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NEWS
YOU CAN USE
More stores, restaurants
open in PCB shopping
center
Daniel
Carson, News Herald
The next wave of
Pier Park retailers has
arrived, as developer
Simon Property Group
announced a list
Wednesday of about 40
restaurants and stores
opening at the Panama
City Beach complex.
Included on the list
is anchor store Borders,
which is scheduled to
open its
23,000-square-foot store
to the public Friday
morning.
Pier Park
spokeswoman Molly
Parrish said most of the
stores announced
Wednesday would open
their doors today, with
some offering in-store
specials and prize
giveaways.
“Everything on that
list will open in May,”
Parrish said.
Stores announced
Wednesday included
Aeropostale, American
Eagle Outfitters, Bath &
Body Works, Blender
Clothing, Carlyle & Co.
Jos A. Bank, Lane
Bryant/Cacique, New York
& Company, The Walking
Company, Victoria’s
Secret and Zales.
One of the
restaurants among
Wednesday’s announced
openings is Reggae J’s
Island Grill.
John Comer,
president and CEO of the
Southern Restaurant
Group, which operates
Reggae J’s, said the
restaurant is scheduled
to open before Memorial
Day at Pier Park.
The new restaurant
will seat 600 people and
have upstairs and
downstairs seating.
Comer said the
restaurant would have a
“Caribbean flair,” with
the inside decorated
like a Caribbean
village, and employ
about 200 people.
He said another of
the company’s
restaurants, Back Porch
Seafood House, has done
brisk sales since
opening at Pier Park
earlier this year.
“We have exceeded
our expectations,” Comer
said.
With the new stores,
Pier Park now has more
than 80 retailers and
restaurants open for
business.
One of the complex’s
biggest restaurants,
Jimmy Buffett’s
Margaritaville, opened
in March.
General Manager Mike
Whitmer said there are
seven Margaritavilles
nationwide.
He said the Panama
City Beach location’s
sales so far have
exceeded other
Margaritavilles of
similar size and
attributed it to a good
mix of tourists and
locals who frequent the
restaurant.
“The Panama City
Beach people have really
come out and supported
us,” Whitmer said.
Parrish said there
would be more store
openings in the near
future, with the next
big group of Pier Park
retailers likely
announced some time in
June. |
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