New name, new stores for Downtown Disney

It’s official: Downtown Disney (at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida) is now Disney Springs. The change is part of a comprehensive makeover of the open-air center that includes a lineup of new retailers and restaurants.

When Disney Springs is fully completed in 2016, the number of shopping, dining and entertainment venues will increase from the current 75 to more than 150.



The new store currently open at Disney Springs include:



• Apex by Sunglass Hut: Billed as a first-of-its-kind sunglass store and built with the athlete in mind, the store brings together such leading sport performance and lifestyle eyewear as Oakley, Ray-Ban, and Under Armour under one roof. Apex features “environmental simulators” that allows shoppers to = test out how a specific lens will perform under a variety of light conditions.



• Sound Lion: A new retail concept that offers the latest technology in headphones, docking stations, wireless music players and other products. Shoppers can try out products at the “Listening Bar” to find which product works best for them.



• Havaianas: From the Brazilian-based manufacturer of high-style flip flops for men, women and children, the store also allows shoppers to customize their purchases.



• The Art of Shaving: Selling high-end shaving supplies and related grooming products, the store also offers shoppers a luxe grooming experience at the Barber Spa.



• Chapel Hats: Featuring hats for shoppers of all ages, each Chapel Hats location is themed to a different time period and is built by using old pieces of shops, factories, schools, pubs and churches from a bygone era.

New tenants also include Morimoto Asia, the first-ever collaboration between Patina Restaurant Group and famed Japanese master chef Masaharu Morimoto. The two-level spaces includes an exhibition kitchen that allows diners direct sight lines to the culinary action.



The restaurant, designed by New York City-based Studio V, features a three-story glass corner, cascading chandeliers, ribbons of illuminated glass bottles and a sweeping, 270-ft. sculptural bar that ties the upper and lower levels together.