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Marilee Roberts sells exotic, handcrafted jewelry imported from Italy — a gig that so far, over two years, hasn't involved morphing into a commercial real estate landlord.
But that's about to change. That's because Roberts, who owns Sarasota-based Trebor Style Jewelry, rented out the former Restoration Hardware store at the Westfield Southgate Mall in Sarasota for February. Roberts, in turn, has subleased the space, a 7,000-square-foot showroom, to a host of high-end retailers, from skincare to shoes to Lamborghinis. The temporary mall marketplace, a few miles south of downtown Sarasota, is called Centro Della Moda. That's Italian for center of fashion.
“It's not just a big empty space in there,” Roberts tells Coffee Talk. “It's beautifully designed.”
Restoration Hardware, in the north end of the mall, prime real estate near Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy's, closed in September 2011. Toys R Us leased the space for a pop-up store in December.
The new tenants are the antithesis of mass-produced toys. For one, luxury cars, including a Lamborghini and an Aston Martin, will greet shoppers at the entrance. Roberts also intends to host fashion shows and lectures at Centro Della Moda, and art from Ringling College of Art and Design students and alumni will be displayed throughout the boutique.
The list of retailers, meanwhile, reads like it's right out of a European fashion magazine. It includes Roberts' Trebor Style Jewelry; Anne Touraine Scarves; Buonafide Foods & Wines; Dimmitt Automotive Group; Lamborghini of Sarasota; BMW of Sarasota; Baby Quasar Skincare; and T. Georgiano's Shoe Salon.
Roberts has several connections in luxury retail circles given she and her husband, Sarasota homebuilder Gary Roberts, are co-chairs of the annual Sarasota Exotic Car Fest, a prominent fundraising event. Still, businesses that signed up to lease space at Centro Della Moda aim to move products, not just show off.
“I think it's going to go really well,” says Roberts. “I certainly would do it again if I could.”
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