Jackie Z Style leaving Sarasota Main Street for Mall at University Town Center
UNIVERSITY PARK -- It's an exciting time to be Jackie Zumba and Brian Kins.
The couple are new parents and in the midst of preparing to open two Jackie Z stores, including one inside the Mall at University Town Center that will replace their storefront at 1464 Main St., in Sarasota.
Zumba opened her Sarasota store in 2011, with the goal of providing her style of clothing and personal styling services so folks wouldn't have to trek to 10 stores to get the look they wanted. Her fiance's interest in fashion helps bring up the men's line, too, which includes brands like Bogosse, Buffalo, Moods of Norway and Jared Lang.
Now, come Oct. 16, Jackie Z will have a 1,900-square-foot boutique on the second level of the mall near Macy's.
"We were just ready to move on up," Zumba told the Herald on Friday. "I always wanted to have more stores. It was my dream since the day I opened."
In between running the store, preparing for a baby and going to buying shows to pick up clothes for the fall season, the couple scouted locations in Miami, Naples and Tampa for places they'd like to have a store. One of those trips led to the Sundial in St. Petersburg -- the former Baywalk and Shops at St. Pete shopping center. That store is being designed by renowned Sarasota architect Guy Peterson, and the plaza is expected to open in September.
Zumba also kept driving by the Mall at UTC wondering if she could get a store there, saying it would be a dream. She now is the only local multi-brand clothing store going into the 880,000-square-foot mall.
"It's a game changer to get into a mall like that, for a small store like us," Zumba said.
Jackie Z will join Hillsborough County's TINA Stephens in the mall along with boutiques like White House | Black Market, Calypso St. Barth and others with anchors Macy's, Dillard's and Saks Fifth Avenue.
The timing is right, as the lease to her Sarasota store is set to expire and won't be renewed. That store will be phased out after the opening of the UTC location, she said.
The Mall at UTC store will be designed by architect Greg Wall, featuring marbelesque floors and a waterfall with glass etched with JZ. (The St. Pete shop will say Jackie Z in the same spot.)
"It gives a very high-end look," she said.
Zumba might have one of the best spots in the mall, too.
"We got a killer location. The escalator, when you come up, lands right in front of our store," she said. "Our store front is big and open and invites you right in."
She's also happy that the new store will be able to offer more jobs. She's looking to hire 10 to 15 people, and those interested can send their resumes to jackie@jackiezstyle.com.
"We're all about the local community," she said. "I'm really excited about being in the community and offer more local people jobs."
The store is expected to apply for its building permit Tuesday. By the end of the month, construction should start and the store has to be finished and stocked by Oct. 9, Kins said.
"We're really excited," he said.
Charles Schelle, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7095. Follow him on Twitter @ImYourChuck.
This story was originally published August 9, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Jackie Z Style leaving Sarasota Main Street for Mall at University Town Center."