It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a parking lot, it’s… virtual golf?
The rumors of what will become of Sun-Ray Cinema’s space in Historic Five Points have been flying since April, and now that the building has sold, more unanswered questions remain.
In a problem not unique to Sun-Ray — but perhaps specific to the Jacksonville business scene in general — theater owners heard rumors about its potential replacements before ink was dried on paper.
Sun-Ray, which has operated a two-screen movie theater at the 1028 Park St. building in Historic Five Points since 2011, will vacate its building at the end of July after Union South Partners purchased the building. A news release said Union South Partners is “in active discussions” with multiple entertainment operators for a new lease for the space.
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But before this announcement in May, the rumor mill ran amok.
First, there was a petition going around in mid-April to prevent the theater, which has historic landmark protections, from being razed.
The petition caused an uproar on social media as Sun-Ray patrons leapt to the cinema’s defense, but it also alleged that the movie theater would be bulldozed to make space for a parking garage, which would involve a lengthy process to remove city protections for the property as a designated historic landmark.
This isn’t the first time rumors about a business’s potential departure or eviction have spread like wildfire. And it wouldn’t be the last for Sun-Ray either.
The latest murmurings about the theater building’s future include it being turned into a virtual golf course.
So what is it about Jacksonville businesses that attract so much gossip about their future?
An uphill battle for small businesses
For starters, many of Jacksonville’s favorite local businesses don’t own the buildings at which they are located.
Neighborhood fixtures like Sun-Ray are at the mercy of building owners when the time to resign a lease comes. A similar story unfolded with a favorite local restaurant in Riverside: Southern Roots Filling Station.
In 2022, Southern Roots was the subject of social media discourse when it announced it would need to vacate its space due to unsustainable rent increases after ownership of the building changed.
The old Southern Roots space, at 1275 King St., still sits empty now, about a year and a half after public outcry and support to keep it in the area.
Even more recently, another two additional local businesses found themselves out of their respective spaces in the fall when a Springfield building’s owner didn’t renew leases for BobbyK Boutique and Bark on Main.
Jamee Yocum-Pittman, co-owner of Bark on Park and formerly Bark on Main, said the store opened in December of 2018 as a sublet of Bobby Kelley’s lease for BobbyK Boutique. Yocum-Pittman, who has owned Bark on Park since 2009, said it was a “great building, great location and great landlord” at the Main Street store.
She said she was blindsided by not being offered a lease renewal after they hit five years.
“It’s a bummer for Springfield. It’s a bummer for the landlord. I don’t have any ill feelings against him, it is business. But, it sucks,” she said. “It’s a great little spot. We put a lot of work into it. There’s not a lot that we can do if the landlords are keeping these spaces for themselves or maybe overcharging rent.”
The storefronts on Main Street in Springfield currently sit empty.
Kelley said he had planned to resign his lease but wasn’t given the opportunity. Now, he said he wouldn’t have resigned if asked again because of the way “the public chooses to interact with businesses.”
“When we announced we were closing, which, mind you, wasn’t a choice, we were met with a wave of public opinion,” Kelley said. “From ‘wow that sucks’ to ‘you must not be a good business owner if you’re getting evicted,’ which wasn’t the case at all.”
The experience is not a unique one for many Jacksonville business owners.
“I will say, I know our situation was really not that bad comparatively,” Kelley added. “I meet with local businesses all week long just to catch up and chat, and I hear some of the most unhinged [stories] constantly.”
Matt Pittman, co-owner of the Bark stores, said a few months after the store closed in May 2023, they were “offered the opportunity to renew their lease.” Pittman said they closed before their lease was officially up to start the transition back to a singular location and that it would have been costly to try to move everything back into the space.
“[It’s] the worst thing for neighborhoods like Springfield and Riverside,” he said. “We hate to see empty store space. It’s sad, and it’s not helping anyone out. You are, as a business owner, trying to help build up the business community with everyone. We were happy to be there and help promote the neighborhood and showcase those businesses as well.”
Both former Springfield staples have yet to open new storefronts in Jacksonville — and Kelley said his focus is on other plans for now. Pittman said the option to expand again is always on their mind, but the right opportunity has yet to come.
Five Points has seen high business turnover in recent years. Who else will be impacted by the sale of Sun-Ray’s building?
In the wake of the news of Sun-Ray’s uncertain future, other businesses at the theater building talked about what the sale could mean for them in the long term, even as their leases are being honored or have been renewed.
The building also houses the office space for Wingard, a marketing firm that has been in Five Points since its founding in 2008.
David Wingard, founder and CEO of the company, said in an email that Wingard “has been proud to call the historic Five Points Theatre building home for the past several years.”
Wingard said he has a history with the building and the Shad family as they leased a single office to him to launch the agency 16 years ago.
Wingard said that “multiple iconic businesses have called Five Points and this building home for many years” and he hopes they can remain there as well.
Also part of the same building is Brew, a local coffee shop which has been in Five Points for 10 years this July.
The theater building’s businesses have seen some turnover in the last year, including the closure of Pizza Cave, which was part of Sun-Ray Cinema’s property, in February and Motion Sweets in late 2023.
Park Street in Five Points itself has also seen the losses of some businesses with Crane Ramen’s abrupt closure in late 2022 and Bogers Shoes moving from its original Riverside store, where it had been since the 1950s, to Orange Park in November.
The new owner of the theater building emphasized that it “intends to invest significant capital into the theater space to enhance and improve it as a destination for entertainment while preserving the theater’s historic fabric.”
But until concrete plans are announced, the rumors will likely continue to fly.
Local News
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