Ida Claire Jacksonville LLC bought the closed Mimi's Cafe property on an outparcel at St. Johns Town Center on Thursday for conversion into its “Ida Claire, South of Ordinary” concept.
The Dallas-based company bought the property from FLLM LLC, based in Orlando, for $2.7 million, according to Leasing Advisor Kelly Pulignano with The Shopping Center Group.
Mimi's Cafe was one of the original restaurants around St. Johns Town Center, which opened in 2005. The property is at 10209 River Coast Drive.
Pulignano and Stephanie McCullough, a partner in the group, represented FLLM LLC in the transaction.
“We had a significant amount of interest in this asset, however identifying the right user was key,” McCullough said.
Ida Claire has one location in Dallas and its concept is geared toward providing customers a “Southern-inspired” experience.
“Most restaurants in this market do very well, however, some of the brands that are struggling nationally are not exempt from closures even in the strongest trade areas,” McCullough said, referring to Mimi's, which recently closed.
McCullough and Pulignano represent landlords in leasing and sales.
Their strategy is to “assess the health of each user we work with and engage with ones that we think will both upgrade the co-tenancy of the center or development and also be a compliment to the market versus adding a use that directly competes with several others.”
Ida Claire is part of Front Burner Dining Group LLC. Pulignano said John Artope, executive vice president of SRS Real Estate Partners in Orlando, represented Ida Claire.
The city is reviewing plans for Ida Claire to convert the location at an estimated cost of $850,000.
The almost 7,500-square-foot building, on 1.23 acres, also has patio space of about 1,000 square feet.
Another permit application was submitted for an $8,000 project to rework the patio area with a new deck and a 15-seat Airstream trailer and dining space area to be used for lounge seating and private dining.
Plans indicate seating in the dining areas, at the bar, on the patio and in the trailer.
The ida-claire.com site describes the restaurant as “an intriguing, southern-inspired destination for relaxing suppers, slow weekend brunching or a meeting hub for business lunches and happy hour.”
The Dallas Ida Claire serves breakfast, lunch and supper daily and weekend brunch. The bar offerings include cocktails, beer and wine.