High vacancy, low traffic

For 10 years downtown Sebring was a good location for Leyder Zapata and her tailoring shop.

But not now.

Avon's Tailoring & Alterations will relocate in a month from South Ridgewood Drive to Plaza by the Mall behind Lakeshore Mall

"The downtown is empty; there's no business down here," Zapata said. "The building is too old and I need more space."

After four years on Sparta Road just off U.S. 27, Ron Thomas relocated Captain Ron's Mercantile on Feb. 1 to the circle in downtown Sebring.

"My business has been pretty good until the last week or so it has dropped off," Thomas said. "I'm kind of between seasons because the snowbirds are gone and there are not that many summer tourists yet."

Thomas wanted to be downtown because much of his merchandise, such as sports team logo items and nautical decor, are aimed at tourists.

Businesses could be lured downtown if some of the landlords lowered their rents, he said. "Overall, I would love to have some competitors.

"The biggest thing I don't understand is why we roll up the sidewalks because the snowbirds went north? All the events are all planned around the snowbirds; now we've got a lot of people who live here year round."

Events like the Gallery Walk brought people downtown and spurred his business, but event organizers believe for some reason that people won't come downtown in the summer, he said.

Community Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Pete Pollard said downtown Sebring is experiencing probably its highest vacancy rate in 10 years.

The economy is the main reason for the empty stores, he said, noting that vacancies rates are also up at strip shopping centers on U.S. 27 and at the mall.

Historically, July and August is the slowest time of the year for downtown business, Pollard said. The monthly Saturday night cruise is the only summertime event.

Activities will start gearing up at the end of August, he added.

What will it take?

What will it take to turn around downtown?

A lot of it hinges on entrepreneurs who are interested in opening businesses and landlords who are willing to offer incentives, Pollard believes.

The CRA has an incentive program to try to attract a couple of more restaurants downtown, he said. Restaurants are people generators.

"If we can cluster several restaurants in the downtown, that should help to pick up traffic especially if they are good restaurants like Charlies," he said.

Phil O'Boyle lives between Sebring and Lake Placid and for his local shopping he usually goes to Lake Placid.

"I just love downtown Interlake Boulevard and Main Street of Lake Placid," he said.

As for downtown Sebring, "they need something to draw the people down there," O'Boyle said.

After five years downtown, Adam Ray, co-owner of Wild Artist Jewelry, said this has been the slowest year. May was a month of almost no business, he added.

Ray said he never had a vacant store or vacant apartment when he managed real-estate

in New York City.

You rent for what people are willing to pay and you fill it up, he said. If the rent is cheap you are going to have artists, you are going to have unusual and creative people.

The downside to cheap rents is that a store could be used for display or warehousing, Ray cautioned. There has to be a clause in the lease requiring minimum hours.

It kills a downtown when stores are closed and there are a lot of vacancies, he said.

This downtown is really pretty; people can walk around here and sit in the park and go down to the waterfront and visit the library and all the different used book stores, Ray said. There's the mercantile that's open now and the dog groomer ....

Ray believes downtown Sebring needs bigger landmark businesses to come off the highway and off the mall and open down here. All the big corporate money is going out to the highway.

For example, it would be nice to have a Dunkin' Donuts downtown in a historic building like they do on the coast instead of constructing a new building on the highway, he said.

Landlord and storeowner Gene Brenner said he is looking for tenants that will generate retail traffic that will benefit other businesses.

"I don't want not-for-profit or office space on ground level," he said.

Brenner has three vacant ground floor spaces on the circle: where the Plum Tree used to be (which has been vacant for 14 months), next to the former Plum Tree and on the other side of the circle (formerly a wine shop and chocolate shop).

"I have somebody looking at where the Plum Tree was and the one next door to it," he said.

High rental rates?

On the subject of rental rates, Brenner said he can be as competitive as anyone on the highway.

The high number of vacancies is partly due to the economy, he said.

Brenner said Brenner's Pottery and Craft Gallery has been downtown for 30 years and he doesn't plan on leaving.

"I think if people would support local instead of going out of town everybody could

benefit," he said. "They can save a lot of gas and they could support the community."

Tosheba Fashion has been in downtown Sebring for two and half years, first on West Center Avenue and since November on North Ridgewood Drive.

Tosheba's Betty Perkins also owns another boutique dress shop in Miramar in Broward County.

Perkins said when Linda Kegley, who had an art store downtown, was promoting events two to three years ago there was a good turnout of people and paying customers.

"Now there are year-round people living here; you've got to do something to get them involved in downtown or coming downtown," Perkins said.

Business was slow downtown before the economic downturn, she noted.

The rents are too high, she said.

It's a much better climate for starting a business in south Florida where landlords in Dade and Broward are offering two months free and only one month rent required to move in and retail traffic 24-7, Perkins said.

There are enough people here in Highlands County to support the businesses here year round, she said.

"I'm not going to give up," she said. "I look forward to things picking up."

Avon Park & Lake Placid

Downtown Avon Park continues to have some vacancies as streetscaping and improvements boost the area's potential.

Avon Park Chamber of Commerce Executive Director David Greenslade said, "I think the economy has affected the business climate all over, not just downtown,"

Up and down Main Street there may be a couple more vacancies than usual, but there hasn't been a great change, he said. The Brickel Building is still undergoing renovation.

All the business locations on South Lake Avenue are currently occupied, Greenslade noted.

"I've talked to several businesses and they are slow, there's no question about it, but they are surviving," he said.

When the streetscaping is finished, it will enhance the downtown and hopefully slow traffic down so people can see what is there encouraging them to stop more, Greensalde said.

Downtown Lake Placid is doing well, according to Kathy Allaire, owner of Allaire's Hair and Nails Designs on Interlake Boulevard.

Businesses are doing really good with the street parties on both Interlake Boulevard and Main Street helping to bring people downtown.

One store in her strip was vacated recently, but "everybody else is filled so we are doing good right now," Allaire said.