Author Archives: Justine88

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Tepid retail season is salvaged by late and day-after buyers

By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune

It was the perfect storm.

Home prices across the country, including Southwest Florida, are up. Gas prices are down. Stock prices are rising and unemployment continues to dip as hiring ramps up.

Not to mention there was no bad weather to report across the nation.

All these factors combined to bode well for a strong holiday shopping season.

The National Retail Federation predicted that sales made over the holidays, which began around Thanksgiving and wrapped up at Christmas, would increase by 4.1 percent to $616.9 billion nationally when compared with 2013 season.

The Florida Retail Federation had an even rosier forecast: a 5 percent jump in sales across the Sunshine State this year.

Final numbers will not be available for a while, but there have been indications that such optimism was not misplaced.

A report by MasterCard found that retail sales rose 5.5 percent from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve as strong demand for women’s apparel, jewelry and casual dining helped offset slow sales for electronics.

Read more here.

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Can Bass Pro Shops open in 2016?

By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune

It’s one of the most anticipated retailers to appear since the debut of the Mall at University Town Center and the beginning steps in the remaking of Southgate Mall.

But exactly when the first Bass Pro Shops to hit Southwest Florida will arrive remains cloudy at best.

No official permits have been filed with Sarasota County to start construction on the proposed site, and emails between county government employees and the retailer’s real estate division seem to suggest that Bass Pros’ targeted 2016 opening date may be pushed back.

Bass Pro Shops officially announced in July that the company will open an 80,000-square-foot Outpost store and anchor a new 260,000-square-foot retail center called “Fruitville Commons,” off Interstate 75. The popular outdoor-focused retailer’s arrival had been rumored for more than a year.

At the time, Bass Pro officials were vague about the opening date. They said that the new store — which will employ 200 people and have a restaurant and bowling alley attached — could open any time in 2016.

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Same-sex marriages could provide tourism boost

By Justine Griffin for the Herald-Tribune

In just a few short weeks, Florida could become the next state to allow same-sex marriage.

It’s a day that tourism boosters in Southwest Florida have been preparing for for some time.

Barring a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court, same-sex couples should soon — at least legally speaking — be able to obtain a marriage license from county clerk’s offices across Florida.

A federal judge in Tallahassee ruled during August that the state’s voter-approved prohibition of same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. He stayed his ruling, pending appeal, until Jan. 5. Earlier this month, with no appeal scheduled, a federal appeals court denied requests to extend the stay, which could the allow same-sex couples in Florida to begin marrying as soon as Jan. 6.

Sarasota County’s Clerk of Court staff is looking at the necessary corrections that will need to be made to all marriage licenses if the law does change in January.

Read more here.

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The Cost of Life 2014 EPPY Finalist

The Cost of Life was a finalist for the 2014 EPPY for the “Best Innovation Project for a Website” category among several other national and international contestants. This new category recognizes creative thinkers and their quest to drive progress forward with innovation and originality. Judges will focus on projects that were successful communicating information, using new ideas and technology – and quality of execution. Projects could include videos, motion graphics, use of social media, augmented reality – anything that promotes the advancement of online.