Merrick Shops

Coral Gables shopping becoming far more interesting

Village of Merrick Park (VMP) celebrates 10 successful years with an official name change and a season of high-profile events.

Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) takes place on September 6 and will feature a fashion show on the lower level next to Nordstrom at 7:00 pm. This year’s show will be hosted and styled by celebrity stylist Danny Santiago, currently the stylist for the television series Burn Notice and the motion pictures Sex & the City 1 and 2.

FNO will extend through the weekend in support of their fundraiser of choice, Fashionably Conscious. The annual fundraiser benefits Coconut Grove Cares’ The Barnyard Community Center, which offers free after-school and summer programs for over 250 children, and provides a much-needed safe haven for the West Grove community. Fashionistas can donate their slightly worn apparel during FNO and throughout the weekend to be sold at Fashionably Conscious later in the month at VMP on September 21, 22 and 23.

But FNO is not all that is happening at VMP. The Coral Gables shopping and lifestyle center will officially become Merrick Shops toward the end of 2012.

“After conducting a series of focus groups, we found that the shorter name resonated better with our shoppers and with foreign visitors,” said Carol Henderson, Sr. vice president of marketing for Village of Merrick Park.

Additionally, VMP will host a series of brunches in their garden in support of local non-profits. The brunch series will kick off on November 16 to benefit the Humane Society. Attendees can come dine with their pets in VMP’s picturesque garden. The following day, the shops will host a brunch with the United Way’s Women’s Group, and in December, the garden brunch will host Dress for Success.

It’s a new dawn for VMP, soon to become Merrick Shops, bringing a whole new aspect to Miami’s diverse luxury shopping marketplace.

Click on the video below to see last year’s FNO festivities at VMP.