Dixieland Village is a commercial real estate success story in the midst of what many believe to be a depressed market.  We wondered what Cory Petcoff, the owner/manager of the property, might attribute his current 100% occupancy to in light of the recent difficulties many commercial property owners are experiencing.  At first glance, the tenant mix seems eclectic and not "of a type", but  as we looked closer two themes emerged: creativity and commitment to a vision.

Art and beauty are represented by twelve of the eighteen tenants in the 24,515 square foot complex. The Imperial Symphony Orchestra is a long term tenant that  moved upstairs from its original first floor location. The ISO is a regional community orchestra of approximately 80, mostly volunteer, musicians.   In addition there are two sound studios, Conrad Johnson's Inertia Sound Studio and The Vanguard Room which is just finishing its renovation.  The Vanguard Room comprises two independent state-of-the-art recording studios where recording artists can have their projects produced and engineered.  In fact, the studios are booked through the summer with artists coming from Hawaii, Canada, Puerto Rico, Dallas, and South Florida.  Some will come to Lakeland for large projects which can entail twenty days of straight recording while others will be here for just a day or two.   The owners, musicians Aaron Marsh and Matt Wilbur, are native Lakelanders who have been recording together in Lakeland since childhood and are part of the  Indie Rock band scene in Central Florida.  The Vanguard Room is the culmination of a vision which started with a tape machine and two boys who wanted to make some music.

The visual arts are also well represented.  Local artist Charlie Cooley  has built out a studio and Scooter's Skinart, a tattoo studio and art gallery featuring local artists' work are both on the first floor.  Look for Scooter at First Friday Motorcycle Mania this month. 

Looking for some music lessons?  Shane Patrick's Guitar School is opening this month and offers guitar lessons for children and adults.  Tiffany Stokes' In Tune Studios offers piano, voice, and kindermusik classes.  Or perhaps you would like to trip the light fantastic?  Then you need to visit Art in Motion, Jen Davis' dance school. 

If you're just looking to make yourself  a work of art, you could visit Shay and Company salon, The Clippership Barbershop, or Tri Solace Day Spa.  And if you already are a work of art perhaps you will want to stop in and see the folks at Jess Anderson Modeling who provide many of the models you see in magazines, flyers, catalogs,  and newpapers.  Both Shay and Company and Jess Anderson are long term tenants who have been in the complex for over 25 years. 

Not everyone in the complex is associated with art and beauty, but even the other tenants seem to have a creative, urban-hip bent.  Loan Finders is a new tenant which is in the business of helping people borrow money, but they offer something anyone who has ever closed a loan would be eager to have.  When you close an FHA loan at Loan Finders, you don't have to sign forty plus documents.  You sign once, they capture your signature electronically, and you click your way through the documents. No writer's cramp at their closings. 

Finally, one of the most unusual tenants is Access Church.  Jason Burns is the pastor and he has a young, creative, energetic staff and congregation.  Access recently hosted Platform Art's PechaKucha, (pronounced peh chak cha)  a social/networking event for creative, innovative and thought provoking individuals.  To loosen up their own creative juices and get their brainstorming sessions in motion, Jason and his staff often retreat to the alleyway behind Dixieland Village and toss the football around.  Not your average religious institution. 

So, how does a commercial property get to 100% occupancy with such a great group of tenants in a market like this.  You have an owner who is willing to stretch to make a deal when he recognizes a tenant who has a commitment to a vision, provides a service that consumers will seek out, and is willing to put some sweat equity into the space.  As a result Dixieland Village has gone from 48% occupancy in 2009 to 100% occupancy in the first quarter of 2010.  We suggest you visit Dixieland Village and catch the creative vibe.