The city issued a permit Jan. 3 for interior demolition to renovate the former Blackfinn Ameripub in The Markets at Town Center Market for Ballard Designs.
U.S. Construction Group of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, is the contractor for the $85,000 project to demolish the space, including the mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment and the selective demolition of the exterior finishes and parapets.
The project includes interior and exterior work to convert the building from restaurant use, meaning all kitchen-related construction will be removed.
Ballard Designs said Nov. 8 it signed a lease to renovate the former Blackfinn Ameripub at 4840 Big Island Drive, relocating from an inline space at the nearby St. Johns Town Center.
The permit specifies demolition in 9,620 square feet of interior space and a small portion of exterior space.
The Atlanta-based home-decor furnishings, design and accessories store intends to renovate the closed restaurant in 2022 and open in the first quarter of 2023.
“The Jacksonville market has always been a very popular market for our guests. Now they’ll get to see even more product, in a new setting and still with our exceptional standards of excellence,” said Dominic Milanese Jr., senior director of retail for Ballard Designs.
Milanese said Nov. 8 that Ballard Designs will move from about 9,000 square feet it leases at 10275 Buckhead Branch Drive, No. 101.
The Blackfinn space will be renovated into a 12,000-square-foot store that will allow Ballard Designs to dedicate about 1,000 square feet to showcase its outdoor furniture and decor, he said.
Milanese declined to disclose the renovation cost but said it would a multimillion-dollar project.
The Shopping Center Group partner and Senior Vice President Stephanie McCullough and Vice President Kelly Pulignano represented former The Markets at Town Center landlord, Hines, in the lease deal.
Milanese said the move will coincide with the lease expiration at St. Johns Town Center.
“The existing store has been in the same space for close to 15 years,” he said, calling it “a really great location..”
He said Ballard Designs will work with a new layout and fixtures “while staying relevant and sharing a more evolved space, much like our clients do with their own homes.”
Milanese said Ballard Designs started as a catalog company and created an online presence. It began expanding into stores about 15 years ago, and Jacksonville was one of its first.
In 1997, it joined Cornerstone Brands, which became part of Home Shopping Network Inc. In 2017, QVC bought Ballard, sister brands and HSN and rebranded as Qurate Retail Group.
