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Village on Venetian Bay to receive $4M makeover
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The Village on Venetian Bay facelift
The Village on Venetian Bay, which has been around for 21 years, will undergo a $4 million facelift starting in June. Most shops and restaurants plan to remain open through the renovation which is scheduled to be completed by the fall.
The Village on Venetian Bay
4200 Gulfshore Boulevard North, Naples, Fl
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Fashions change, but some basics never go out of style.
The Village on Venetian Bay shopping area, a collection of shops and restaurants in Naples, will receive a $4 million remake but its Mediterranean-style architecture is here to stay.
Work will begin in June and is slated to be completed in the fall, but the center will be open regular hours throughout the renovations.
The Village’s 50 fashion boutiques and shops and five restaurants are perched over the waters of Venetian Bay, and shoppers walk between shops in open air hallways with fountains, awnings and seating.
The center was established in 1987, and was one of the first buildings to use Mediterranean architectural style in Naples, said Dougall McCorkle, senior vice president for commercial properties for The Lutgert Cos., The Village’s owner.
That style will remain as the center is updated, and just the elements that pedestrians “touch, see and feel” will be redone, he added.
“You have to constantly reinvent yourself to be relevant,” McCorkle said. “Every 15 to 20 years these kinds of properties need to be upgraded. If you don’t, it falls behind.”
The update will include new floors, fountain improvements, railings, lights, landscaping, paint and fabrics.
“I’m delighted,” said Chris Oakey, manager of 2 for me, 1 for you, a women’s accessories boutique in the center. “It’s probably just about time it was refreshed and revitalized, and in the light of the revamping that Waterside has gotten and the new construction that’s going to be going up on Vanderbilt, I think it’s fantastic.”
It also means that owner The Lutgert Cos. is making a long-term commitment to keeping the center open and thriving, she said.
Chris Sereno, who owns Maxwell’s on the Bay with his brother Peter, agreed.
The brothers plan to close their restaurant for renovations at the end of April, and will reopen as M Waterfront Grille before the busy season starts next fall. They’ve been working with The Lutgert Cos. to include improved outdoor seating for their new restaurant.
“I think they need to (remodel the Village)” Sereno said. “When you have a Village that’s 20 years old you need to keep up with the times. It’s the same reason we need to remodel (the restaurant), there’s a lot of competition coming up.”
But the Village on Venetian Bay is special, because it’s one of the only waterfront commercial areas in Naples, he added.
“It should be the nicest destination in Naples, and right now it isn’t,” he said.
“Once they remodel, it should help improve that. Anybody can build another shopping center, but not anybody can build a shopping center on the water.”
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I'm sure this will make people flock to an area of no return.
At least, it will look good when it is deserted.
#1 Posted by volochine on April 24, 2008 at 1:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't wanna pay for it...
#2 Posted by techie on April 24, 2008 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope a burger & fries will still only be $25.00
#3 Posted by cousinjed on April 24, 2008 at 7:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You can remodel all you want but parking will still remain the problem.
#4 Posted by edrolyat on April 24, 2008 at 8 a.m. (Suggest removal)
$4 mil,...I spent that on a belt & shoes at Waterside..
#5 Posted by Trexler on April 24, 2008 at 8:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Only $4,000,000??
I think that Lutgert spent more on remodeling his house.
#6 Posted by streetrodder on April 24, 2008 at 8:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Better to spend the money there than to rape another treed area in Naples to build another "not needed" commercial center.
#7 Posted by theabyss on April 24, 2008 at 8:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The Village will remain one of the finest locations in Naples
My wife and I came from Chicago in 1986 and opened the very first business on Jan. 17, 1987
We sold our Gourmet Store and Wine Specialty Store in 1993.
Still in Naples retired and happy
Margaret and Alexander Neumann
#8 Posted by neumannberlin on April 24, 2008 at 9:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
some people just have money to burn! Been here 35 years and I haven't remodeled nothin'! Guess I'm long over due!
#9 Posted by biomanogt on April 24, 2008 at 9:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have to say The Village is a wonderfull place to visit. I used to go to Ben & Jerry's as a chTild and this is before i discovered Cherry Garcia.
It was my first taste of a tunnel as well. I believe that it will remain as a Naples landmark for years to come.
#10 Posted by NaplesTaco on April 24, 2008 at 4 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have never been to Venetian Village. I will have to check it out. Naples has so many great places to visit, it is hard to see them all. I love it here.
#11 Posted by aliciamacd on April 24, 2008 at 10:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
volochine, huh? Deserted? I don't think so. I'm no cheerleader of the place but it is always crowded. Maybe you just haven't been living here long enough yet?
techie = still a clown. Keep us proud, clown!
#12 Posted by jim09091 on April 25, 2008 at 12:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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