A major retail store is on its way out of Orlando Fashion Square, leaving many curious about the future of the mall.
- Orlando Fashion Square in foreclosure
- Bank likely to put it on the market later this month
- Sears store being demolished for redevelopment
“When I saw Sears demolished, I’m like what’s going on?” said Natasha Hill, who stopped by Orlando Fashion Square Tuesday to ring shop with her husband.
What once was a two-floor department store is no more. Crews are now working around the clock to knock down the nearly 200,000-square-foot Sears store.
Plans by Sears' owner, Seritage Growth Properties, went before the Municipal Planning Board in November, then gained city approval in December 2016. The plans include replacement of the ailing retail giant with flooring and hardware stores, and eventually -- in Phase II -- apartments along Maguire Boulevard.
They also plan to re-purpose an adjacent 20,000 square foot Sears Auto Center into additional retail or a restaurant.
- RELATED: Read the plan put before the Orlando Municipal Planning Board (.PDF)
But, many shoppers remain skeptical, after watching years of plans -- like a hotel -- seemingly gone awry at Fashion Square.
“I went to high school here, and this was the spot to go to," Hill said. “They had a whole bunch of stores that were my favorite when I was younger, that are gone.”
Demolition underway @ #Orlando Fashion Sq's #Sears store. But, what lies ahead for the struggling mall itself? We're live @ 5:30 @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/E4rqu53ktc
— Julie Gargotta (@juliegargotta) May 2, 2017
“This mall has really changed. They’ve added a couple of stores, but it’s going down a little bit," said Fontella Hosein, who shopped at Macy's.
The redevelopment comes on the heels of the decades-old mall’s foreclosure.
“We’re assessing and assisting the bank in mall operations, until the bank puts it on the marketplace," said mall general manager Brian Olivi.
Olivi also works for Urban Retail Properties, the company retained by lender Bancorp to manage the mall after it went into foreclosure. Olivi said that the bank will likely put Fashion Square on the marketplace later this month.
“The mall has been like a pinnacle place for everybody here. And for it to just disappear, you just know the area as Orlando Fashion Square," said Hill, who hopes that the mall will not be sold.
“I hope they can bring it back to where people want to come here and shop everyday," said Hosein, who has shopped at Fashion Square for the last 15 years. “This is my mall to go shopping between lunch hour and after work.”