- March 29, 2024
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WINTER GARDEN — Although perhaps not as large as the empty space in the hearts of its fans, the departure of Barnes & Noble Booksellers several weeks ago from the Winter Garden Village at Fowler Groves shopping center left about 27,500 square feet empty.
Brandon Glenn, communications manager for DDR Corp., which owns and manages Winter Garden Village, said management had decided to divide the former space of Barnes & Noble into two stores.
One of those stores will be Carter’s/OshKosh B’gosh, a children’s clothing store, which will take about 7,500 square feet. The other 20,000 square feet will go to F21 Red, which Glenn said was particularly significant because it is among the first handful of F21 Red stores opening under a unique Forever 21 concept that debuted last year.
“We are pleased to add F21 Red and Carter’s/OshKosh B’gosh to the lineup of strong retailers at Winter Garden Village,” Glenn said. “The addition of these new stores will drive additional traffic to the shopping center and enhance its merchandise mix.”
Glenn said both of these stores should open late this year.
F21 RED
The takeaway for F21 Red is a selection of low-price clothing, such as camisoles, denim, T-shirts and tank tops, according to the F21 Red website.
A wider array of items familiar to shoppers at Forever 21, 21Men, Forever 21+ and Forever 21 Girls ultimately will be available at F21 Red.
The plan is for prices at this store to be even lower than what Forever 21 officials deem the bargain-basement prices of the fashion industry.
For instance, prices at F21 Red include $7.80 for jeans, $3.80 for T-shirts and $1.80 for camisoles.
“With F21 Red, we are able to deliver greater quantities of the styles our customers seek, while maintaining the value with entry-level category price points Forever 21 is known for offering,” Forever 21 founder and CEO Don Chang said in a statement.
CARTER’S/OSHKOSH B’GOSH
OshKosh B’gosh joined the umbrella of Carter’s brands in 2005, a unification of two of the biggest, oldest, most-recognized baby and children’s clothing brands on Earth, according to the Carter’s/OshKosh B’gosh website.
The joint store offers children of all ages an array of clothing from head to toe, promising quality, innovation and value.
NEW DINING OPTIONS
Although Glenn said it will not be part of Winter Garden Village but a different shopping center, a new Pei Wei restaurant will soon open on the edge of Winter Garden Village near the existing Bojangles. Pei Wei specializes in Asian cuisine.
Dunkin’ Donuts has plans to open two new locations in West Orange County this year, one of which should open this month, said Maru Bazua, Tilson PR senior account executive, on behalf of Dunkin’ Donuts.
Within the next few weeks, a Dunkin’ Donuts should open in Dr. Phillips at 8014 Conroy Windermere Road, just west of its intersection with Dr. Phillips Boulevard.
The other Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant is scheduled for an opening on Nov. 15 at 4020 Winter Garden-Vineland Road (County Road 535) in Winter Garden, Bazua said. That location is at the northwest corner of the Winter Garden-Vineland Road intersection with Lake Butler Boulevard and West Orange Country Club Drive.
Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].