Well I am at least 99% sure this is the spot!
During a leisure trip out to the St. Johns Town Center on the Southeast side of Jacksonville today I decided to try and figure out exactly where the incoming Microsoft Store was going to be located.
We are already very confident the store is coming our way based on a couple of different and independent sources of information.
Microsoft store planned at St. Johns Town Center (Financial News & Daily Record) – This story, published on 29 April 2013, was based on building permits that were filed with the City of Jacksonville that indicated a 4,975 square foot Microsoft retail store location would be going in on River City Drive at the St. Johns Town Center. This story lists J.T. Magen & Co. of New York as the contractor based on documents with the building permits. One of the J.T. Magen construction superintendents Sean MacMillan has his most recent job description on LinkedIn, which he states he has been in since February 2011, listed as Building Microsoft stores in malls around the country. Coincidence? I think not!
Job Listings Confirm Microsoft Store Coming to Jacksonville, Florida (WindowsObserver.com) – Last month we broke the news that job listings for seven Microsoft Store positions were opened up on the Microsoft Store Careers website. The job positions appear to be for a full size store and not just a kiosk style location such as those which have opened up in several locations around the US.
So based on those two items it looks very solid that we will be getting a Microsoft Store here in Jacksonville before too long.
Using the address and location information in the Financial News & Daily Record story I set off to find the actual Microsoft Store location while I was out at the St. Johns Town Center today.
Based on all of the info available to me I believe the false front pictured above is the stores location. There is no apparent signage at all to indicate a Microsoft Store is coming to this location and a peek through the door crack did not reveal anything at all.
This spot also fits in with the general location of the Microsoft Store as it relates to a nearby Apple Store in the same facility – that is they are typically within a few hundred yards of each other.
The Apple Store is approximately 300 yards down and across the road from this location at the St. Johns Town Center so it is in fairly close proximity.
Who knows when we will be able to verify any of this since Microsoft is not yet even listing the St. Johns Town Center as a Opening Soon location on their MicrosoftStore.com website nor are they talking about it anywhere officially either.
Until then I will continue to keep my eye on this spot when I am in the area.
I guess you could call this story developing!
