Courtesy photo. Aerial view of the Pavilion of Port Orange, with more than a half-million square feet of retail and office space off Interstate 95 and Willliamson Boulevard inPort Orange celebrated its grand opening Wednesday.
PORT ORANGE -- Retired home builder Alex Kajan remembers what a big deal it was when the Super Wal-Mart opened on Dunlawton Avenue nearly 15 years ago in addition to the Wal-Mart on Beville Road.
Since then, the growing city of nearly 56,000 residents have benefited from a Lowe's Warehouse, a Super Target, a Home Depot and other anchor stores and specialty chain restaurants.
But those pale in comparison to the open air Pavilion at Port Orange, a 550,000 square-foot retail and office complex complete with movie theaters.
"My wife loves to shop and we like to check out new restaurants so we're excited about this new shopping complex," said Kajan, recently retired as a self-employed home builder, who was there for today's grand opening.
The grand opening of the Pavilion at Port Orange went off today without a hitch, officials with CBL & Associates Properties and The Benchmark Group announced.
Dozens of new retailers and restaurants opened their wares today, joining the 14-screen Hollywood Theater and David's Bridal, both of which recently opened at the Pavilion along Williamson Boulevard, near Interstate 95.
"We are hard at work on the final preparations to ensure The Pavilion at Port Orange is a roaring success," said Geoff Smith, CBL & Associates vice president–development in the days leading up to the grand opening Anchoring the Pavilion is the Belk fashion department store with junior anchors Homegoods, Marshall’s, Michaels, PETCO and ULTA.
Pavilion proprietor Smith said he is especially pleased with the anchor store because of its diverse offerings. "Belk is well known for outstanding fashion merchandise for the whole family and their offerings are a perfect complement to the growing retail and restaurant line-up at The Pavilion at Port Orange," he said.
The new Belk will showcase leading designer and national brands such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, Lancôme, Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne, Rafaella, Bandolino, Izod, Nautica and Columbia.
Additionally, the store’s exclusive lines of Belk private brands, such as Kristin Davis, New Directions, Kim Rogers, Madison Studio, Meeting Street, Red Camel, Biltmore For Your Home and Home Accents, provide outstanding fashion and value to Belk shoppers.
Other businesses at the Pavilion at Port Orange include Adornments, Alfredo’s Pizzeria, AT&T, Cold Stone Creamery, Cafe’ Fresh, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, GNC, Hibbett Sports, Kirkland’s, Lee Nail Spa, Loraine’s Fashion Jewelry & Accessories, Mattress One, Olive Garden, Payless ShoeSource, Pebble Beach Grill, Rack Room Shoes, Red Brick Pizza, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Rita’s Ice, Sunglass World, Takara Japanese Steakhouse, Visionworks and Yankee Candle Co.
The Pavilion at Port Orange is described by its developers as "offering a shopping, entertainment and dining experience with an exciting boardwalk feel."
To further draw shoppers to this 7-plus acre development, The Pavilion at Port Orange features a covered play area, walking trails surrounding the water, decorative fountains and an outdoor community performance venue.
The Pavilion will also feature second-story office space, amassing 34,000 square feet. Port Orange officials were ecstatic about the grand opening with city elders planning to be on hand to greet residents and the public at large.
"This is a key economic development for our growing city," said Shannon Lewis, assistant city manager.
City Councilor George Steindoerfer said he and the other elected and appointed city leaders are proud of the city's growth, especially with Port Orange battling the recession like everywhere else.
"Port Orange is strong economically," Steindoerfer said, because of smart development and oversight that has led to commercial growth with The Pavilion at Port Orange as "the example."
FAST FACTS:
The Pavilion at Port Orange, a 550,000 square-foot open-air development features:
* Over 400,000 square feet of RETAIL space;
* 34,000 square feet of OFFICE space;
*State-of-the-art 14-screen Hollywood Theaters.