By Kyle Coppola
Lake Square Mall in Leesburg Experiencing Rapid Growth
The excitement continues to grow at The Lake Square Mall in Leesburg. The mall just opened four new local businesses and more are on the way.
We have been told by Vonda R. Parker, who is in charge of leasing at Lake Square Mall, that up to six new businesses have filed to open up inside the mall. Details will emerge over the coming days and weeks. We should have a bigger report about what is coming by Monday.
(Vonda R. Parker who is in charge of Leasing at the Lake Square Mall with her husband and General Manager Max Parker Jr.)
This is an exciting time for Lake Square Mall. The local community is buzzing about the positive changes that this management team has been bringing to the table. During Covid, and even before Covid, the mall was going through some tough times. However, this caring group of managers led by Max Parker Jr. his wife Vonda R. Parker, along with Robin Reynolds and more, have slowly and methodically planned out a path for success.
The methods they are using are working. There is still a long way to go and we hope the mall is able to continue attracting some big time tenants in the future. But we want everyone to know that your voices are being heard. The more you talk about the mall, the more we support the local businesses that populate the mall, the more of a chance there is for big things to happen. Everytime you mention a store or something that could be better, this team hears that.
The mall will be hosting the number 1 rated haunted house in Lake County soon. The haunted house was a massive success last year and will continue to be a success this year. Joshua Blake, who is the Creative Arts Director at the mall, has some incredible plans in store. We look forward to this new annual tradition that the mall has started.
(Joshua Blake who is the Lake Square Mall Creative Arts Director has been working hard to create the scarriest halloween haunted house in Lake County this year!)
We are not allowed to talk about the stores that are currently in the process of coming to Lake Square Mall, but just know that Vonda Parker is fully invested in the well being of the mall. She has provided more positivity than the mall has seen in perhaps a decade, and that goes for the entire team at Lake Square Mall.
People can say what they want, but we have seen a dynamic shift in the presentation of the mall. The interior looks brighter with new artwork, and it looks cleaner than it has in the past. This has been attractive to small business owners who are beginning to populate the mall once more. I walked in a few days ago and actually heard voices and foot traffic. The mall seemed alive and people seemed really happy. It was a very positive thing to see.
(This dedicated team has opened 4 new businesses with a potential for 6 more on the way which would bring that total to 10 in just a few months. That is more growth than the mall has seen in years!)
Along with the new planned openings, the area will continue to undergo massive development in the area. The expansion of The Villages, Leesburg, Tavares, Eustis and other surrounding communities have only further made the mall even more lucrative. While other malls in the U.S. are dying, the Lake Square Mall is actually growing. This is a positive trend and one we are extremely happy about.
(General Mangaer of Lake Square Mall Max Parker Jr. says “I believe in this mall. The management team believes in this mall. We need the community to do the same and support our local businesses we are bringing in. That is how growth happens.”)
There are so many faces behind the scenes. Not only the management team, but the local business owners. Owners like Philip Brown, with OMG Coffee, chose the mall because the management team worked with him on creating the best product possible. The mall has more of a family feel than corporate these days. Vendors like that and it’s the reason businesses are wanting to flock back to the mall.
(Philip Brown opened OMG Coffee at the Lake Square Mall to much fanfare! The coffee shop is one of the most highly rated shops Lake County!)
Our hope is that Lake Square Mall gets full and there could be a waiting list! Honestly, the way things are trending, that may actually happen at some point in the future. Maybe sooner than we all think!
Keep supporting Lake Square Mall and local Leesburg businesses! The more this mall succeeds, the better it is for Lake County. We will have more information in the coming days and weeks.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
