Make it easy for consumers to find what they are looking for. In a recent blog Is Veganism Going Mainstream, I discussed how Marshalls was making it easier for vegan shoppers to identify purses that coincide with the shopper’s values. In addition to Marshalls highlighting vegan purses, Whole Foods also makes it easy for consumers following specific dietary guidelines, such as Paleo, Whole 30, Gluten Free etc., to find products that meet their requirements without them having to read every label.
Make it experiential. Whether you own or operate an individual store, a chain of them or a shopping center, the consumer has to experience something beyond the shopping itself. Retailtainment was first used back in 1999 by sociologist and author George Ritzer
Make it interactive. Books and Books, the independently owned local bookstore is amazing at interacting with their customers. In addition to having knowledgeable staff, they have a cafe with great food, spaces for getting together and socializing and they offer book signings and readings by authors. Patrons come early have dinner or a cocktail, socialize, buy the book, and interact with the author. You can’t get that from online shopping and, in spite of technology (or maybe because of it) people want to have places where the can interact.
Make it Instagram and Pinterest worthy: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and the rest of social media has made it essential that whether it is food, clothing, real estate, spaces and places, whatever it is you are selling has to be Instagram and Pinterest worthy. Two places in Miami do that extremely well. Miami Design District and Wynwood. Don’t believe me? Go into Instagram and #miamidesigndistrict to view 158,000 posts or #wynwood to view over 2.4 million posts.
Make it about community. Several of the places already discussed such as Books and Books, the Miami Design District, and Wynwood are great examples. FootWorks in South Miami has running clubs and helps train you for half and full marathons, Dharma Studio in Coconut Grove offers free yoga classes three times a week in the Grove, and Aventura Mall has all sorts of events scheduled throughout the year. If you are in an area that has one, check with your local Business Improvement District and see how you can get involved to bring more traffic to your store.
The other day I went into Marshalls and saw a whole display with purses. I thought it was a bit strange, since this particular display was front and center and quite a bit away from the other racks full of purses. As I looked closer, there was a sign that read Vegan Purses. Now it made sense. Marshalls was making it easier for vegan shoppers to identify purses that coincide with their vegan values.
Apparently, many businesses applied Forbes’ advice in Here’s Why You Should Turn Your Business Vegan in 2018. Although some industry leaders and innovators started well before 2018, the trend has definitely increased and become more visible this year. The number of vegan restaurants in Miami continues to grow with Planta opening and joining a list of other vegan eateries.
In addition to retailers and restaurants, other businesses are also finding a niche with vegan consumers. One of my favorite local designers, Deborah DiMare, is a leader in the vegan design space and her interiors, pictured here, are gorgeous.
So, in answer to my original question “Is Veganism Going Mainstream”, I think the answer is: “It’s already it already has”.
Do you commute to the city but live in the suburbs? Light traffic day in Miami
Remember the movie Something’s Gotta Give starring Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves? Well this is nothing about that movie other than I thought of the title today while out on my morning run. It does have to do with Labor Day, however.
Although I normally run shorter routes during weekdays, I decided I would go on one of my longer routes along Old Cutler Road. What a mistake that was! In addition to being extremely dark at 5:45 a.m., the traffic was horrific! I couldn’t cross the street anywhere there wasn’t a traffic light, which I am sure made all of the commuters extremely unhappy. For the longer part of my run, I thought about where those commuters lived versus where they worked, what they were sacrificing, if anything, having to get up so early to get to work, do they have another choice other than sitting in traffic at the crack of dawn? So what do all of these questions have to do with real estate? A lot, I think.
Quality of Life was the first thing that came to mind during my musings. What quality of life do the commuters have? I know several people with long commutes, including my husband. We live in Pinecrest but he commutes to Port Everglades. We have considered moving, but love our neighborhood and he says he would rather commute and love where he lives than have a shorter commute and not like where he lives, but the truth is traffic is getting worse, his commute times are getting longer, and he has already been doing this commute a long time. Something’s Gotta Give.
Large lots, great schools, and plenty of parks are just a few of the perks of living in Pinecrest
Popularity of Live, Work, Play Communities – Places like Aventura, Downtown Miami/Brickell, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Miami Beach, Downtown Dadeland, have all been growing because people want to be able to minimize their time in traffic. Savvy developers, urban planners, and city officials, have been building condos and mixed use developments to meet the wants of a commuter weary public. The negative side of this development and the demand, is that prices in most of these areas have gone up so rapidly, that they are no longer affordable and residents of Miami-Dade County pay more than (**(% in housing. Teachers, firefighters, police and many service providers were probably sitting in that traffic. One of my friends is a teacher. She lives in Palmetto Bay, but commutes to her job at Beach High? Would she take a teaching job closer to home if she could get one? Does MDCPS consider an employees commute time/contribution to traffic, when they assign that employee to a school? A vibrant community needs to include affordable housing options or offer wages to compensate. Something’s Gotta Give.
Other topics that I thought about include the importance of having transportation and work options close to home as well as affordability, taxes, and mixed use neighborhoods, not just buildings. But those are all topics for other blogs.
Do you have a horrible commune? Do you have public transportation options? If you did, would you use them? Would you live closer to your job if it was affordable? Would you like to work closer to where you live if you could find a job? If you feel like sharing your answers, please do. If not, at least give the questions some thought and think about what your quality of life is versus what it could be if you didn’t have to spend so much time commuting.
Spacious, open kitchen in Country Club Estates home
Spacious, open kitchen in Country Club Estates home
Looking to buy a home in Country Club Estates in Aventura, Florida? Then you need to call Cindy. She has sold 4 properties in the last two months; two of which never made it into the Multiple Listing Service and were sold off-market.
Country Club Estates, a luxury enclave of 80 single-family homes, is the only community of it’s type located on the prestigious Turnberry Golf Course. This private, gated community of luxury homes is an oasis in the heart of Aventura. Also known as Aventura Estates, this enclave is a wonderful place to call home due to both its size and location.
Cindy not only sells a lot of the homes in this luxury community, she also lives in the community and sits on the homeowner’s board, which gives her great insight into what is going on in the neighborhood. She loves living and selling in Country Club Estates because, “It is the only luxury single family home community in Aventura where we live and vacation all year long!” If you want more information on the lifestyle here, call her at 305-469-3222.
As reported in Vizzda’s Quarterly Report For South Florida Commercial Real Estate, the total dollar amount of multi-family sales in Miami-Dade County rose to $232,943,000 in the second quarter of 2018, up from $196,115,503 in the first quarter. This is approximately half of the $462,372,302 worth of sales in the second quarter of 2017.
The largest transaction was for Sundance Village Apartments, a 304 unit complex at 11325 NW 7 St., which closed for $65,600,000 or approximately $215,789 per unit.
What will third quarter activity look like? Stay tuned for our next report or subscribe to our blog, so you don’t miss it. Mill Creek Residential just closed on a 127 unit apartment complex in Dania Beach for $37.2 million. Will it make the top 5 list of largest transactions in 3Q2018?
If you are buying or selling a home in Pinecrest, why would you use anyone other than the #1 brokerage in Pinecrest? I am a Realtor with EWM and a Pinecrest resident. I have lived here for over 27 years and can’t imagine living anywhere else. Want to learn more about this wonderful neighborhood? I would be happy to meet with you and tell you all about it.
ewm.com
EWM Realty International’s #1 ranking is based on total sales transactions and total dollar volume sales. Data was supplied by the Miami Association of Realtors, The Greater Fort Lauderdale Association of Realtors, and the Southeast Florida Regional MLS for single-family homes and condos sold within the Village of Pinecrest for the period beginning 1/1/2018 and ending 6/30/2018.
I love the Sunset Harbor area of Miami Beach. It is a non-touristy part of Miami Beach, right before you get on the Venetian Causeway. I have been going there for years, when it was just a bunch of auto repair warehouses with a great Italian restaurant, Sardinia. Then came Scott Robins with his vision for the neighborhood. Soon Barceloneta and Pubbelly Sushi moved in and the locals started coming. Needless to say, it is no longer full of auto repair warehouses, though there are a few. Now, new, fun, tasty restaurants, boutique clothing shops, yoga & pilates studios line the streets. Popular workout and hangout spots like Flywheel and Panther Coffee, as well as both Publix and Fresh Market are here.
Work in Sunset Harbour, Miami Beach
For your working convenience, and a really short commute if you live here, there is buro, the community building co-working space. Or you can work at any of the shops, restaurants, warehouses, or offices nearby. Finally, and probably most importantly, if you live and work in Sunset Harbour, you don’t have to go too far to play.
Play in Sunset Harbour, Miami Beach
In addition to all of the shops, restaurants and workout places, Sunset Harbour is surrounded by water, spas, parks, running and walking paths. Paddle board or kite surf in the harbor and if boating is your pleasure, there is the Sunset Harbour Yacht Club. So, whether you are looking for a new place to live, work or play, or want a charming place where you can do all three, check out the Sunset Harbour District. You won’t be disappointed!
In a sign of Florida’s continued attraction as a place to visit, live, work and invest, the National and Miami Association of Realtors 2017 Profile of International Activity states that foreign buyers purchased $153 billion of residential properties last year, approximately $50 billion more than in 2016. Though purchases were made throughout the U.S., Florida, Texas, California, New Jersey and Arizona accounted for 54% of the sales.
Out of Florida’s $24.2 billion of residential purchases by international buyers, South Florida accounted for $7.1 billion. Although the majority of these buyers were from South America, France and Italy were also in the top buying countries followed by Canada, Israel, Mexico, Russia and Switzerland. Increasing the diversity of South Florida’s population is great news and great for business! The top purchasing country in Miami-Dade was Venezuela 12%, in Broward it was Canada also with 12%, and in Palm Beach County Canada accounted for 31% of all international purchases.
Coconut Grove has been experiencing yet another revitalization. It has been through at least three cycles of boom to gloom since I moved here in the early 1990’s but, thanks to the commercial property owners, who formed the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District and agreed to tax themselves, this boom feels different. Why? Because the Coconut Grove BID has worked hard to create a community by taking on projects and neighborhood improvements that the City of Miami was not able or was unwilling to. From fixing sidewalks, trimming trees, and sponsoring three free community yoga classes a week through Dharma Studio, the BID has made the Grove a hangout for locals and tourists alike.
Popular Spill Over Restaurant
Since the BID formed in 2009, new restaurants such as Lokal and Spill Over, both by Matthew Kushner, Glass and Vine by Giorgio Rapicavoli, Strada, and Atchana’s to mention a few have moved in and prospered. SapientRazorfish, one of the largest interactive advertising companies in the world, moved into the Shops at Mayfair and Cocowalk is getting a much needed redesign and tenant mix. Any evening or weekend you can stroll through the shops, parks and restaurants and see the vibrant diversity of this popular neighborhood. If you like what you see, thank the commercial property owners and their BID!
Amendment 2 Is For Everybody photo credit: Brian Sharpe- Sharpe Properties
Amendment 2 Is For Everybody photo credit: Brian Sharpe- Sharpe Properties
Although this year’s elections aren’t until November and every one is pretty tired of politics, I have to take this opportunity before all of the other campaigning starts to talk about Amendment 2 and why it matters to you.
Amendment 2 is not a tax cut, it would make a current 10% cap on non-homesteaded property tax increases permanent. If Amendment 2 does not pass in November, the current cap will expire and property owners may see their taxes increase significantly. If you own commercial or non-homesteaded residential property, such as an investment property or second home, I think you can see how this would affect you. Even if you don’t own any property, significant tax increases on property will affect you. How? Your rent and the costs of goods and services may go up significantly.
First approved by voters in 2008 as part of the Save Our Homes portability constitutional amendment, the 10% cap on non-homesteaded properties was a non-partisan issue in the Florida Legislature last year. In order to get Amendment 2 got on 2018’s ballot, the Florida Senate passed it unanimously and the House passed it with 97% voting for it. As the Amendment tag line states: “Amendment 2 is for Everybody”.
Now that you know why Amendment 2 matters to you, please help get the word out to your neighbors, tenants, friends, business associates, and every Florida resident you know. Need more information or material to share? Check out www.EverybodyIsFor2.com
