Tommy Bahama Looks for Expansion Space

Tommy Bahama's broker Bryan Syrdal could not be reached for comment, while Tommy Bahama's locally based COO Doug Wood passed on a phone call from GlobeSt.com to the company's publicist, Janet Orsi, who tells GlobeSt.com an announcement regarding their new space will occur "soon."

Dana Bollinger, the leasing agent for the Tower Building, says Tommy Bahama is the building's largest tenant and Vance Corp. tried aggressively to retain the company. "They are a great company and we are excited for their success, but we are aware they may have just kind of outgrown us," she says. "We tried to address their needs as best we could, but it appears maybe it's not the right fit right now."

There is only a handful of existing buildings in the CBD that have the contiguous space available to accommodate Tommy Bahama's requirement, according to property listings at officespace.com. They include the Metro Park East Building, Bank of America Tower, the Exchange Building and 1001 Fourth Avenue Plaza.

Regardless of which building the company chooses, it will be better than the company leaving the market altogether, which many thought was a possibility after Tommy Bahama's closely held owner, Viewpoint International Inc., was acquired earlier this year by Atlanta-based Oxford Industries Inc., one of the largest consumer apparel products operations in the US.