Specialty “trend-right” retailer Five Below is moving into the closed Party City store in Claire Lane Center in Mandarin after it completes the build-out at a project cost of $250,000.
The city issued a permit May 6 for contractor ADR Specialty LLC of Gulf Breeze to build-out 8,063 square feet of space that Party City vacated at 11112 San Jose Blvd., Unit 12.
Tricarico Architecture and Design PC of Wayne, New Jersey, is the architect for the project.
The space is between Trader Joe’s and Barnes & Noble.
Jacksonville-based Sleiman Enterprises is the landlord for the shopping center, which is at southwest San Jose Boulevard and Claire Lane, south of Interstate 295.
New Jersey-based Party City Holdco Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 2024, announcing plans to close its 700 stores nationwide, including four in Northeast Florida.
Party City said it was North America’s largest party goods retailer, offering items for birthdays, Halloween parties, baby showers and holiday events.
“As with many other retailers, macroeconomic headwinds more recently proved too severe for the Company to overcome,” Party City said in a news release.
Five Below has 10 area stores, comprising seven in Jacksonville in Argyle Village in Southwest Jacksonville; Gateway Town Center in the Brentwood area; OakLeaf Town Center in Southwest Jacksonville; River City Marketplace in North Jacksonville; Southside Commons in the Regency area of Arlington; Southside Square in South Jacksonville; and The Markets at Town Center in South Jacksonville; and three in South Beach Regional shopping center in Jacksonville Beach; in Saint Johns in St. Johns County, and in Yulee in Nassau County.
Philadelphia-based Five Below calls itself a “leading growth retailer offering trend-right, extreme value, high-quality products loved by the kid and the kid in all of us.”
Categories include candy, create, party room, sports, tech and “new & now.”
Its items include hair accessories, jewelry, clothing such as T-shirts and loungewear, party goods, tech accessories and more.
It says most items are priced between $1 and $5 and “some extreme value items priced beyond $5.”
Founded in 2002, Five Below says it has more than 1,900 stores in 46 states.