One of the rewarding side benefits of being in the commercial real estate business is seeing your clients become success stories and their property become improved for the betterment of the community. Just such an example is the dramatic transformation of an out-of-favor building into the West Indies Home Collection on the North Trail.
Calling West Indies Home Collection just a furniture store is a stretch; the pieces are more akin to art. With inspiration from many tribes and villages all over South East Asia, the owners, Edgar and Tiffany West, literally go to the ends of the earth to find one-of-a-kind handmade items that fit into the Southwest Florida environment.
The building itself was originally a class B property that fell upon hard times during the recession. It was then taken back by the lender, who had then used it as its own operational center for several years prior to its disposition. Dougall McCorkle with Premier Commercial was engaged by the bank to sell the property. The building was sold at its full asking price within 60 days. Given the improvements in the market and the substantial upgrades that the West’s have done to the building, Edgar and Tiffany have enhanced the value of the property immensely.
Two months ago West Indies moved from their old facility one mile north of Immokalee Road on US 41 to their newly purchased 15,000 square foot building that was transformed to an inviting atmosphere and open floor plan to house West Indies.* Owners, Edgar and Tiffany West, sat down with Premier Commercial to discuss the move and their business.
Left: Prior to renovations
Right: Post West Indies renovations
You’ve been settled in to the new building for a few months, how has the move impacted your business so far?
Edgar: The move has been great, we’ve been very busy! Of course with the Mercato, there is so much traffic. This building has easy accessibility and because the building is designed as a front loading building (meaning it has the parking lot behind it, leaving no barrier between us and passerby’s) it invites bicyclists and walk-ins; that was just something we didn’t have at our other location.
Your old location was just north of Immokalee Road on US 41, what inspired the move?
Edgar: Opportunity. And we needed more space! We were at 5,000 (square feet) and now we occupy 15,000. Because we show unique products and sell it right off the floor we can always use the space. Also, for visibility, the last place we were was tucked back in and this has great exposure from the street and is in the middle of everything.
What were you looking for in a building?
Edgar: We wanted to be part of the North Naples community. Other than that, other factors that were important to our business included: square footage, parking and lighting. Dougall was a huge help in helping us find and narrow down all the choices.
By purchasing commercial property in North Naples you’ve made a large commitment to the area, what attracts you to this area?
Edgar: It’s close to home! But really, when you look at what happened with the Mercato, it’s really the center of town now. And being sandwiched between the Ritz Carlton’s and substantial neighborhoods like Pelican Marsh and Pelican Bay is helpful. North Naples is the new downtown.
Before you moved to your new building you were East Indies, what sparked the name change? Is it because your last name?
Edgar: Well, a little bit of everything. We originally started down on Westview Drive. And then truthfully as we expanded the brand more to a tropical style, people identified with the name “West Indies.”
Tiffany: But people don’t have a hard time finding us, they always thought our name was West Indies anyway.
You updated the building quite a lot (interior and exterior), did you face any challenges in doing so?
Tiffany: From the County side, challenges are an understatement, but that’s a different story all together – unfortunately their actions come across anti-business.
Can you tell us about the updates you’ve done? Both the interior and the exterior?
Edgar: The recent owner was Capital Bank and they were utilizing it as a computer center; it was all subdivided into office condominiums. So we tore down all the interior walls to create a showroom setting. Also, have the first floor was an under building parking area, so we enclosed it. This also gave us the chance to add a lot of natural lighting and windows.
Tiffany: We wanted to make sure we fit into the area and the Naples environment, but we still wanted to focus on being urban and inviting with clean traditional lines. We carried that look into the interior by removing the drop ceilings and opening up the entire space to make sure it had an “urban loft” feel. We wanted to make sure the space was all about the art and the furniture.
Edgar: We were able to do that by focusing on sustainability. We have all LED lighting; we utilize awnings to control the sun; and solar shades to control the lighting bills.
A little fun question: Any new furniture or décor themes you’re excited about?
Edgar: Well, because we design much of our products, and have it made for us by true artisans in South East Asia, we are able to change very quickly. But the interesting thing is the British Colonial and the West Indies style is so hopping! Interior design has all gone back to West Indies look and away from the over-used Italian-Tuscan look. It’s perfect for us and for Naples!
Before: Under building parking took up half the first floor. West Indies enclosed this, it is now part of the showroom with no indication of its prior purpose
Before: The interior was divided into office condominiums with drop ceilings.
After: West Indies developed the interior space into an urban loft feel showroom
After: LED lighting is used for sustainability, along with solar shades and sun awnings.
After: Two floors, 15,000 square feet, large parking lot, massive windows allowing in natural light all are boastful qualities West Indies has contributed to the building.
Edgar and Tiffany West with their children traveling South East Asia looking for treasures to bring back to Naples.
* According to Dougall, there was much about this building that was just poor design and functionally awkward. The Biggest obstacle was that the building lacked a proper entry, the front doors to the ground floor units were on the east side facing US 41, while all of the parking was on the opposite side facing an unattractive “back of house.” Edgar and Tiffany had the vision to correct the architectural inadequacies and gain valuable building area along the way. What was an unattractive open air space underneath the whole west end of the second floor of the building was closed in to become showroom space with the front entry now facing the parking lot.
West Indies Home Collection is one of the best stores in Naples to truly find the unique items and highly worth your visit. Check them out at 9465 Tamiami Trail North (just north of the Mercato) or their website: www.westindieshome.com