Holiday Mall Celebrates Reopening, Toy Jungle Among New Stores

HOLIDAY, FL — Five months after purchasing the Holiday Mall, Mishorim Gold Properties of Wesley Chapel is celebrating its grand reopening with new tenants and various improvements throughout the complex.

Developer and landlord Mark Gold bought the shopping complex with 40 percent vacancies. The center is now 97 percent occupied with new tenants like Side Splitters Comedy Club, Bay Coffee Company, The Toy Jungle, Chicago Bar & Bistro, Housewares for Less, LBS Imports, a laundry mat and an axe-throwing range. In addition, Core Health & Fitness has expanded to an additional unit.

Only one unit remains available for lease.

“When we first embarked on this project, I knew it would draw interest from the residents,” Gold said. "But their enthusiasm was well beyond what I could have ever imagined. The Holiday area is made up of amazing families looking for experiences, services and shopping opportunities in a fun and safe environment. We are proud to be able to offer it to them.”

Gold purchased the Holiday Mall in August for $8.56 million and has put in millions into improving the complex. The security and management team are all onsite.

In keeping with the goal to offer experiences, Side Splitters Comedy Club, which is set to open at Gold’s other property, the Grove at Wesley Chapel, will bring in top comedians from around the country.

The Toy Jungle, which specializes in building block sets, Lego®-related products and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math learning toys, opened Jan. 31 with giveaways and a raffle for a block set pirate ship.

“The reception we have gotten out here has been incredible,” said Adam Smyk, owner of the Toy Jungle. “People who come through say this is exactly what the area needs. They’re really excited to see what’s going on not only just in my toy store but throughout the entire mall.”

The Toy Jungle is a family-owned business 25 years in the making. Smyk spent more than 20 years in the U.S. Navy; spending much of that time away from his family while on deployment. When he'd return home from a deployment, Smyk wanted to find a way to reconnect with his three sons - and Lego® sets were the answer.

Upon his retirement from the Navy in 2016, Smyk looked for a business that he could start with his family, one that would help bring other families together. And The Toy Jungle was born.

MGold has been lauded for its ability to turn stagnant shopping plazas into trendy and popular spaces that reinvent the way residents live, work and play. The Holiday Mall, located at the southeast corner of U.S. 19 North and Moog Road, is anchored by Winn-Dixie.

After the purchase by MGold, all major tenants signed five-year leases.

The transformation of the Holiday Mall comes at a time of growth and renewal in the area, which includes the planned opening of Rasmussen College up the street to educate and train 25,000 students and a $3 million landscaping project by the Florida Department of Transportation along the U.S. 19 median.

Holiday Mall is the 22nd property purchased by the partnership and the second property in 11 months.