution before regularly shopping these mostly European/Asian discount brands. Still too many polo shirts and baggy shorts/pants with pleats in the city...

Adam White · October 10, 2015, 02:01:23 AM

Quote from: simms3 on October 09, 2015, 05:39:54 PM
Of course poorly made and of course you need to follow wash instructions to a tee. But cheap. Duh

You don't get fashion forward, well fit, and well made for less! Also, yes, 6'6" is quite a frame. Sorry on the clothing front, but sounds like a nice height otherwise to me

And I still don't know where you live, but none of those stores (except H&M I believe) exist in Jax. I think the Jax consumer needs to go through some sort of evolution before regularly shopping these mostly European/Asian discount brands. Still too many polo shirts and baggy shorts/pants with pleats in the city...

I think there are probably enough non-jort-wearing people in Jax/wider region to support a Zara or another shop like that. Apparently H&M is doing okay - or at least I haven't heard that they're struggling. There's that bit of SJTC with Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, etc where it would fit.

Thanks for the compliment. I'd rather be a few inches shorter. Would make life less challenging. I'm in London and cannot seem to find tall clothing anywhere. You get XL, XXL, XXXL, etc at the speciality shops, but that's all big, not tall.

It's funny (or frustrating) because Gap and Banana Republic do tall sizes in the US, but not Europe. Not even through the website. Although I am not a huge fan, I think they're both great places to buy plain sweaters and t-shirts (no pocket, please). Sweater (or "jumper") with a collared shirt and jeans is apparently my uniform. I am not fashion forward. But I'm also a 43 year old dad.

finehoe · October 10, 2015, 11:38:51 AM

Quote from: simms3 on October 09, 2015, 02:58:22 PM
Zara fits slim people really well

Jacksonville, Fla. BMI: 26.3

TimmyB · October 10, 2015, 01:22:08 PM

I think this is awesome news. When we were down in JAX in July, we stayed down off Baymeadows and 295. You could see the area is getting ready to explode, with all of the residential being built. This will eliminate ANY doubt for this entire area. I would imagine that by the time this gets built, those vacant lots on the east side of 295, where Gate swings back toward the south and becomes Baymeadows, will all be spoken for with projects announced.

Even if you have no use for their products, understand that they force other stores to be more competitive. We love modern furniture and before IKEA came around, paid through the nose for that. Now, we can shop at those other stores and see much more realistic pricing.

jaxjags · October 10, 2015, 03:23:57 PM

Timmy B when you say "down in JAX" it implies would live north. Do you mind sharing where you live. Just curios as to where JAX " draws from".

Jaxson · October 10, 2015, 10:10:51 PM

While I know that Macy's is at best a middlebrow department store, it still is a national department store chain with a presence in nearly every major American city besides ours. We're stuck with commercials when we watch television, we might as well be able to buy their stuff. My feelings are not hurt by not having a Macy's in our city. I shop at Penney's.

TimmyB · October 11, 2015, 09:30:44 AM

Quote from: jaxjags on October 10, 2015, 03:23:57 PM
Timmy B when you say "down in JAX" it implies would live north. Do you mind sharing where you live. Just curios as to where JAX " draws from".

Hi, jags. You are correct. We live in Michigan. My wife and I are teachers and we are retiring in 2017. We have looked at major cities from Seattle and Portland, down through Texas, and over to Florida. The city that checked off nearly everything in our list of "must-haves" was Jacksonville. It is large enough to have the cultural and leisure activities, but not so large that you can't move around because of traffic or you feel endangered in most places. It has a very easy to use, convenient airport, from which you can fly anywhere relatively easily. It has great weather, fabulous beaches, and is not inundated with millions of tourists. It has a great running community, which is important to us. It is close to Atlanta, so I can travel up and see my Braves lose as often as I want!

We have been down several times, and we have stayed in different neighborhoods each time, and we have never been disappointed. We can't wait to make it our home.

RattlerGator · October 11, 2015, 09:46:03 AM

TimmyB, you're the man !!! It's always rather amazing to me when I run into folks (some on this board) who can't seem to grasp what you just plainly expressed.

jaxjags · October 11, 2015, 10:12:49 AM

Thanks TimmyB. I agree with your assessment. I was raised in Ohio, have live in Wisconsin, Maryland, Massachusetts, Atlanta and JAX twice. The city is much improved from my first stay in the late 80's. If you make the effort there is a lot to enjoy, much of it free, and without the hassles of a larger Metro as in ATL.