VIDEO: Southside Village welcomes the return of familiar faces

For businesses in Southside Village, old news is good news.

Last week, Sam Snead’s American Grill reopened at its Osprey Avenue location, months after news broke that the restaurant was closing. Although it’s under new ownership, a majority of the staff is returning, and the rest of the neighborhood is happy to see the restaurant back in place.

Terry Hansen, general manager of Sam Snead’s, said the feedback he’s received so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

“They’re happy we’re back; we’re happy to be members of the neighborhood again,” Hansen said. “I think it’s a win-win for Sarasota.”

A former Siesta Key restaurant is also poised to open soon on Osprey Avenue. A sign in the former home of Lucia’s Pizza Italian Grill alerts passersby that Fandango Café is coming to the neighborhood. The reopening of the two restaurants has energized other business owners in the area.

“I think the path we have is a good path,” said Eddie Morton, co-owner of Morton’s Gourmet Market. “The main thing is keeping everybody vibrant and in business.”

Although the recent opening of the Mall at University Town Center has created fear within retail operations throughout the region, Southside Village merchants believe they’ll continue to thrive in the coming season.

“The mall is great, but we’re the neighborhood,” said Belinda Coffrin, owner of Coffrin Jewelers. “We’re your neighborhood jeweler, we’re your neighborhood restaurant, we’re your neighborhood market.”

Business Insider
The Observer video team talked to Southside Village businesses about activity in the area and the future of the neighborhood. Here are a couple excerpts of their responses:

On how the area has grown:
“Growing up here, when my dad worked for the people we bought the business from back in the ’50s, there were just a handful of business. Hillview was pretty vacant. … It was just one type of every business. Now, I guess what brings a lot of people here are all the varieties of restaurants. That’s probably the biggest change.”

— Eddie Morton, co-owner of Morton’s Gourmet Market

On the return of Sam Snead’s:
“There’s just a big buzz in Southside Village with Snead’s being back. We’ve always been an anchor of this neighborhood, and there’s just a great deal of excitement with our neighboring businesses.”

— Terry Hansen, general manager, Sam Snead’s American Grill