12 businesses coming soon to University Town Center

Two business will be opening in University Town Center in the weeks ahead, and they mark the first of a dozen businesses coming to the shopping district bordering Sarasota and Manatee counties over the next year.

Florence and the Spice Boys will bring its Middle Eastern street cuisine to a 2,500-square-foot location in the West District at UTC starting April 28. The eatery began out of a food truck in 2019 and opened its first restaurant in The Landings in 2022. This will be the second brightly colored, brick-and-mortar establishment for the business, located at 257 N. Cattlemen Road, Unit 90.

L.L. Bean is also opening its doors this spring. It will hold a grand opening May 9. This is the first location in the Southeast and in Florida for the Maine-based retailer. The clothing and outdoor store will be in a 17,000-square-foot space near Target at 111 N. Cattlemen Road in the West District at UTC. The first 100 customers at the store on May 9 and on May 10 will receive a $50 L.L. Bean gift card. The line starts at 6 a.m. The L.L. Bean Bootmobile will also be on site.

Here are some other upcoming openings in the next year, according to a blog post from UTC:

• CITY Furniture is opening a 120,000-square-foot showroom adjacent to Tesla this spring.
• Furniture and accessories store Design Within Reach will open its first store on the west coast of Florida on the lower level of The Mall at UTC this summer.
• Rita’s Italian Ice is coming soon to the Shoppes at UTC. 
• Japanese restaurant Zōtō is coming soon to 190 N. Cattlemen Road in the West District at UTC, brought by James Beard-nominated restaurateurs Jimmy and Johnny Tung.
• Greek restaurant Blu Kouzina, which has a location on St. Armands Circle, is set to open in the West District at UTC, adjacent to Ford’s Garage, later this year.
• Canadian-based clothing retailer Garage is coming soon to The Mall at UTC.
• Southern California jewelry brand Gorjana is also coming soon to The Mall at UTC.
• Construction is underway in the West District at UTC to bring three popular Tampa restaurants to the area. Italian eatery Olivia and contemporary American restaurant On Swann will be built in back-to-back locations on North Cattlemen Road. They are expected to open in 2026. Across the way next to Ethan Allen will be Spanish restaurant Bulla Gastrobar.

Currently, UTC is home to more than 300 retailers. The shopping district is owned and managed by Benderson Development.