TUESDAY July 21, 2020
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: YOUR INSIGHT
‘WhatDaily a weird roller coaster it’s been’ Record
STAFF WRITER
Photo by Mark Basch
Books-A-Million at 738 Marsh Landing Parkway in South Beach Parkway Plaza.
Shut down for a second time by Florida officials, the owners of Town Beer Co. says customers aren’t coming in as much for to-go orders because of competition from restaurants allowed to remain open. BY SCOTT SAILER
JACKSONVILLE
Books-A-Million JACKSONVILLE in Jacksonville Beach closing
Daily Record Daily Record
Town Beer Co., a Murray Hill neighborhood beer and wine bar, finds the second stint of pandemic closings a challenging time. In early June the state allowed bars to serve alcohol on the premises as part of the phase 2 reopening, but Florida officials mandated bars to close again June 26 in response to the rise in positive COVID-19 cases. “What a weird roller coaster it’s been for our industry. We have been flipped upside down twice,” said Alex Moldovan, 31, who opened Town Beer in 2017 at 1176 Edgewood Ave. S. with his wife, Priya, 28. “This second time is a bit scarier for us,” he said. During the first shutdown, customers came in daily. “They were just really wanting to keep us afloat,” he said. From the beginning of the pandemic and the shutdown, the Moldovans kept their three employees for “to go only” and delivery service and adjusted their time to allow more hours for employees. “Anyone we had a conversation with in the last three years we got to know. We know their kids’ and their dogs’ names. Everyone came out and supported us,” Priya Moldovan said. SEE TOWN BEER, PAGE 2
The chain’s last area location is in the Orange Park Mall.
JACKSONVILLE
Photos by Scott Sailer
Priya and Alex Moldovan own Town Beer Co. in Murray Hill. The business sells locally brewed craft beer and naturally produced wines.
KEEPING CLOSE – FROM A DISTANCE The Daily Record is reporting on small businesses as they confront the challenges of social distancing, safety regulations and financial hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Town Beer Co. at 1176 Edgewood Ave. S. in Murray Hill opened in 2017.
BY MARK BASCH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
After 25 years in Jacksonville Beach, Books-A-Million is closing its store in the South Beach Parkway Plaza at 738 Marsh Landing Parkway. The company has not determined the date it will close but a large “store closing” banner is hanging above the entrance. Melanie Smith, vice president of marketing for Books-A-Million, said July 20 the company is closing a handful of stores in a review of its real estate portfolio. “It was one of the ones we’re going to close,” she said. Birmingham, Alabama-based Books-A-Million has identified four stores it is closing, Smith said, and still has about 200 stores in the chain. The Jacksonville Beach store will be the second Books-A-Million in Northeast Florida to close this year. The store at the Regency Park Shopping Center at 9400 Atlantic Blvd. closed in February. The company still has one Jacksonville-area store in the Orange Park Mall at 1910 Wells Road. Books-A-Million was an original tenant in the South Beach Parkway Plaza, which opened in 1995 and is anchored by Publix and Target stores. The shopping center is owned by Sleiman Enterprises.
MBASCH@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM
Plans for Park Place at San Marco in review The city is reviewing civil engineering plans for the proposed 133-unit Park Place at San Marco apartments at 2137 Hendricks Ave. in San Marco. South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church Inc. submitted plans July 17 for the 2.87acre property it owns on the block between Hendricks Avenue to the west, Mango Place to the east, Alford Place to the north and Mitchell Avenue to the south. The developer is San Marco-based Corner Lot Development Group, led by Andy Allen, and Birmingham, Alabama-based Harbert Realty Services. The civil engineer for the project is EnVision Design & Engineering.
VOLUME 107, NO. 173 • ONE SECTION