Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Space available in Port Square

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Tuesday, January 11, 2000

Space available in Port Square
3,000 square feet for rent in shopping center being developed
By Tara Copp
Caller-Times

John Kennedy/Caller-Times

Outgoing port commissioner Amador Garcia is developing the 7,000-square-foot strip mall called Port Square. He has 3,000 square feet available to lease.

Outgoing port commissioner Amador Garcia, who leaves office today, says he finally has the time and resources to develop a strip shopping mall he bought in 1974.
   Port Square, at 1521 S. Port Ave. near Baldwin Boulevard and Greenwood Drive, is a 7,000-square-foot shopping center that already holds an insurance company, a loan company and a Laundromat that Garcia owns and operates.
   "I began seriously developing it four years ago," he said. "It looked a bit like a scene from 'Full Metal Jacket.' So we went in and re-roofed it, repainted it."
   Before then, Garcia said, his money went to raising and educating his children, "so there wasn't much left over," he said. "Since they're gone, now I can dedicate my resources to doing that."
   Garcia has 3,000 square feet he's looking to lease.
   Baby booming
   Millennium-baby boom or not, Burlington Coat Factory's infant department rattled with record sales last month, store officials say.
   "This December verses last December, it's a lot higher," said Baby Depot manager Stella Alvarez. "I'm hoping it continues this way; I hope it's not because of the millennium baby phenomenon."
   Hospitals across the country have reported a spike in births in the past few weeks as couples who carefully tried to produce a New Year's baby are now delivering.
   The Baby Depot sells furniture, accessories and clothes and has not had any competition other than Toys-R-Us, said Burlington Coat Factory store manager Rose Garcia. Baby Land, the city's other main baby store, closed last January. "Our baby department booms all the time," Garcia said.
   Checks show hot sales
   Retailers had one of their best holiday seasons this decade, according to new statistics from the Telecheck Retail Index.
   Same-store sales were up 6.3 percent in Texas from the day after Thanksgiving until the day after Christmas, the agency said.
   Three of the nation's heaviest spending days took place the week before Christmas, said William Ford, Telecheck's Senior Economic Advisor.
   At Padre Staples Mall, shopping kicked off with strong day-after-Thanksgiving sales, remained steady the weeks leading up to Christmas, then "Bam! The last four days were really heavy," said Rick Geiter, marketing director for the mall. Although final figures won't be available for a few weeks, Geiter estimated that "the most conservative projection is a 5 percent increase over sales last year."
   Final figures on Sunrise Mall's holiday shopping are still a few days away, but it saw its heaviest shopping on the 8th of December, said marketing director Donna Lee.
   Telecheck's index is based on a same-store comparison of authorized checks written by consumers at more than 27,000 locations. Telecheck is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based First Data Corp., which has a teleservice center in Corpus Christi.



On Retailing is published every other Tuesday in the Caller-Times business section. The column includes news of new, relocated and expanded businesses in the Coastal Bend, plus retailing trends and profiles. Ideas may be submitted to: On Retailing, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, P.O. Box 9136, Corpus Christi, Texas 78469; e-mail Tara Copp at coppt@caller.com; fax items to (361) 886-3732; or call (361) 886-4316.

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