Home decor chain to replace The Hall at Midtown
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Oct 25, 2022

Home decor and furnishings chain Ballard Designs plans to move from International Plaza to Midtown Tampa, taking over a space once leased by a food hall.

Building permits filed with the city of Tampa show Ballard plans to build out the 8,000 square feet on the ground floor of The Loft, Midtown's boutique office building. A Ballard employee told the Tampa Bay Business Journal on Monday that the store would move from International Plaza to Midtown in early 2023.

Bromley Cos., the New York-based developer of Midtown, announced in July 2020 that The Hall at Midtown would occupy that space at The Loft. The Hall was to be Midtown's largest food and beverage concept, though little construction progress was ever made on the space.

The Hall, which started on Tampa's Franklin Street and has a location in Orlando, is a food hall that offers a full-service dining experience. Diners are seated at a table and can order food and drinks from multiple concepts within one building.

Christina Harden, general manager of Midtown Tampa, declined comment Monday. Jamal Wilson, founder of The Hall, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

The Hall is still listed on Midtown's website as "coming soon," though it's been removed from a site plan of the district that was uploaded in June. Ballard's neighbors on the ground floor of The Loft are Salon Lofts and Royal Pets; it is across the street from True Food Kitchen and next door to Colony Grill.

Midtown Tampa spans 22 acres at North Dale Mabry Highway and Interstate 275. It is anchored by a Whole Foods Market and an apartment complex that sold for more than $600,000 per unit in May, setting an all-time record for market-rate apartments in the Tampa Bay region.