Silver Sands is nation's largest designer outlet center

MIRAMAR BEACH — More than two decades ago, Keith Howard was lobbying for support of a designer outlet center near Sandestin.

He proposed that the outlet center be put in an existing strip mall, which had been an eyesore for five years.

Although it wasn’t difficult for Howard to see the potential of the area, some designers and investors in the Northeast needed a bit of convincing.

“(Howard) had to march up to New York to teach them about the area,” said Myra Williams, vice president of marketing for the Howard Group.

His persistence paid off in August 1992 when shoppers were welcomed to the first 25 stores at Silver Sands Factory Stores, which included Nautica, Donna Karan, and Adrienne Vittadini.

Since then, Silver Sands has grown to become the nation’s largest designer outlet center.

This year, the center is celebrating with a “Twenty Years of Sales, Styles and Smiles” campaign. It will bring many thanks — in the form of discounts, specials, and shopping initiatives — to loyal customers and tourists, all of whom have been instrumental in the center’s success.

“The commitment to acquiring the nation’s most desirable designer stores has always been, and remains true today, the key to the center’s success,” said Howard, president and CEO of Howard Group, which developed Silver Sands and Grand Boulevard.

Silver Sands now boasts more than 100 retail stores that offer everything from clothes to electronics to household goods.

“I think the only thing we don’t have is lawn equipment,” said Silver Sands Marketing Director Ashley Watkins.

Growth has been constant. Seventeen stores were opened in July 1994, 21 in March 1995 and 46 in June 1996. Out-parcel buildings were added in 2007 and there are plans for another addition in 2013.

Longtime Silver Sands shopper Jean Brooks, who has lived in the area since 1992, recalls traveling through Fort Walton Beach from her home in Niceville to shop there.

“As a single mother of two, I was glad to dress my children in designer clothing for a reasonable price,” Brooks said.

“We shopped when it was just one section, at Nautica, then later at Polo Ralph Lauren and Nike,” she said. “That was our spot for back-to-school shopping.”

Her children, now grown, loved playing at Morgan’s Arcade. Brooks enjoys what has replaced it.

“Now, my favorite is Saks’ Off Fifth,” she said.

Loyal shoppers such as Brooks and her family have been crucial to Silver Sands’ success.

For its celebratory campaign, “we wanted to focus what has made the center successful — the shoppers, the tenants and the community,” said Watkins.

After 20 years, the shopping center has become an integral part of the local landscape. And just as the community supports the center, so the center supports the community.

Silver Sands holds annual initiatives such as “Purses for a Purpose” to benefit Shelter House, Santa’s arrival by helicopter to benefit Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast and “Backpack to School” to provide school supplies to needy children.

“For a big business like Silver Sands, it’s important to give back,” Williams said.