Spartina 449, a women’s lifestyle brand founded in South Carolina, is opening a retail store in Downtown St. Augustine.
Planned at 152 St. George St., the store will renovate space occupied by H.W. Davis Clothing and Shoes. It remains open for now.
Christy Sheets, chief revenue officer at Spartina 449, said the St. Augustine location is in response to growing demand in Florida.
The brand has retail, wholesale and e-commerce operations for its Lowcountry, conservative styles.
Spartina 449 sells clothing, handbags, accessories, clothing, jewelry and gifts, including linen and leather goods.
“Our wholesale and e-com business has so many customers in Florida, so we knew we wanted to be there,” Sheets said.
“We had a really special opportunity on St. George and we couldn’t resist.”
An opening date hasn’t been determined, she said.
The city of St. Augustine issued a building permit March 25 for the project at a cost of $100,000. Len Weeks Construction Design is the contractor. Robert Lichter Revocable Trust is the property owner.
According to the permit, renovation work includes installation of new flooring, ceiling, light fixtures and a storefront.
It will be Spartina 449’s 14th retail store and third in Florida, with other locations in The Villages and Dunedin. A St. Johns Town Center store that opened in 2019 is now permanently closed and has been replaced by Southern Tide, a clothing and apparel store.
The brand also operates four outlet stores in South Carolina and Georgia.
Spartina 449 was founded in 2009 by Kay Stanley, who was living on Daufuskie Island near Hilton Head in South Carolina. The name comes from the grass found along the South Carolina coast and Stanley’s cottage number.