While in Orlando for Surf Expo, I visited the newly expanded Disney Springs shopping center.
The center has long been home to Curl by Sammy Duvall, which has grown into one of the highest volume stores in the industry and is known for its elevated presentation.
Now, Disney has nearly doubled the size of the sprawling center, and it is filled with a huge selection of apparel, footwear and accessories stores, and restaurants.
Volcom opened a beautiful store at the far end of the expanded area, and Oakley appears to be opening a store right next door to Volcom, judging by the sign on the window.
In addition to an Oakley store, Luxottica has opened a shop called Apex by Sunglass Hut at the center, which is focused on a sport-oriented shopper and uses skateboards, surfboards and wakeboards as decorations.
The expanded Disney Springs has many large and eye-catching stores from brands such as Ugg, Free People, Uniqlo, Under Armour, Anthropologie, Zara, Everything but Water, and Superdry.
Sanuk already has a store at the center, which opened in early 2015.
When I was there, the center was not busy. But it was in the middle of the day and very hot. The new stores are beautiful, but I found the sprawling design and disparate shopping areas connected by bridges and pathways confusing to navigate.
Like many tourist spots, especially in Florida, traffic has slowed in part due to the challenging Brazilian economy and strong dollar, which has dampened tourism spending from South America.
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