Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Business beginning at South Coast Plaza mall

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Tuesday, November 23, 1999

Business beginning at South Coast Plaza mall
Mac Frugal's now open; Italian Kitchen, Dollar Plus to open in December
By Andrea Jares
Caller-Times

Shops are starting to open at the South Coast Plaza at 1730 S. Padre Island Drive. Local construction contractors have converted the former Expressions in Wood location into a 23,000-square-foot mall.
   Mac Frugal's Bargains Close-Outs opened Friday, specializing in merchandise purchased at less than initial wholesale prices and sold below normal retail prices.
   Other tenants, such as cellular telephone dealer Digital 2000, will open soon. Johnny Carino's Italian Kitchen is set to open its $1.8 million building on Dec. 20. Dollar Plus will also open that month.
   After the beginning of the year, general contractor Brae Burn Construction is expected to finish building the structure of South Coast Plaza. The mall will add service providers such as Solar Nails in January.
   Contracts with a beauty salon and ice cream shop have yet to be signed. If they are, they could open in February.
   In March, McDonald's and Subway are set to open. That's also the month that Dallas-based Rack Daddy's, an upscale billiards place, will open.
   "It's a very plush, very high-end place," said David Cottrell, the Hous ton-based developer of the 6,000-square-foot mall.
   Also joining the mall is Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Oxford Academy. The 7,500-square-foot pre-school will enroll 140 students. The pre-school is the first of several planned for the area, Cottrell said.
   Another 40,000 square feet is available for lease, he said.
   The Southwestern-style mall is designed by Turner and Associates. Queen palms and other landscaping is by Fox Nursery.
   Brewpub to open today
   Padre Island Brewing Co. at 405 N. Chaparral St. opens at 5 p.m. today.
   A grand opening is set for Dec. 4, said Anthony Benson, owner. The restaurant is in the former men's department of the downtown former Frost Bros. Store.
   "We're looking forward to being part of the downtown Corpus Christi community," Benson said. "We want to offer something that's new and a little different."
   The loft-like openness of the restaurant shows off the brewing equipment where homemade brews are created. A long bar runs the length of the room, where brews such as Speckled Trout Stout and Long Board Lager will be served.
   The restaurant will serve specialties such as crab-stuffed flounder and pizzas with toppings such as grilled quail, artichoke and feta cheese. The restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
   Apartments delayed
   Toscana Apartments, a project that was scheduled to start construction in July, is rescheduled to begin by the end of the year, said Rocky Ryan, developer for the $10 million project.
   The first units will be open by the end of the summer, he said.
   Bids for the 220-unit project are being decided right now. Rocky Ryan Properties of Corpus Christi and Falcon Group of Houston are developing the complex.
   The development, announced in May, will be near the intersection of Saratoga Boulevard and South Staples Street. Rents will range from $690 per month to $1,035 per month.



Business writer Andrea Jares can be reached at 886-3678 or by email at jaresa@caller.com. On Real Estate is published every other Tuesday in the business section.

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