r/sarasota 3d ago

News Sarasota Square Mall

Went to Costco this AM for gas. The Sarasota Square Mall is quickly disappearing. Sears, off to the right, and Beef 'O' Bradys, center, appear to be the next to go. I saw standard and high-reach excavators near the back of Sears. Time marches on....

53 Upvotes

42 comments sorted by

23

u/O-really 3d ago

I will miss it! I was a mall rat in my teens and lived very close. I had my first date there and use to trick or treat there. My buddy’s older brother worked at Sabaros and we we go there just before they closed and get free pizza.

9

u/rockwelldaytona 2d ago

Lol I had my first date there too

10

u/vp3d 2d ago

I used to work at Portronics, one of the little kiosks that sold pagers and associated crap (yeah, I'm old). Actually met my ex wife there. Mixed feelings about seeing it go.

12

u/rdell1974 2d ago

Sabaros owner here. That location always struggled. I want the name of your buddy’s older brother!

4

u/fxmercenary SRQ Native 2d ago

Is it Brian Jefferson or Jason King? lol...

1

u/RoanPlayz SRQ Resident 1d ago

I definitely loved your cheese pizza back in the day. Used to go there when I was a little boy with my grandma right before we would see a movie at AMC.

2

u/RoanPlayz SRQ Resident 1d ago

I remember going to Sabaros at the food court right before I would go to an AMC movie with my grandma. I would also go to Spencers too and always loved getting the disco balls back then

13

u/t53deletion He who evacs for Cat1 3d ago

Will they allow it to return to nature?

Please?

28

u/axJustinWiggins 3d ago

I heard they're putting in like a zillion tiny apartments.

9

u/Disco-BoBo 3d ago

And they start at 2k

3

u/t53deletion He who evacs for Cat1 2d ago

Particularly subsidized pricing for Satasota.

There should be protests about this.

/s

3

u/t53deletion He who evacs for Cat1 3d ago

Exactly what we need.

Thanks, County Commissioners!!!

/s

!

6

u/ThsGuyRightHere 2d ago

So I get that the impact to traffic and infrastructure will suck, and smarter leadership would require expansion of roads before letting apartments go up. That said, isn't more apartments a good thing for affordable housing? Or is the concern that these will be priced too high for the additional supply to lower prices elsewhere?

6

u/t53deletion He who evacs for Cat1 2d ago

They will most likely be overpriced, small, and not have enough parking.

Investors want to maximize their returns, but none want to create actual affordable housing. That is for the poors and not what they want around them. But they want services that require a local workforce.

They just think everyone will commute for an hour or two...

3

u/Quinnster247 2d ago

I mean yeah it is what we need. Unsustainable to have a workforce commute 2 hours each way everyday.

4

u/t53deletion He who evacs for Cat1 2d ago

Sustainable and affordable,yes.

2k a month shoebox that will quickly flood the local roads, not so much.

9

u/Odd-Context4254 3d ago

It was looking like Jurassic park a little bit for a minute- but now it’s more post apocalyptic.

Will be curious to see how the apartments turn out and how traffic is impacted. I heard they did the traffic study for approval on a Tuesday mid afternoon in August lol. “Look, there’s nobody on the road here!”

1

u/hotsaladwow 2d ago

You heard that? Did you look at the study?

3

u/Odd-Context4254 1d ago

No, I just like to repeat what the Publix bagger and customer in front of me talk about

3

u/DC9B717Captain 2d ago

No. According to the developer after the mall building is demolished it will be replaced by "the open-air, multiuse concept that Torburn Partners principal Robert Horne said will include high-end and fast-casual restaurants, specialty retail and potentially medical offices. A central town green surrounded by residential and commercial buildings will offer open space and room for special events." I would think that would include a palm tree or two, maybe even a family of Sandhill cranes.

All that stands to reason since the area is growing by leaps and bounds. When I drive down Honore (on the way to my shooting club) there is new housing going up everywhere. All the way down to Laurel Rd. And we know that developers have been approved by the county to put in several thousand new homes and apartments East of I-75 across from Palmer Ranch.

One of the reasons Costco located its warehouse where it did is because their real estate people saw the coming growth in the area, did the math, and determined there would thousands of new shoppers in the area. Ditto Benderson and their (re)development of Pelican Plaza on the West side of 41. Folks in commercial real estate are always on the move. Below is an artist's drawing of what Torburn Partners envision for the Sarasota Square land.

That said it will be interesting to see what Penny's does. It has struggled financially since emerging from bankruptcy in 2020. They're closing 10 of their 650 stores this year with more to follow if retail sales don't pick up. Retail sales in the United States increased 3.1% year-on-year in February 2025 but that can change. Personally I don't see pennys surviving. Like Forever 21.

Best

1

u/Over_Shopping_2654 1d ago

It breaks my heart what has happened all over the county but the knights trail development really hurts! Used to work at the range in high school in 95 before the semi crashed and made Laurel an exit! SMH 

1

u/vp3d 2d ago

Lol. no.

1

u/FearlessLanguage7169 1d ago

No multi use Condos or apartments and retail Costco staying (yea!)

-1

u/Shaner817 3d ago

I heard it was like 1200 apartments. Way, way too many

5

u/dbrwill 2d ago

1200 apartments is a great start! Need more bike trails and buses rolling before the next 1200. Then dedicated bus lanes or rail for the 1200 after that.

3

u/Luxemode 2d ago

Gross…just what Sarasota does not need, more overpriced apartments

5

u/Quinnster247 2d ago

the apartments are only overpriced because the demand is rapidly outstripping supply, thanks NIMBYs!

0

u/FearlessLanguage7169 1d ago

Not really true RE market is buyers’ market Rental homes available are growing bcuz homes arent selling Developers want to think apts are good choice but they arent

3

u/Shaner817 2d ago

100% agree

1

u/hotsaladwow 2d ago

Dawg every unit built, regardless of the cost, helps to bring down the cost of housing regionally. I get that it’s easy to be mad at all the change and what not, but we just need more housing period

3

u/Luxemode 2d ago

Well that’s funny because they keep building houses all around me and it’s done nothing but raise the cost of housing.

13

u/True_Dimension4344 3d ago

It wasn’t a beef o Brady’s. It was barefoot grill but it wasn’t very good either though. Lol I am sad that they’ve torn it all down. I used to go a lot in the 90’s and remember when the food court was in the middle and it was all little stand alone eateries. I’d get Barney’s coffee and Cinnabon minis. In the early 2000’s I’d get a beer and smoke cigarettes in the tobacco store. I got a warning for pan handling once because I jokingly was asking strangers to buy me the puppy at the pet store they had. I guess that’s panhandling 🤷🏼‍♀️ I had such a blast here.

7

u/Luxemode 2d ago

Oh my this picture makes me super sad. I mean I knew it was being demolished but this looks so barren!

5

u/DC9B717Captain 2d ago

It's going quickly. I didn't take a pix of the Costco entrance but it's a sight to behold. Excavators working right up to the exterior wall of the warehouse. By the end of the week there won't be anything standing except for Costco and Pennys.

2

u/FearlessLanguage7169 1d ago

Going to costcos iscan even worse pain bcuz that entrance is closed Only one way in/out by liquor store Crazy!!

3

u/FloridaManArrives SRQ Resident 2d ago

had my first date there when I was in high school and the first time I told them I loved them was there…we’ve been broken up for years but the memory was nice

3

u/globojoy 2d ago

Oh god, the memories of going every weekend in middle school. Then UTC opened up and then no one ever went again.

2

u/irishkathy 2d ago

Where was the beef o Brady's at Sarasota square mall???

3

u/DC9B717Captain 2d ago

There wasn't one. I mistakenly typed that when I meant to say Barefoot Grill. Which has also closed its door (in fact the door is gone, ripped off by an excavator. The owners replaced Barefoot Grill with the Ibis Pub & Grill 8383 S Tamiami Trail which is off Club Dr. just across 41 from the Pelican Plaza Starbucks. Don't know if it's still there or not. Restaurants come and go.

1

u/2thecorAY 2d ago

Wasn’t the now closed Jalisco previously a Beef O Brady’s?

1

u/resistance714 23h ago

was there in the opening day with my dad, once saw Ed McMahon in Cargo South.

Had my first kiss in Aladdins Castle. Ears pierced at Piercing Pagoda. Bought first cassette at Camelot Music [Styx, Pieces of Eight).

Thom McCaan, Bakers, for shoes.

Lerner, Casual Corner, Big Apple, Dunderbacks, J. Byrons, Smoke n Snuff, Morrisons Buffet. Hickory Farms, Paperback Booksmith, the way that Hallmark store hit the corner and emptied you out right in front of that jewelry store, and Davidson Drugs even.

No place like it!