Tim Aten Knows: More than Barneys coming to Bayfront

The relaunch of iconic luxury retailer Barneys New York is only the beginning of what’s planned for Bayfront in Naples. The duo behind Barneys plans additional upscale brands at the local mixed-use center on Goodlette-Frank Road where it meets Fifth Avenue South at the Gordon River.

“We think Bayfront is a perfect location in Naples and a perfect opportunity to create a high-quality lifestyle center right there in Naples. So, not only for Barneys, but other high-end stores that we believe we can bring to the center, and restaurants, too,” said Richard Cohen, a longtime leader of luxury retailers who acquired exclusive rights to the Barneys name with serial entrepreneur Eric Appelblom.

Cohen enthusiastically shared the names of some of the brands they would like to bring to Bayfront.

“We have a brand called Swims, which is a men’s boat shoe brand. We have a brand called Piloti, which is an Italian racing shoe plus a coffee-type shop and a great concept. We have Hunter Boots, which is an English brand; this will be their first store anywhere in the United States. And then we’re talking to some others,” Cohen said.

Some new restaurants in Bayfront are planned, as well, including Freds, a modern, upscale American bistro that used to be part of Barneys in New York. Freds — named for Fred Pressman, the son of Barneys founder Barney Pressman — served lunch, dinner and cocktails daily with brunch on weekends. The chic restaurant was known for classic American comfort food such as chopped chicken salad, turkey club sandwiches, chicken soup, lobster bisque, artisan pizza and pasta dishes. At Bayfront, Freds will not be inside the Barneys store, though, but rather is proposed to be adjacent to it or across from it.

“Then, we’re going to open the first Sports Illustrated sports bar, so I think we’re really excited about that. That’s the first of its kind anywhere in the United States, and I think a high-end sports bar is something that Naples needs,” Cohen said. “On the dock, we’re going to create a Nautica marina, which I think the brand Nautica will upgrade the level of the marina.”

The waterfront bar at Bayfront has had expansion plans delayed for years.

“We’re pretty sure it’s going to get off the ground now, given all the buzz now,” Appelblom said. “People are coming to us and they’re asking. I think that will come to fruition and we want it to come to fruition.”

The city’s Design Review Board previously approved expansion of the Cabana Bar, which will displace four of the 38 boat slips there along the Gordon River.

“It was reapproved, but the DRB [approval] is only good for one year, so we’re resubmitting that for approval in August,” Bayfront founder Kevin Stoneburner said. “I should have the new rendering for that any day now. It’s going to be enhanced, more luxury.”

With major developments nearing completion nearby at Naples Square and Gulfshore Playhouse, and in proximity along Fifth Avenue South, Davis Boulevard and the East Trail, Stoneburner wants to bring more luxury brands and businesses to Bayfront as he recently did with B&B Italia and Ce Soir restaurant.

“I’m very excited. It’s all good. I think it’s great,” he said. “We’ve been kind of on the outside looking in for a long time. The city has concentrated on Fifth Avenue more than elsewhere; now it’s our turn. We have development all around us and we’re kind of in the middle of it now.”

That’s part of what attracted Cohen and Appelblom to choose Naples for the reboot of Barneys after they also considered other affluent Florida cities such as West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, where they both live. Cohen wants to move to Naples and Appelblom’s daughter lives in Naples, so they have seen the local growth firsthand and appreciate the newfound attention. 

“We are seeing just the development go crazy, and that certainly enhanced our decision,” Appleblom said. “Just us being in Naples and visiting often, we just had a really good feel about it — and when we did the demographics, looked at the average household income, it was kind of a no-brainer for us.”

Appelblom and Cohen obtained exclusive rights to the Barneys name for use in the Sunshine State from Authentic Brands Group, which acquired the intellectual property for Barneys when the New York City-based retailer was liquidated in 2019 and closed its last store featuring luxury brands, cosmetics and jewelry in 2020. Operating under One Luxury Solution, the partnership plans to rekindle the iconic retailer in Florida and possibly elsewhere. They hit it off with Stoneburner, who redeveloped an aging retail center into the Venetian-inspired Bayfront residential and commercial destination in 2000.

“We wanted to make sure we had the ability to curate the center with him,” Appelblom said, stressing that Barneys is just their first project, recreating 10,000 square feet at Bayfront.

“It’s going to be currently where B&B Italia is — B&B Italia and Serhant’s. Those two spaces are each 5,000 square feet. So, that’s where the Barneys store is going to go. It’s right next to Ce Soir, the French restaurant,” he said. “B&B Italia has agreed to move a little bit down to the other side of Barneys. In addition, we partnered with B&B Italia to open Barneys Home. So, there will be a Barneys Home store to occupy probably 2,500 square feet next to the Barneys store.”

Most of the new stores and restaurants are targeted to open in about 18 months, Appelblom said, and Cohen thinks Barneys can be ready to open near the end of this year.

“We’re crossing our fingers; we’re looking up at the stars. We’d like to open by the end of the year,” Cohen said. “We’ve done a lot of the work behind the scenes, but obviously the actual work will start pretty soon.”

Other Barneys locations also are in the works, but Cohen isn’t ready to divulge those future plans yet.

“We want Naples to work first,” he said. “We want to put all our efforts and all our concentration on Naples because that’s very important, for the first one to knock it out of the park.”

The Tim Aten Knows weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at Tim.Aten@NaplesPress.com.