Downtown Sarasota business may look grim right now, but optimism stirs behind some of the facades.
Storefronts are closed along Main Street. It’s summer, a time that historically has signaled a slew of stores’ closures.
More closures seem prevalent in summer 2009, but that is not surprising because of global economic conditions.
Yet, the Pelican Press this week heard talk of new prospects.
The venerable University Club, atop the Bank of America building at 1605 Main St., may remain a restaurant. Or banquet facility. Or something, whispered Larry Fineberg of Benderson Development Co. earlier this week. The company is the owner of the building.
He said a half-dozen people had indicated interest in the huge establishment(s) on the top-floor(s) – the highest level is 9,000 square feet; next-down is 5,000 — and he hopes something will happen soon.
Downtown entrepreneur Ernie Ritz said the old, sad days of the 1970s are over. That was when some residents remember being able to jog down the middle of Main Street at "rush hour" on a Friday without a car in sight seeming to be in much of a rush.
Ritz wrangled rental of storefronts on State Street a while back. Seven, in fact. He leased six of them in six weeks: Wearable Art, Impressions Made Easy – "a sign store, which we’re all using," he said – as well as the joint office of the Downtown Merchants Alliance and the Downtown Partnership.
He’s also looking forward to the opening of Braza in September. He’s general contractor on the construction of the business, at 1481 Main, which should offer a Brazilian flair to downtown Sarasota diners.
It’s planned to be a place for prix fixe. Depending on your dictionary, that spelling is all over the place, but the meaning is "fixed-price" menu – which is all-you-can-eat fare of lots of appetizers and spit-roasted beef and other meat.