Orange Blossom Business Center, formerly the Orange Blossom Mall, is an enclosed office complex and former mall in Fort Pierce, Florida.
The mall, planned under the names Gold Coast Mall and Fort Pierce Mall, was first announced in 1983, to be anchored by Sears, relocating from an existing location in Fort Pierce, and Belk-Lindsey, with plans to add two more anchors in the future. [1] The name Orange Blossom Mall was the winner of a contest to name the mall, after locals protested the original name. [2] The mall would open as planned on March 14, 1984, attracting over 50,000 people in two days. [3]
The mall would suffer repeated losses in 1997, losing The Gap, B. Dalton, Sunglass Hut, and Sears that year, with two stores, The Gap and Sears, both terminating their leases after the mall slipped to 58% occupancy, below what was guaranteed in their lease. [4]
The mall would be acquired by Zamias Services later that year, with company president Damian Zamias saying "This is a shopping center that definitely needs to be redeveloped in some fashion or another". [5] Belk had closed it's doors by 2000, when Convergys opened up a call center in it's former location. [6] By 2001, the mall had fallen to 27% occupancy, with then owner Windward Properties saying they were planning to fill 60% of the mall with non-retail tenants, only pursuing retail tenants for the remaining spaces. [7] By late 2003, a large portion of the mall had been converted to other uses, including a bank, a headset manufacturer, a church, and a school of cosmetology, with the former Sears being occupied by new offices for the St Lucie County School Board. [8] [9]
Orange Blossom Business Center, formerly the Orange Blossom Mall, is an enclosed office complex and former mall in Fort Pierce, Florida.
The mall, planned under the names Gold Coast Mall and Fort Pierce Mall, was first announced in 1983, to be anchored by Sears, relocating from an existing location in Fort Pierce, and Belk-Lindsey, with plans to add two more anchors in the future. [1] The name Orange Blossom Mall was the winner of a contest to name the mall, after locals protested the original name. [2] The mall would open as planned on March 14, 1984, attracting over 50,000 people in two days. [3]
The mall would suffer repeated losses in 1997, losing The Gap, B. Dalton, Sunglass Hut, and Sears that year, with two stores, The Gap and Sears, both terminating their leases after the mall slipped to 58% occupancy, below what was guaranteed in their lease. [4]
The mall would be acquired by Zamias Services later that year, with company president Damian Zamias saying "This is a shopping center that definitely needs to be redeveloped in some fashion or another". [5] Belk had closed it's doors by 2000, when Convergys opened up a call center in it's former location. [6] By 2001, the mall had fallen to 27% occupancy, with then owner Windward Properties saying they were planning to fill 60% of the mall with non-retail tenants, only pursuing retail tenants for the remaining spaces. [7] By late 2003, a large portion of the mall had been converted to other uses, including a bank, a headset manufacturer, a church, and a school of cosmetology, with the former Sears being occupied by new offices for the St Lucie County School Board. [8] [9]