by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
There’s a mixture of old and new on Bay Street awaiting the arrival of hundreds of thousands of fans.
Some vendors have been there for years, others showed up last Friday. But everybody hopes the Times-Union SuperFest delivers crowds as expected when it starts up Thursday.
Vendors are preparing to usher as many as half a million people through their doors during the four-day street festival. All those doing business inside Bay Street’s buildings welcome the temporary entertainment zone now under construction but nobody seems certain what the effect on their businesses will be or whether the results will carry any lasting benefits for Bay Street.
“I know this, it can’t hurt any,” said Betty Turner, owner of Christina’s Jewelry. “What we’re all hoping for is that it will jump start what the City’s trying to do down here on Bay Street.”
The City has designated the street as downtown’s entertainment corridor and has spent about $2 million to plant palm trees, widen sidewalks and repave the streets. The SuperFest will essentially serve as the grand opening for the Bay Street Town Center. Turner said she hopes the Super Bowl will draw some locals downtown who otherwise wouldn’t make the trip.
“It’s really beautiful here now, if people would just find out about it,” she said.
Turner said she had a couple offers to rent out her shop during game week, but she declined. Other than extending her hours to 9 p.m., it will be business as usual except for one or two private showings she’s scheduled.
John Smith doesn’t share Turner’s sentimental feelings for the street stretching in front of his merchandise shop, Sports Mania. He opened in the Suddath building just over a week ago but he share’s Turner’s hope for a swell of fans.
Turner has been planning his temporary operation since Jacksonville was first awarded the game three years ago. He scouted out the previous Super Bowls in San Diego and Houston as he formed his business plan.
“While everybody else was having fun, I was scouting my competition, looking at their displays and price points,” said Turner, who also owns a shop of the same name in Jacksonville Beach.
Turner describes his Bay Street location as the linchpin of his sales strategy and he admits he was somewhat lucky to get it. He said the space more or less fell in his lap when the landlord’s negotiations with a temporary bar fell through. He’s expecting 200,000 pedestrians to visit Bay Street every night from Thursday to Saturday before leveling off Sunday.
“I’m out here for every Florida-Georgia game, and that’s what I’m expecting, a Florida-Georgia game that goes on and on,” said Turner.
Some of Bay Street’s most established businesses have chosen to sit the game out. The Bay Street Deli has been rented out to another merchandise shop until next Tuesday. Farah’s Delicatessen has been leased out along with three adjacent properties to serve as a temporary club. The deli will continue to serve lunch before giving way at 6:30 p.m. to the temporary managers, who are expected to stay open
until 2 a.m.