DuJour: “Royal Welcome”

When Samantha David, head of WS Development’s Up Markets, set out to curate the tenant mix at its new Royal Poinciana Plaza in a restored, Fifities-era enclave designed by John Volk, she imagined a small European town with butcher shops, bakeries and boutiques.  Her lifestyle approach resulted in an eclectic, delightful shopping experience, where one can buy a Birkin and a banana in one fell swoop.

“Our goal was to create a place that would keep people coming back for more and that’s different from anything they’ve seen before,” said David, of nearly 60 restaurants, stores and services centered on tropically landscaped courtyards.  Established local and international brands meet every whim.  They have their choice of fast casual or fine dining, too – finger food from Miami’s popular Coyo Taco or $46 veal Milanese at Sant Ambroeus.  Several names are new to the island, as Theory, Assouline, Saint Laurent, 100% Capri and many more make their debut here.  The seductive setting even wooed Hermès to relocate from Worth Avenue and Sotheby’s to exhibit large-scale, outdoor sculptures in December.

“We took Palm Beach’s charm and sprinkled a little pepper on it!”