5 new stores opening at Plaza Las Américas this year; 1 at Plaza del Caribe
With a combined investment exceeding $1 million, five new retailers will make their debut at Plaza Las Américas — three international and two local businesses, mall officials confirmed.
The new stores are: O bag, Original Penguin, Vom Fass, Marcelo Amado Cut-n-Shave and Marco’s Pizza. They will create more than 30 new jobs. Furthermore, an additional store — Modérnica — has opened at the Plaza del Caribe mall in Ponce.
Both shopping centers are owned by Empresas Fonalledas.
The first to open will be O bag this week, in an 800 square-feet location on the first level of the Plaza Las Américas shopping center, in the corridor between JCPenney and Macy’s.
O bag sells purses, watches, accessories and Italian footwear. The merchandise has the particularity that its parts are interchangeable, and depending on the occasion, the person can change a wallet strap or a watch dial or strap. As described by the company’s brand manager, Charleen Sumpter, “each product gives the consumer creative freedom to create the piece they prefer.”
Original Penguin is expected to open in August, brought by a Puerto Rican investment group that is betting that the brand’s clothing, shoes and accessories will draw a new crop of customers unfamiliar with the label that has been around since the 1950s, as well as win back the support of those who grew up with the penguin.
The store will occupy some 1,100 square-feet of space at the mall’s first level, between JCPenney and Macy’s.
For gastronomy and good food lovers, vomFass — a German store that offers oils, vinegars, liqueurs, distilled spirits, and wines “straight from the barrel” — will open in October. The first vomFass location opened at the Paseo Caribe complex in San Juan in 2016, but closed due to Hurricane María.
The Plaza Las Américas store will occupy some 1,200 square feet on the second level, at the corridor between JCPenney and Macy’s, next to Karen Millen.
In November, a new barber shop — Marcelo Amado Cut-n-Shave — will open on the second level, also between JCPenney and Macy’s. The store will offer classic hair styling and shoe shine services, as well as a small whiskey bar.
During the fourth quarter of this year, Marco’s Pizza will arrive as the newest tenant of the mall’s food court, where El Churry and Napolitana Pizza will also begin construction of their new locations.
