Florida TS1 LLC, a franchisee of Town Square, will bring the concept’s first Florida location to Sarasota, having signed an 11,120-square-foot lease in the Oaks Plaza shopping center at 3880 Central Sarasota Parkway. Sarasota’s Town Square Palmer Ranch, expected to open this summer, will be an innovative 1950s-themed day center for seniors with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
George Brusco, CCIM, of Ian Black Real Estate represented the landlord, BLDG Sarasota, LLC, and Bacael Sarasota, LLC, in the lease transaction. Gina Giuggio of Newmark represented the tenant.
Town Square Palmer Ranch will offer a safe, comforting and engaging environment where seniors with Alzheimer’s and dementia can spend the day. With a 1950s Main Street theme that features storefronts – including a diner, theater, library, pub, city hall, health club and more – Town Square provides extensive programming and a robust events calendar to provide opportunities for activities, socialization and care for members.
“Studies show that people with Alzheimer’s and dementia often retain memories from when they were between the ages of 15 and 25; hence, the 1950s retro-theme at Town Square, which can bring positive cognitive effects for people struggling with memory issues,” said Michael Finn, who, along with business partner Wendy Rickenbach-Barclay, owns the Sarasota Town Square franchise. “Town Square is all about engaging our members who need this type of interaction during the day. It also provides peace of mind and relief to their caregivers.”
Currently, Town Square concepts are open in Perry Hall, M.D., and San Diego, Calif., with other locations expected to open soon in six other cities across the country.
“With Sarasota having one of the highest populations of seniors per capita in the state, this location makes good sense for Town Square’s first Florida franchise,” said Brusco, broker associate at Ian Black Real Estate.
Finn and Rickenbach-Barclay plan to open two additional Town Square locations along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Rickenbach-Barclay has a background in working with seniors, including those with memory issues. She owns CarePatrol, a company that assists seniors in finding assisted living and memory care communities, as well as in-home care services.
“There just isn’t anything like Town Square available to Sarasota’s seniors and their caregivers right now,” Finn said. “Town Square is a place where family members can feel great about leaving their loved ones for the entire day.”
Construction on the Town Square Palmer Ranch space will begin in January. It will include tearing down walls to combine what were previously three retail spaces into one, in addition to building out a 1950s “main street” with the different themed activity spaces.
For more information about Town Square: https://www.townsquare.net/.
About Ian Black Real Estate
Ian Black Real Estate (IBRE) is a boutique commercial real estate brokerage firm located in Sarasota, Fla. The firm is one of the largest commercial brokerage firms in Southwest Florida and boasts a deep knowledge of the commercial real estate market in Sarasota and Manatee counties and the surrounding area. For more information, visit ian-black.com.