Daily Record Financial News &
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Vol. 103, No. 017 • One Section
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Is change coming for Met Park? By David Chapman Staff Writer
EverBank Field could have an amphitheater. Metropolitan Park already has an amphitheater. One would be brand new, part of $90 million in upgrades City Council is voting on tonight. The other has been around for three decades and can’t be used for the time being — not without substantial repairs, that is. Council and other city leaders might soon have to decide the future of the venue in disrepair. Metropolitan Park has served as an outdoor music and event venue since 1984. However, it has
limitations. Federal law allows only a dozen ticketed events annually and even those at times face scrutiny from residents across the river complaining about noise. Years of wear and tear have taken its toll on the covered pavilion. The structural deficiencies in the tent were severe enough that a city-hired New York firm in October said it is “not safe to occupy and must be brought down.” “Whether we have those improvements or not (at EverBank Field), there’s still an issue at Metro Park,” said council member Doyle Carter, head of the Recreation, Community Development, Public Health and Safety
Committee. Carter called it a “stretch” to fix the tented staging area for a price he’s heard could reach $10 million — especially with a venue that could meet the city’s needs being built nearby. And even if it were rebuilt, he said, noise issues and event limitations would still be there. Council Vice President Lori Boyer has a firsthand feel for those noise issues. The Southbank representative said her office over the weekend received at least 10 complaints about noise from The Big Ticket concert Sunday. Council last year Metro Park continued on Page A-5
Photo provided by FTL Design Engineering Studio
EverBank Field amphitheater could mean new use
Corrosion to tent base plates of the Metropolitan Park amphitheater is just one of the issues that have caused the venue to be closed.
La-Z-Boy to open at Town Center
Photos by Max Marbut
Peterbrooke adds new neighborhood
The Peterbrooke Chocolatier store at 100 W. Bay St. Downtown carries the chocolate maker’s full product line.
Chocolatier wants to be part of Downtown revitalization By Max Marbut Staff Writer The local chocolate manufacturer and retailer that opened 33 years ago with the slogan “Your neighborhood chocolatier” has added Downtown to its list of neighborhoods. The 24th Peterbrooke Chocolatier — and the 14th in Jacksonville — is open at 100 W. Bay St. The store replaced a small “popup” store that opened 10 months ago along the Bay Street side of the building. The store’s entrance is along the Laura Street side of the Profit building, facing
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Wells Fargo Center. “We’re in most neighborhoods in Jacksonville, but being Downtown really helps our exposure and brand awareness,” said Elizabeth Cordell, marketing manager for Hickory Foods Inc., which purchased Peterbrooke in January 2012. “And Peterbrooke wants to be part of Downtown’s revitalization,” she added. The timing is right for the opening of the larger location, said Nina Garcia, Downtown store manager, who has worked for Peterbrooke since 2009. “December is always our busiest month of the year,” she said. “The busiest day of
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the year is Valentine’s Day.” Foot traffic along Laura Street near the Jacksonville Landing and the demographics of the Downtown workforce also made the neighborhood a prime location for a store. Many people who work Downtown make above-average incomes and giving them the opportunity to drop in is expected make the store a busy location. “If people go out to lunch, they can stop in and pick up dessert on their way back to their office or they can pick up something on their way home at the end of the day,” Cordell said. Peterbrooke
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The owner of the two area La-Z-Boy home furniture galleries bought the closed TigerDirect store in St. Johns Town Center. “That’s been a place that we’ve had our eye on for years,” said Tom DeGoey, president of Furniture Galleries of Atlanta, which already owns two La-Z-Boy stores in Northeast Florida. The company paid almost $6 million for the property and expects to invest another $600,000 in renovations to turn the store into the company’s new concept design. It will be first new-concept store in Jacksonville and will feature groupings by lifestyle and design to make it easier for customers to shop, he said. There are more graphics, color and technological touches and the new stores highlight customization capabilities. DeGoey said the Town Center store should open by early April. It will employ 15-20 people. The AFG limited liability companies that own the area La-Z-Boy stores are part of Furniture Galleries of Atlanta LLC. The company owns eight La-Z-Boy stores in Atlanta, of which two are the new concept. La-Z-Boy is based in Monroe, Mich. AFG-JAX TC LLC paid $5.99 million on Friday for the more than 19,000-squarefoot store on 1.67 acres at 10207 Buckhead Branch Drive. The purchase price is higher than the property’s Duval County Property Appraiser 2016 market value in progress of $4.1 million. AFG-JAX bought the Town Center property from The Gate Group LLC of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Hampden, Maine. Gate Group paid $6.3 million in 2007. Buford, Ga.-based AFG-JAX TC’s owners
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