Classic apparel brand is opening in UTC area in Sarasota

Samantha Gholar, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Updated ·2 min read
J. Crew Factory will open Thursday, Aug. 17 at The Shoppes at UTC, across from the University Town Center Mall. The new store adds to the growing roster of retail and restaurants at the busy west side of University Parkway's intersection with Interstate 75. The J. Crew Factory is at 8107 Cooper Creek Blvd., on the north side of University Parkway.
J. Crew Factory will open Thursday, Aug. 17 at The Shoppes at UTC, across from the University Town Center Mall. The new store adds to the growing roster of retail and restaurants at the busy west side of University Parkway's intersection with Interstate 75. The J. Crew Factory is at 8107 Cooper Creek Blvd., on the north side of University Parkway.

SARASOTA — A new tenant at The Shoppes at UTC opens Thursday, Aug. 17 across from the University Town Center mall, with J. Crew Factory adding to the region's growing lineup of retail options.

The upscale clothing apparel brand will open at the growing Benderson Development-owned shopping district, offering colorful styles for women, men, and kids along with surprise in-store-only deals during its grand opening at 8107 Cooper Creek Blvd., near the former Party City store location in The Shoppes at UTC.

The classic-style clothing brand has been offering stylish clothing items to its customers for 40 years.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of this community,” says Jody Gietl, head of J.Crew Factory. “We’re looking forward to offering families great styles for every occasion, all at compelling prices.”

University Town Center, or UTC, is owned and operated by Benderson Development on the border of Sarasota and Manatee counties.

UTC properties span over 4 million square feet and boast a combined four districts—The Shoppes at UTC, the West District at UTC, the Market at UTC, and the Square at UTC. The districts in total feature more than 250 specialty stores, 80-plus restaurants, hotels, and over 250,000 square feet of office space.

Stores and restaurants have steadily opened around the Univesity Town Center area in 2023, the latest being the slated opening of Miami-based Pura Vida, an all-day cafe with wellness-conscious quick meals and locally sourced ingredients. The 2,000-square-foot cafe will be in the West District at UTC and the first location to expand to the Southwest Florida coast.

Earlier this year, Benderson announced its largest major retailer addition to the UTC area, REI-Corp. The highly-anticipated outdoor-lovers supply store was added to the lineup of retailers in the spring and will be the next major store to open at UTC.

REI-corp is slated for an early November opening according to Benderson's communication representative Julie Fanning.

More: Arriving this spring, new businesses at University Town Center

ICYMI: Luxury scent company opens in Sarasota-Manatee

REI slated for UTC: Famed national outdoor recreation retail store coming to Sarasota-Manatee

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New J. Crew clothing store opens at Shoppes at UTC in Sarasota Aug. 17