What are Kohl's, Five Below plans for SWFL? What's your most unusual Father's Day gift?

Now that we're done with Mother's Day — and honestly, they probably deserve at least two of those — it's onto the planning for Father's Day.

And it looks like pretty quickly you'll have more places to shop for dear old dad, based on the answers we've found on your questions. And you won't have to necessarily settle for something too wacky for him, which we'll talk more about later in today's column.

Quite a few of you are asking about the shopping centers in your neighborhoods including last week when we featured Lee County's Daniels Marketplace and Collier's Shoppes of Orange Blossom. This In the Know installment is just a sampling of the many queries we've received, and we'll target future write-ups on those topics.

Here's what to know.

'Do you have insight on opening of Kohl's at 41 and Bonita Beach Road?'

"Would appreciate any info you can dig up," Estero reader Carole Clark told me.

And In the Know appreciates you and what you're asking about the 281,394-square-foot Center of Bonita Springs shopping center at U.S. 41 and Bonita Beach Road, where about 90,000 or so motorists converge daily. This would help explain the 3 million visitors that hit the shops there every year, according to its owners, New York City-based Brixmor Property Group.

They hope to add to that with the anticipated summer arrival or even later in the third quarter of the 41,293-square-foot Kohl's, which continues to move through the building and permitting process and is about 40% there, according to the city of Bonita Springs, even though on the outside you'd think it's ready to go. Last week, workers received the go-ahead for the installation of 233 pendent sprinkler heads.

What will Cape Coral Kohl's store have that nearly all locations won't?

Kohl's isn't offering an exact date, but certainly Clark would like it to be sooner, considering that a busy Wednesday afternoon check showed a 30-minute drive from Estero to her nearest stores at Six Mile Cypress and Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers or just off Pine Ridge and Airport-Pulling roads in Naples.

There is no easy way for her either to Cape Coral on Pine Island Road although it was announced last week that it will be one of the few in the nation and only five in Florida that by autumn will have a Babies R Us shop within its store, which tells you a little about the increasingly younger demographics around there. For example, the 33909 zip code just east of Kohl's off Nicholas Parkway, has a U.S. Census median age of 38 while 33993 just north of it has a 42.6 median age compared to Lee County's overall 49.1, Collier's 52.2, Charlotte's 59.9 and Sumter's 68.3.

"We can’t share the exact dates of the Babies R Us opening plans just yet," Corporate Communications Advisor Tara Hernandez told In the Know, with the organization still trying to figure out the specifics. "The Babies R Us shops inside Kohl's will range from 750 to 2,500 square feet of dedicated space inclusive of baby gear, activity, bath, furniture, feeding and safety products. This space will complement Kohl’s existing assortment of baby apparel which will be adjacent to the new offerings, creating a comprehensive baby shop for customers."

What are the late nights at new Burlington in Bonita Springs, Florida?

The Wisconsin-based chain, which dates to 1962 and has 50 Sunshine State and more than 1,100 national spots, has hired its Bonita Kohl's manager, and is now on the hunt for an assistant manager.

Next to the future Kohl's in part of what had been an Old Time Pottery and a Kmart along the way, Jersey's discount retailer Burlington Stores made its official debut Friday in 28,640 square feet, its 104th in Florida and more than 1,000 nationally.

“We’re continuing to expand our footprint across the country," said CEO Michael O’Sullivan of the entrant, which opens at 9 a.m. every day. Its closing hours are later than most retailers, going until 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 p.m. Sunday. Based on the 54,340-square-foot anchor Publix there that used to shut down at 10 p.m. and now closes an hour earlier (and matches what Kohl's is expected to do) we're pretty sure that'll be a good time to avoid lines.

Also upcoming: Petar’s Restaurant is expanding into the adjacent 3,855 square feet that was previously occupied by Sally Beauty, Brixmor spokeswoman Maria Pace said Friday.

What is the Southwest Florida strategy for Brixmor Property Group?

For Brixmor, the Center of Bonita is central to its overall company game plan that was discussed during its earnings call this month, when it reported net income of $88.9 million for the first quarter.

It's "the clustering strategy we have deployed with great success over the last few years in places like Southwest Florida," said Chief Operating Officer Brian T. Finnegan. "We continue to capitalize not only on the positive trends in open-air retail, but on the work our team has done in transforming this portfolio."

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What does it mean to cluster plazas in Collier and Lee counties, Florida?

"As we continue to cluster investments as we have in the past, we see the ability to drive value," said Chief Investment Officer Mark T. Horgan, who has built Brixmor plaza holdings to 359 including Southwest Florida's half-dozen, like the 2021 pickups of Bonita and North Naples Granada Shoppes. Bonita "came in with some really great redevelopment opportunities. (We) can be much more efficient with operations. When you're a large landlord in a market, you can be very efficient with the contracts you get for cleaning and things like that.

"Ultimately, when you're a larger landlord in a market, you know where retailers want to be. You've got the leasing folks who are laser-focused on signing where retailers want to move to and that helps us both with the assets we run today. It also helps us find opportunities to buy something and know where we can drive value. So we're not really guessing where the value can be driven on acquisitions. We have a real clear business plan as to where retailers want to be, what the center is missing, what's needed to do to get the center up to speed."

What's the game plan for Trader Joe's shopping center in Naples, Florida?

Beyond Bonita, Brixmor's boosting 306,981-square-foot Granada, home to, among others, Trader Joe's, Marshalls and Collier County's only Cheddars that one of my favorite readers, Nancy McDermott, keeps me updated on, hence her In the Know title of The Great McD.

On the menu of official debuts: Furniture-related HomeSense on May 30, discount Five Below May 31, with a soft opening likely sooner; and Connors Steak & Seafood early next year in the 14,490 square feet that had belonged to Dollar Tree, which moved elsewhere on the property this month. No longer on its list for now is Chick-fil-A, according to Brixmor, which is seeking a lease for the outparcel that previously hosted Red Robin and Applebee's on Tamiami Trail near Immokalee Road.

More on the Five Below front, according to the retailer: A planned May 31 debut in Fort Myers Cypress Trace plaza, 13300 S. Cleveland Ave.

What are other Brixmor efforts in Collier County and Southwest Florida?

"The Naples market is a great illustration of how we identify property and seek out the embedded value in each asset," said Chris Ralph, Brixmor vice-president for leasing. "If you get off an I-75 exit and go to 41, you're going to find a Brixmor property.

"We previously redeveloped Park Shore with Burlington and Saks OFF 5th. Then you move down all the way further to Naples Plaza, which is a Publix-anchored center. (Then) going further down to 41 and Collier is Freedom (Square) where we had recently opened Planet Fitness, Burlington and HomeGoods and then further down to the south is Marco Town Center, which we just reopened with a Publix-anchored center totally relevant to the community in our beach-themed total destination shopping center."

When is Barnes & Noble moving to Park Shore Plaza in Naples, Florida?

It's next to that Saks at Park Shore Plaza off Neapolitan Way, where Barnes & Nobles is moving from Waterside Shops to a larger 35,080-square-foot berth, according to Janine Flanigan, Barnes & Noble senior director for store planning and design.

"Our lease was coming to an end," the New York City-based Flanigan told In the Know. "The move gives us the opportunity to open a brand-new store, in our new design and to do so on one level. Our existing store will close this summer. Our new store will open shortly after, sometime in September. We encourage our customers to shop in our Estero store while the team prepares the new store."

Waterside owners aren't offering particulars and continue to be mum on what they have in mind for that vacating site and other available slots including the old Nordstrom's off Seagate Drive and Tamiami Trail. But most recently, California-based Jenni Kayne opened its first Florida clothing brick and mortar, to go with about a dozen in some of the nation's highest priced shopping districts, such as Atlanta Buckhead and New York City's Madison Avenue and Tribeca.

What expanding company's headed to Collier's Freedom Square in Fla.?

At Freedom, off Collier Boulevard, Fort Myers-based SalonPlex Suites plans to open its first Collier County venue later this year to go with more than a half-dozen others mostly in Lee County for the expanding beauty operation that dates to 2014.

“Expansion into the Naples market has been a long-time goal," said Kristin Little, chief operating officer, who plans more places in Florida. "Naples is experiencing wild and expansive growth, and we knew we had to be here. (The) expansion into Collier County symbolizes an exciting chapter in our journey."

What may be one of the more unique tenants in a SWFL shopping plaza?

Also new to Freedom in a similar 5,000 square feet is perhaps one of the more unique tenants one would see in a shopping center. Naples Pong, behind the Burlington, offers various daily and long-term memberships, and Collier County owner Flint Lane launched Major League Table Tennis, the sport's first professional circuit on the continent that just completed its inaugural season with the April 28 championship in Chicago.

"As we embark on a new chapter, we have been dedicated to fostering a vibrant table tennis community in Princeton, New Jersey, and now in Naples," said General Manager Jeff Yamada, noting Princeton Pong has operated successfully for about a decade.

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What's the most unique Father's Day gift you've seen? Tell me about it.

Maybe I'm a little biased, but it just appears Father's Day doesn't get quite the same love as Mother's Day even if it can be fun.

Ma or the significant other seem to get the better presents, and well, Dad, for some reason, will at times receive something downright wacky.

So here's your chance to tell me about the most unique, coolest or maybe just weirdest or funniest Father's Day gifts you've received or given. And if you have photos, share those, too, and it might get chosen for a future In the Know. Plus, if you have a theory on why this happens every year more to Daddy than the better half, would love to hear that as well. The contact info is below, and .you can also post your favorite memories on this story that can be found on the News-Press and Naples Daily News Facebook pages.

Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com) grew up in Southwest Florida and has led Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. He writes In the Know, one of USA TODAY Network's most read local news columns in the state. Support democracy. Subscribe to a newspaper.