Talbots, Banana Moon coming to Mall at University Town Center

UNIVERSITY PARKWAY -- Women's shop Talbots and swimwear store Banana Moon are the latest additions to the Mall at University Town Center along with Southeastern Guide Dogs.

Talbots, the 67-year-old retailer of women's classic apparel, filed a building application Monday with Sarasota County for a store on the mall's second level across from Saks Fifth Avenue.

The company maintains two stores inside the Westfield Southgate Mall in Sarasota and has nearly 500 locations in United States and Canada. The first shop was opened in 1947 in Hingham, Mass.

Banana Moon will open a 745-square-foot boutique on the second level of the mall, according to a building application.

The California-inspired swimwear company started in 1984 by Daniel Flachaire, his wife, Veronique Flachaire, and designers Bernard Donati and Nat Maori. The clothes are manufactured in Monaco and feature vibrant colors and designs.

This will be the first store for the company on Florida's Gulf Coast. Banana Moon also maintains a store in Miami's Aventura Mall.

Palmetto-based Southeastern Guide Dogs also will have a retail kiosk inside the new mall, according to the non-profit's jobs ads. The service dog training organization is looking for a full-time key holder and a part-time seasonal worker to sell Southeastern Guide Dogs merchandise for pets and people and inform people about the organization, according to the posting.

The mall is expected to open Oct. 16 and will feature more than 100 shops and restaurants including Apple, Crate & Barrel, H&M, Burger and Beer Joint, Cheesecake Factory and more.

Charles Schelle, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7095. Follow him on Twitter@ImYourChuck.

This story was originally published September 9, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Talbots, Banana Moon coming to Mall at University Town Center ."