A former Japanese steakhouse that operated in Arlington since about 1979 is slated for renovation for O’Steen’s Auto Body.
It moves O’Steen’s Auto Body to a more visible location along Atlantic Boulevard, which has become a major Jacksonville auto dealership corridor.
The body shop repairs all makes and models, but specializes in Jaguar, Land Rover, Volkswagen, BMW, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.
Those dealerships, and several others, operate along Atlantic Boulevard from the Regency area through Kernan Boulevard.
A sign at the 10055 Atlantic Blvd. location says the new O’Steen’s Auto Body business is coming soon.
O’Steen’s Auto Body, led by Mark O’Steen, operates nearby at 241 Tresca Road. That site is about a third of a mile north of the new location.
O’Steen could not be reached for comment.
He also is the manager of MODO Properties LLC, which as the trustee for the Atlantic Land Trust, bought the restaurant property Jan. 12.
MODO paid $825,000 for the site from Tran and Duong Corp. Records show Tony Hung Duong issued a five-year $660,000 mortgage to MODO.
Tran and Duong Corp. bought the property for $710,000 in 2000 from Yano Corp., led by Takatoshi Yano.
Some area residents might remember the Yano family running the property as the popular Shogun Steak and Seafood restaurant.
The family also operated the trendy Ieyasu of Tokyo restaurant Downtown, which attracted lunch and evening diners to the urban core.
The Atlantic Boulevard restaurant more recently operated as Mt. Fuji Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar and the Kabuto Steakhouse.
The building on the 1.27-acre Atlantic Boulevard site is about 7,300 square feet. The city issued a re-roofing permit for MODO in February.
Mark and Donna O’Steen bought the Tresca Road location in 1998. At about 11,000 square feet, it sits on less than an acre.
Hollister downsizing at Town Center
Hollister is downsizing its teen-clothing store at St. Johns Town Center.
A pending permit shows Hollister will decrease space to about 4,500 square feet at a construction cost of $925,000. No contractor is specified on the application.
Hollister leases space at 4764 River City Drive, No. 101. Permit records show 6,730 square feet of space was built-out for Hollister in 2004.
“We are updating this Hollister location to follow our new store model, which is more open and provides a better shopping experience for the customer,” the company said in an email.
It expects the project should be completed by early fall.
Hollister is a brand of Abercrombie & Fitch Co., a specialty retailer of casual clothing for men, women and children.
Hollister, which models itself as inspired by Southern California, also operates at the Orange Park Mall.
Abercrombie & Fitch’s LinkedIn profile says its almost 1,000 worldwide stores comprise 570 Hollister, 279 Abercrombie & Fitch and 125 Abercrombie Kids stores.
More than 400 Hollister stores operate in the U.S., with the highest counts in California, Florida, Texas and New York.
A 2014 Wall Street Journal report said Abercrombie began rolling out Hollister stores in 2000 to appeal to the younger-teen set while its namesake stores targeted a college-age audience.
The Journal said that after the recession, Abercrombie began trying to create a new profile. Teens had turned more to fast-fashion stores like H&M and Forever 21.
In the fiscal year that ended Jan. 30, net sales for Abercrombie fell 7 percent to $1.64 billion and they dropped 4 percent to $1.88 billion for Hollister.
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