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CENTER REVIEW 58 • SHOPPING CENTER BUSINESS • December 2015 Farm are Arhaus Furniture, Kendra Scott, Brooks Brothers, J.McLaughlin, Orvis, Pottery Barn, J. Alexander's, Babalu Ta- cos & Tapas and Steel City Pops. Bayer has also signed local chef Ouita Michel — a fve-time James Beard Award-nominee who operates a number of local establish- ments and serves as chef-in-residence at the nearby Woodford Reserve Distillery — to create a new food concept at The Summit. "Ouita Michel is the mainstay of cui- sine in Lexington," says Bayer. "She has plans for a sit down dining concept called Honeywood." In addition, Shake Shack will join the center as yet another new restaurant to the Lexington market. The food hall at The Summit at Fritz Farm will be some- thing new for the market as well. The de- sign for the hall was inspired by the three working tobacco barns that existed on the old farm that once operated where the project will sit, using some of the original wood. The food hall will have 10 vendors, each of whom will take 400 to 600 square feet of space. The vendors include some local and regional operators, like Athe- nian Grill, owned and operated by local UK alumni and serving a focused menu of classic Greek street food offerings. A common eating area will be shared by the vendors. With the surprisingly large tourism mar- ket in the Lexington area, Bayer wanted to develop a project that would have cosmopolitan offerings, but that fell in with the feel of Lexington. While many of the events in the area focus around the Keeneland racetrack, home of the Breed- ers' Cup, and the Kentucky Horse Park, Bayer says that many people do not realize that Lexington is the center of the world's thoroughbred horse sales. The market hosts several sales periods throughout the year. The Lexington area is responsible for more than $1 billion in thoroughbred sales each year. "Visitors from all over the world come to the market fve to six times per year to attend the horse sales," says Bayer. "It is an infux that many have not focused on. Most buyers bring additional support personnel with them, and they may spend several weeks in Lexington at a time." In an effort to open the industry up to equestrian enthusiasts, 40 of the thor- oughbred farms in the area have banded together to create a new "Thoroughbred Trail" attraction that will allow tours to visit the farms, bringing even more visitors to the area. Like Napa Valley, where one can visit hundreds of wineries, the Thor- oughbred Trail is expected to create a similar experience for equine enthusi- asts. Similarly, Kentucky's Bourbon Trail attracts 750,000 people to the area each year to visit the state's many distilleries. In Bayer Properties' comparative mar- ket research, one similar market to Lex- ington stood out: Charleston, South Car- olina. Bayer happens to also manage and lease a mixed-use project in that market as well. Like Lexington, Charleston also has an affuent population that skews young- er, and it has signifcant tourist traffc. "With Charleston as a comparative market, we were able to keep that in mind, combined with some of the other projects we had done, to create a quality asset for the Lexington market," says Bayer. "We really feel the Lexington market is a natu- ral for a Summit-type project." In addition to visitors and residents, Bayer is hoping the project will skew to millenials in the Lexington market, who are sophisticated and educated. The leas- ing team visited markets like Nashville, Cincinnati, Louisville and Atlanta to pro- cure tenants. The company also brought in additional resources to help uniquely curate a mix of local, regional and nation- al retail and food offerings. Architectural- ly, the project will use a lot of reclaimed wood and incorporate some modern el- Despite being located in the center of horse country, The Summit at Fritz Farm will have a cosmopolitan feel, appealing to locals and visitors alike. Bayer Properties has attracted retailers like Arhaus Furniture, Shake Shack and Whole Foods Market to The Summit at Fritz Farm.