Robbie,
We try to avoid Orlando, so I can't answer that question. Maybe someone else can as many Americans still go to Orlando every year or two. But not us!
Back to the discussion of where to locate a FP in the US:
I wish we had a FP in Washington, DC, where most Americans want to go on a visit as schoolchildren or later as an adult. IN NC where we live, many 5th graders (11 years old) go as groups for their elementary school graduation trip. DC is a very expensive and crowded city, but a FP would be a blast there because so many wealthy visitors go there every year. Most of the sights are free, including all of the Smithsonian Museums on the Mall below the US Capitol Building.
I lived there in the mid-80's, and loved driving into the Mall about once a week, unloading my bike from the car, and riding all over that area. It is lovely with so many cool monuments and parks and of course, all the museums. Wow!
A FP nearby would be a killer with all of the visiting families and educated adults in that area. The Air and Space Museum has the largest attendance at over a million a year I believe.
So I would
1. rent a space as close to the Mall as possible OR
2. put a store in or around Tyson's Corners, the huge shopping complex off I-495, the Beltway around DC. That complex is on the NW corner of the Beltway, and off the road connecting Dulles Airport (all the international flights go there) and DC.
The L store in the older part of the mall has done very well, but can be hard to drive to with all of the traffic congestion and difficult to find for first timers. I think there was an old Borders across the street that may be available....that is much easier to find than going into the mall itself. There are many good locations adjacent to Tyson's Corners. This is where the wealthy shoppers (mostly foreigners) leave with massive bags of loot. So if I were putting my life savings into a PM store, that probably would be the number one location in the US I would consider.
Anyone want to share their two cents worth? Pgal
