Daily Record Financial News &
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Vol. 103, No. 027 • One Section
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
On the Move wants 6 Duval sites
The new On the Move gas station and convenience store chain said it is expanding into Jacksonville as part of a Southern growth strategy to compete with Wawa, RaceTrac, Daily’s, QuikTrip and other companies. On the Move Corp. Executive Vice President Russell Parker said Monday the company has letters of intent to buy six Jacksonville locations that would be renovated for On the Move. He said he could identify the sites in January. The Jacksonville expansion is part of a plan to buy up to 50 stores in Florida next year and rebrand them by On the Move, which was founded in early 2014
with five stores in South Florida. The expansion also brings Stewart’s All American Corp. to the area. Stewart’s, well known for its root beer and other soft drinks, serves burgers, hot dogs, fries, desserts and more. Parker said the first Jacksonville store would open in the first quarter, pending approvals. It takes about 30 days to rebrand them. He said all six should be open by the end of June. Because the sites are existing buildings, renovations would take less time than building new structures, he said. On the Move also likes to build new structures,
although those take a year to 18 months to develop. “Jacksonville is one of the best demographics in Florida and Georgia,” he said. “Florida to us is key.” Parker said On the Move wants to open 12 to 13 locations in Northeast Florida, with six in Duval County and another six or so in the surrounding area. The stores would feature either full or
express Stewart’s restaurants. “We want to be able to populate the geographic area,” he said. The sites range from a half-acre to 2 acres, and offer eight to 16 fueling positions, he said. They range from 2,500 to 6,000 square feet in size and represent investments of $1 million to $3.5 million. The company also wants to offer alternative fuel. Each store would hire 15 to 20 employees. “Jacksonville offers significant opportunities for growth,” Parker said. He said On the Move would open two to three locations in Jacksonville to start and expand
That old, familiar booth Frisch can sit at favorite table again
Photos by Karen Brune Mathis
By Max Marbut Staff Writer
Beaver Street Fisheries founder Harry Frisch’s regular booth at Two Doors Down was shipped to his company and set up in its conference room. Frisch is joined by General Manager Lathun Brigman and Executive Administrative Assistant Tammy Pate. The two often accompanied Frisch to the restaurant, which closed last month. Below, restaurant owner Norm Abraham sent along a sign thanking Frisch and his companies.
kmathis@jaxdailyrecord.com (904) 356-2466
Public
Agencies partnering on new life for LaVilla
Transportation, homes key parts of proposal
By Karen Brune Mathis Managing Editor
Businessman Harry Frisch took a seat at Two Doors Down restaurant up to four days a week. Now he has the booth and can sit there whenever he wants. Two Doors Down owner Norm Abraham gave the table and booth seats to Frisch three weeks after the popular Brooklyn restaurant closed Nov. 25 to make way for a gas station. The 92-year-old Frisch and his guests always sat in the booth reserved for him at the back corner of the main dining room to the right. A truck from Frisch’s Beaver Street Fisheries picked up the booth Friday for the 2-mile relocation. The gift also included a “Two Doors Down Restaurant” sign with Abraham’s thanks, as well as the Sea Best placard from the wall that indicated it was Frisch’s spot. Sea Best is a brand of Beaver Street Fisheries. The booth was reassembled Monday morning in the large Beaver Street Fisheries conference area, directly across from the kitchen. The sign is up and the placard will be posted soon. Frisch was a regular at Two Doors Down, and has been seeking another restaurant that offers the same convenience and friendliness he found at Abraham’s. Two Doors Down closed after six years in business when its lease expired pending the property sale. General Manager Lathun Brigman and Executive Administrative Assistant Tammy Pate took Frisch to the surprise setup Monday afternoon, and he quickly took a seat in his usual spot, looking around the expansive conference room. “If Norm could have his place here,” he said, thinking out loud that both the room and the first-class kitchen are large enough to feed a crowd. Pate asked Frisch if he would use the booth when dining in the office. “I wouldn’t mind,” Frisch said. “It’s comfortable. It’s been comfortable for many years.”
from there. “It’s a gateway to the state of Florida and we don’t want to miss a great opportunity,” he said. Boynton Beach-based On the Move said last week it and Stewart’s signed a 12-year development agreement that calls for 250 Stewart’s locations exclusive to On the Move convenience stores in Florida and Georgia. Parker said the agreement calls for 25 locations in 2016. On the Move Chairman R.J. Reitano said in a news release published by Restaurantnews. com that Stewart’s, established in 1924 and based in Rutherford, Mathis continued on Page A-2
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Two of the city’s independent authorities are working together to establish a plan for Jacksonville’s oldest suburb — and they have quite a head start. The Downtown Investment Authority and Jacksonville Transportation Authority are splitting the $20,000 cost of hiring a consultant to provide a master plan for LaVilla. The area is west of the urban core, north of the Prime Osborn Convention Center, east of Interstate 95 and south of Union Street. Both organizations have plans in place for the neighborhood. The DIA has approved development agreements for two apartment buildings and JTA is planning a Regional Transportation Center. What follows those projects will be the focus of the master plan for the acres of historic urban real estate that have been neglected for more than 20 years. The history of LaVilla can be traced back to an 1801 Spanish land grant of 350 Thoburn acres, described as a triangular tract stretching north from the mouth of McCoy’s Creek. Over the years, LaVilla became a center of North Florida’s railroad and shipping industries, then later an entertainment and nightlife area known as “Harlem of the South.” By the late 1980s, the neighborhood had deteriorated and was mostly bulldozed as part of the city’s 1993 River City Renaissance urban renewal program. After the area was razed, a host of developers proposed projects from workforce housing to luxury convention hotels, but none followed through. The Florida Department of Transportation was among the first to consider JEA continued on Page A-3
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