The Mark is a downtown condo community with a thriving commercial district on its street level. We can talk about the condos later but today we wanted to focus on this section, The Mark's breezeway. The original plan for the condo community included a goal that The Mark would be a destination all its own, not just for owners in the building, so it is not shocking that their commercial department has grown a bunch since the development opened just a few years ago. Here are a few notable places to visit in The Mark!
We Checked It Out
Photo Credit BESOsrq on Facebook
This brand-new hotspot in Sarasota just opened at the beginning of summer and we recently stopped in to see what all the hype was about! Beso (owned by the same folks who own State Street) serves Spanish-style tapas, including some amazing paella if that's your thing, and we found the food to be delicious! The service was attentive as well so no complaints there. We enjoyed the Spanish Grilled Cheese and Alcachofas Fritas (artichokes with a delicious lemon aioli) and would recommend both. One gripe though: the glassware. If you are a person who enjoys drinking your wine, beer, cocktail, or liquor from the appropriate glassware (like we do! We can't help it, we're discerning.), then prepare yourself ahead of time for the completely uniform and too-tiny glassware that accompany all beverages from beer to sangria to mojitos. Anyone who is not picky about such things will have no complaints. In short: if you can turn off your glassware OCD, Beso is a great option for your next night out.
Other Places to Try:
Image courtesy of Toastique.com
This gourmet toast and juice bar focuses on fresh, seasonal, and responsibly-sourced ingredients and serves gourmet toast, bowls, cold-pressed juice, and smoothies. Created in Washington, D.C., Toastique is a high-end, growing nationwide chain fueling people across the U.S. with healthy and yummy breakfast and lunch options.
Beloved since its opening in 2011, Bookstore 1 has brought the high-quality, independent bookstore experience to Sarasota and now to its new home in The Mark! In addition to a traditional bookshop experience, Bookstore 1 hosts a lot of interested events and activities for the avid reader: book clubs, guest speakers, workshops they even host a podcast from the store! If you have lived in Sarasota for a while, you know of it, so now go visit it in its new location.
RIDE prides itself on being "not your typical cycling studio," and features rhythmic, beat-based classes designed for many levels to work towards individual goals. Take the heat of your bike ride at this indoor studio, with 40 bikes and classes from early morning to post-work (pre-happy hour).
This luxury gift-buying destination is owned by Susan North, who - after a lifetime of collecting jewelry on trips, to mark special occasions, or to mark a memory - wanted to share that dream with those of us living in or visiting the beautiful city of Sarasota. Stunning gemstone collections, interesting artisan jewelry, BSWANKY handbags, and art by Stephen Wilson can all be found at North Star.
We are sure more is to come to this new destination in the heart of Downtown Sarasota, and you can be sure we will keep you in the loop when it does!
PS: There has never been a better time to enjoy breezeway shopping over the straight-up outdoor shopping of the rest of downtown than this summer. The Mark's commercial street-level section is open air but shaded, so go enjoy a break from the sun and check out what's hiding within the Mark's breezeway!
