DOWNTOWN
Pierce. There are only a few left, compared to when I was
growing up. Maybe that’s one result of having nowhere to
stay overnight. Maybe visitors will come here, stay, buy some
stuff, even maybe buy some real estate. That’s the direction
we’re heading. I intend to buy something here, maybe at
King’s Landing.
“I think things in Fort Pierce are definitely getting better
and I think they’re going to get even better in the future. If I
didn’t think that we wouldn’t be coming to open the restaurant
12
here.”
CHAIN ARRIVALS
Some historic downtowns have a policy of banning national
brand-name stores and restaurants. Not Fort Pierce.
While there was some public resistance to a 7-11 convenience
store opening on Second and Orange a couple years
ago, many people’s imagined problems with such a store
never really materialized. While that convenience store
closed due to a corporate decision, the owners of the building
that housed it are busy adding another national name to their
retail roster: Dunkin’ Donuts.
Patty Reconco is property manager for RFMD Investments
of Fort Pierce, which owns the building that houses Subway,
the upcoming Thirsty Turtle restaurant, Taylor Optical, and
the proposed Dunkin’ Donuts
Reconco reported that Thirsty Turtle is scheduled to open in
February, and Dunkin’ Donuts is working with architects on
a store design that fits in with its historic surroundings. She
believes that store could open within two to four weeks after
negotiations with the city can be satisfactorily concluded.
“We own the building and all these businesses are our tenants,”
ANTHONY WESTBURY
Downtown Fort Pierce should soon welcome a Dunkin’ Donuts store at the
corner of Second Street and Orange Avenue. The site was previously occupied
by a 7-Eleven convenience store. Work is also nearing completion
in the same building for family restaurant Thirsty Turtle Sea Grille.
Reconco said. “I think we have a good mixture of family
owned and name-brand businesses. They bring a balance
to downtown, in my opinion. The name-brands bring the foot
traffic we need and the others retain a sense of quaintness.
“I have not heard any complaints about Dunkin’ coming. In
fact, people seem very enthusiastic and want to know when
they’re opening their doors. I think 7-11 showed people that a
name-brand store isn’t necessarily a bad thing downtown.
“With all the growth, family-owned businesses don’t seem >>
JOE SEMKOW
This shot of downtown Fort Pierce shows Orange Avenue in the foreground and the South Bridge upper left.