Wilton Collective, the high-end consignment shop on Wilton Drive, is on the move. In February, they are leaving their spot across from The Venue/The Manor and moving into the old Holy Mackerel location in Island City Plaza on 26th St.

Rumors of a move have been swirling for months, but details of when and where are just coming out.

“I’m excited about the location,” founder Julian Cavazos said. “We’ll be duplicating what we have [at the current store] but will have more space. We can bring in more vendors.”

He believes the new space creates new opportunities for the store’s mission, which is to help LGBTQ youth find a safe space and develop life skills. It’s all part of the larger organization, Julian’s Fountain of Youth (JFOY).

In addition to a larger sales floor, there is also a 1400sq foot event space. Cavazos plans to hold youth group meetings there, and open it up to other organizations for their events.

They plan to start moving on Monday, Feb. 19 and be up and running by that Friday.

Development Developments

The big news from the move is what it says about the future of development in Wilton Manors along 26th St. Last year, Island City Plaza was in the works to be sold to a developer. The sale came to a sudden halt and fell apart. At the time, OutSFL was told it was an issue with the title.

The fact that Wilton Collective is coming in to fill an anchor store with a multi-year lease indicates that any major development on that spot is dead for the foreseeable future. The lot on the other side of 15th St. is a separate property, but we understand it is under different zoning requirements.

That section of 26th St. is part of a transportation master plan being worked on between the city and the county and state. Much of it has revolved around the idea that a mixed-use building would go there. Crosswalks are planned to make crossing the busy street safer.

Transportation upgrades are once-in-a-generation projects. With a long term vision, the plan could still go forward as-is.