We’ve Moved Along Main: Relocating our Downtown Sarasota Sales Office

UPDATE Exciting news! The Main Street office has been named a finalist by the Tampa Bay Business Journal for “Coolest Office Space”.  Please visit the link below to vote! When Michael Saunders & Company opened its downtown office in 1987, it was done so with a belief that being in the heart of Sarasota was important to the future of the company and the community.  Now, nearly 30 years later, we find ourselves in the midst of a vibrant small city, but having outgrown our current space at the corner of Osprey and Main. Michael Saunders, the founder and CEO of Michael Saunders & Company, has moved the downtown office in Sarasota to the bustling corner of Orange Ave and Main Street in the historic Ellis Building. The new downtown Sarasota office – located at 1605 Main Street – officially opened to the public on Monday, October 10.  It is now home to over 100 residential real estate agents as well as representatives from MSC Mortgage, MSC Title, and the Rental Division, as well as showcasing the MSC Commercial and their New Homes & Condominiums divisions. “We were fortunate to find a blank canvas with the potential to create an exciting and collaborative work space,” Ms. Saunders said.  “In real estate, we always preach location-location-location to our customers, so we followed our own advice by selecting a prime site on Main Street when it became available.” It took a collaborative team to bring vision to reality in the build out of the space.  Michael Saunders & Company chose Fawley Bryant Architecture (FBA) to work on the design and layout, Benderson Development Company for the construction and buildout, and Florida Business Interiors for the furniture. Leading the team at FBA was Director of Interior Design, Sarah Colandro, who was also charged with selection, specification, purchasing and installation of furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) for the project. “Creating an office environment that capitalizes on the high ceilings and natural light from the storefront windows, the space was ideal for featuring collaborative spaces and tech-savvy meetings rooms,” Ms. Colandro said. “With 130 linear ft. of ground level storefront, beautiful window displays and sleek exterior canopies and signage, pedestrians walking or driving down Main Street or Orange Avenue will have an experience reminiscent of smart Main Streets across the country.” “Benderson Development Company was there with us from day one”, said Ms. Saunders.  “Their team was critical to ensuring a smooth and professional build-out of the space.” Credit also goes to Eric Cross, a freelance design consultant who was brought in to provide experience and direction on the window displays. “His retail experience with the likes of Saks Fifth Avenue and Marshall Fields translated well to creating an artistic, three-dimensional display in the windows fronting Orange Ave that are a salute to all-things-home,” noted Ms. Saunders. “Designing this window allowed me to bridge my former and current careers," explained Mr. Cross. " It’s all about creating spaces that lead to memories.”  Eric is currently the General Manager of Home Resource. Drayton Saunders, President of Michael Saunders & Company, and a newly installed board of director for the Sarasota County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), said “The new space shows our commitment to downtown Sarasota for years to come.  We hope that our investment back in to the community will show existing Sarasota businesses, as well as relocating companies, that downtown is an ideal place to live, play and work." “What we are most excited about is welcoming our customers to the new office – an inviting space to meet with their Realtor®, consult with our Mortgage and Title teams, and close on their new home,” said Mr. Saunders. “For 40 years we have been providing exceptional experiences and we look forward to continuing our commitment to the community”. The new office, located at 1605 Main Street in downtown Sarasota, can be reached by calling (941)951-6660.