DAYTONA BEACH — It took nearly 50 years for Hy’s Toggery, a fixture for outdoor and casual wear in Panama City Beach since the 1960s, to expand the business elsewhere.
This week, the company opened its second store at the foot of The Daytona, the six-story 145 room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel now under construction at One Daytona, the shopping, entertainment and retail complex across the street from Daytona International Speedway.
“We think this (One Daytona) offers a unique combination of uses, having retail as part of a hotel footprint, along with major restaurants and an entertainment area,” said Gary Wakstein, 70, whose father, Hy Wakstein, started the family-owned business in 1969 in Panama City Beach. “People will come here for entertainment, for the food, some of them will be staying here at the hotels. It’s doing business in an environment that’s very much fun and friendly.”
In that way, Wakstein likens One Daytona to Pier Park in Panama City Beach, home to the company’s original store.
“Pier Park is a big destination retail, dining and tourism area, where it’s all about having fun, eating and shopping, but doing it in a manner that’s not traditional,” Wakstein said. “This is the closest we’ve seen to a model of Pier Park and we’ve had a lot of success there.”
At One Daytona, Hy’s Toggery will have more retail space than in its original store, 12,300-square feet compared with 9,000-square feet in Panama City Beach.
“”We’re kind of locked in there,” Wakstein said. “We didn’t want to be in a position here where we outgrew it too quickly.”
After focusing on upscale menswear in its first two decades, the store shifted its focus to more casual, outdoor clothing and accessories in the 1990s, Wakstein said. Now, the company carries full lines of clothing and merchandise by such globally known brands as Yeti, Costa, The North Face, Tommy Bahama, Aftco, Columbia and Southern Tide.
The latter trio of brands are emblazoned above three of the five entrances to the store, an indication of the store’s history of brand loyalty, Wakstein said.
“It takes a pretty strong relationship with these brands for them to put their names on your door,” Wakstein said. “They like what we do.”
Likewise, One Daytona officials are enthusiastic about the potential for Hy’s Toggery.
“This is a great addition to the retail businesses at One Daytona,” said Gentry Baumline-Robinson, communications manager for International Speedway Corp., developer of One Daytona. “They have a selection unlike any other retail store in the area. With our outdoor lifestyle here in Daytona Beach, with the beach and the fishing, Hy’s Toggery is a natural fit for the destination.”
Besides Hy's Toggery, recent openings at One Daytona include Clair de Lune and Kasa Living. Other stores opening this summer include Designers Market and Lindbergh, along with family entertainment center GameTime. This fall, the complex is expected to welcome the openings of Venetian Nail Spa, specialty chocolate shop Kilwins, Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ and Miami Grill & Bar. The Daytona is expected to open either late this year or in early 2019.