Entertainment | David Critzer, REALTOR®

Mercato launches ‘refresh’ mid-month. What will it look like at Collier entertainment hub?

Phil Fernandez | Naples Daily News

Mercato this month will begin a reboot that we first told you about two years ago at the Naples destination near Vanderbilt Beach Road and U.S. 41.

Most anyone will tell you it can get a bit uncomfortable in the 450,000-square-foot shopping and restaurant district when cars converge with pedestrians or bicyclists, and its new owners a couple of summers ago promised us a reposition as part of “elevating Mercato (to) a people-oriented entertainment hub.”

Well, here’s what to know about what the honchos have tabbed as a more “walkable, experiential oasis (in) strengthening Mercato’s relevance and relationship with the community.”

What is Mercato in Naples, Florida missing? How will it be addressed?
“While Mercato does have a few small social gathering spots, it’s missing a central space that can host large-scale events and encourage guests to stay a while,” said Nick Lombardo, vice president of development at North American Properties, also known as NAP. “We’re looking forward to redefining the Piazza and creating a lively experience for our guests.”

The “reinvention” plans call for tripling the size of the 3,000-square-foot Piazza adjacent to Bravo Italian Kitchen and Narrative Coffee Roasters, and “creating a more connected, pedestrian-friendly environment” throughout the center, Lombardo said.

Get all the details, read the full story on naplesnews.com.

Find a home convenient to great restaurants and entertainment in southwest Florida. Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.

New stores and restaurants headed to Mercato in 2024

By Naples News Now | June 4, 2024

Mercato, the popular mixed-use development in North Naples, is welcoming several exciting new additions to its dining and shopping lineup in 2024.

Birch Lane
Wayfair is opening a new Birch Lane furniture store at Mercato this summer, taking over the former 9,994-square-foot space of Z Gallerie. Birch Lane is a specialty brand from Wayfair that curates a selection of timeless home furnishings, seasonal decor, and classic anchor pieces.

Tap 42 Craft Kitchen & Bar
Tap 42 Craft Kitchen & Bar, a Florida-based casual dining concept, is targeted to open in the former AZN Azian Cuizine space at the end of June or beginning of July. Tap 42 will bring its expansive bar, boozy brunch offerings, and popular American fare like calamari towers and baby back ribs to Mercato.

Waxin’s
Shortly after Tap 42’s opening, Waxin’s, an upscale Swedish-American restaurant and bar, plans to launch in the former space of The Counter custom burger bar. Waxin’s is known for its classic Swedish and American cuisines, particularly its signature Swedish meatballs.

Beeline Ales & Spirits
Beeline Ales & Spirits, an upscale cocktail bar concept from Cincinnati-based 4EG (Four Entertainment Group), is coming to Mercato near the end of 2024. The 4,000-square-foot space at 9115 Strada Place, Suite 5155 will offer patrons a unique selection of craft cocktails, ales, and spirits. Beeline focuses on providing an elevated cocktail lounge experience with a curated drinks menu. Construction is anticipated to start this summer, with an expected opening in late 2024.

Read on for more on naplesnewsnow.com.

U.S. News ‘Best Places to Live’ list revealed: Is Naples No. 1?

Dave Osborn | Naples Daily News

Neapolitans believe Naples is an awesome place to live, and U.S. News & World Report agrees.

Naples ranks No. 1 in its annual Best Places to Live in the U.S., the only Florida city to make the top 10. The Southwest Florida city often rank high on various “best” lists by the national magazine and others, usually noted for its weather and quality of life.

“I love seeing sunshine almost every day,” said Mark Danni, founder and artistic director of TheatreZone, who’s lived in Naples for 22 years. “I love that Naples has a wide variety of live performing arts groups where Neapolitans can see so many different performing arts productions throughout the year.”

Naples in the past decade also has become more familiar as the Pickleball Capital of the World. The region in April again hosted the another U.S. Open Pickleball Championships. The very first championships were played in Naples in 2016.

What other Florida cities made the list? Read the full article on naplesnews.com.

Looking for a home in the Naples – Bonita Springs – Marco Island area? Contact David at 239-285-1086 or David@DavidFlorida.com

Naples Players shares inside access to $21M theater renovations

Dave Osborn and Jonah Hinebaugh | Naples Daily News

Downtown Naples continues to experience a theater renaissance.

As Gulfshore Playhouse plans to open its new $72 million, 400-seat theater later this year, The Naples Players in June will unveil its new Kizzie Theater in downtown Naples.

The $21 million renovation of The Naples Players’ Sugden Community Theatre caps a three-year project that will culminate June 26, when the theater company will offer “42nd Street,” to run through July 21.

The newly renovated Kizzie Theater features state-of-the-art technology, a balcony and additional accessibility accommodations, The Naples Players said in a recent news release.

The 44,500-square-foot facility also boasts a 450-seat Broadway-style theater, a 105-seat Black Box theater and a 105-seat Educational Theater. It will house new costume shops, rehearsal studios and more.

For those who can’t wait until late June to see the theater, a grand reopening is planned for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 1, and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2. It’s free but patrons are encouraged to call the Box Office to reserve their seats, at (239) 263-7990.

See the photos on naplesnews.com.

Do you want to find a home in the vibrant Naples area? Contact David at 239-285-1086 or David@DavidFlorida.com

No talking? No texting? Naples’ new Alamo Drafthouse, a movie lover’s paradise

Charles Runnells | Naples Daily News

Alamo Drafthouse might be the coolest movie-theater chain in America. And they’ve just opened their first Florida spot ― right here in Naples.

So, of course, I had to drop everything and go.

Immediately.

I’m a huge fan of movies ― whether it’s arthouse cinema or the latest Marvel/Star Wars blockbuster. And film nuts like me know and revere the name Alamo Drafthouse.

Dinner at your theater seat? A beautiful picture and sound you feel in your bones? A zero-tolerance policy for people who talk or text during the movie?

That sounds like paradise to me.

Two tickets, please.

Silverspot left last summer, Alamo Drafthouse filled Mercato space

I’ve been wanting to go to an Alamo Drafthouse ever since seeing a CBS Sunday Morning segment on the theater chain in 2016. But I thought I’d never get the chance.

Then we got the news last year: Alamo was taking over the former Silverspot Cinema at North Naples’ shopping center Mercato.

Why Naples? General manager Brock Cowgill says they’d been wanting to expand into Florida, and it was easier to move into a preexisting theater than to build an all-new one.

“But it’s also a great market,” Cowgill says. “The southwest part of Florida is growing rapidly.”

Whatever their reasons, I’m glad they’re here. So just six days after the Alamo opened April 29, my girlfriend Silvia and I climbed into my car and made the 45-minute drive south from Cape Coral to North Naples.

And that long drive was totally worth it. Especially for Silvia, who stopped going to movie theaters years ago because of annoying people.

Read more of Charles and Sylvia’s experience at Alamo Drafthouse on naplesnews.com.

Hellfire Burger to goat cheese pizza: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema menu offers variety

Dave Osborn | Naples Daily News

There’s movie theater popcorn and then there’s Alamo Drafthouse Cinema popcorn.

Picking the film will be the easy part. Movie-goers will then have to choose from the traditional Bottomless Popcorn ($9.95, with real butter and free refills); Truffle Herb Parmesan Popcorn ($11.95); and Churro Popcorn ($11.95, “tossed with custom blend of cinnamon, sugar, maple & vanilla”).

The new theater at Mercato in North Naples opens April 29, in the same location as Silverspot, which opened in 2009 ― one year after the outdoor shopping and entertainment center opened.

With so many food and drink choices, if Billy Joel tried to include them all in a song, it would be longer than his 4½-minute 1989 hit “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

What else to know about the movie house.

More than Goobers and Gummi Bears
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema serves candy including M&M’s and Sour Patch Kids, but it’s the extensive menu for food and drinks that makes it stand out more than most other movie house companies.

There are 11 starters, including the three popcorn options but also healthier choices like vegan cauliflower bites and avocado toast; seven sandwiches, from the Hellfire Burger to the Beyond Meat Vegan Burger; four salads; three entrees, including fish & chips; seven pizzas choices, including Brussels Sprout, Bacon & Goat Cheese; five flavors of shakes; and four kids only options, like mini-corn dogs.

And the drink options are about as robust, with 24 beers on draft; 11 “bottles and cans” choices for beers, White Claw and more; nine red wines, such as a $120 bottle of Benton Lane Pinot Noir from Oregon; six white wines; five rose and sparkling; and a dozen signature cocktails, like the Habanero Margarita, Alamo Old Fashioned and Bourbon Peach Smash.

There’s more: 17 whiskeys, including a couple 10-year bourbons; nine agaves; five gins; seven rums; five vodkas; two Brandies; three “boozy shakes”; and one non-alcoholic drink (Seedlip Grove 42).

Read the full article on naplesnews.com.

There are many wonderful home ownership opportunities in Naples and the surrounding Southwest Florida areas of Bonita Springs and Marco Island? Contact David to find a home that suits your needs, Call 239-285-1086 or David@DavidFlorida.com