{"id":215819,"date":"2026-04-02T09:43:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T09:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/215819\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T09:43:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T09:43:11","slug":"coral-gables-chamber-president-talks-business-initiatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/215819\/","title":{"rendered":"Coral Gables Chamber president talks business initiatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why are so there so many empty storefronts along Coral Gables\u2019 beloved Miracle Mile? What opportunities are there for new and existing businesses in the Gables? And what\u2019s the recipe for success in the City Beautiful?<\/p>\n

The Miami Herald sat down with the Gables\u2019 top business advocates \u2014 Jorge Arrizurieta, president and CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, and Cristina Miller, president of the Mark A. Trowbridge Chamber Foundation, formerly known as the Coral Gables Chamber Foundation\u2014 to get a pulse on the financial health of businesses in the city.<\/p>\n

Eddy Martinez, a Gables shop owner and chamber member who recently partnered with the foundation to launch Gables-Opoly<\/a>, a new Coral Gables-themed Monopoly-like game, also joined the conversation to discuss efforts that are underway to draw more customers to shops and restaurants in the City Beautiful.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fabric of our community is small business,\u201d said Arrizurieta.<\/p>\n

Here were the key takeaways.<\/p>\n

Why are there vacancies on Miracle Mile? What\u2019s being done to fix it? \"A A bird\u2019s eye view of downtown Coral Gables shows the side and back of Miracle Mile\u2019s historic Art Deco Miracle Theater. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Arrizurieta said the area\u2019s current problems stem from rising rents and the type of tenants that can afford to take up shop in the area \u2014 mainly, banks and other national powerhouses.<\/p>\n

Coral Gables has a lot of banks. But the financial institutions have begun to crowd out the city\u2019s signature and historically local retail and restaurant-friendly Miracle Mile strip. There\u2019s a BankUnited, a TD Bank and a Capitol One Cafe, where people can bank and get coffee. A Wells Fargo will soon open on the Mile, too.<\/p>\n

Arrizurieta doesn\u2019t believe banks are the \u201cideal\u201d choice for the Mile because banks close early and on the weekends, echoing a sentiment that has been shared by city commissioners. The chamber\u2019s wish is to see more stores and restaurants fill the Mile. But rising rents and other expenses are taking a toll on current and potential shop owners.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city is very, very focused on trying to improve the vacancy rate that we\u2019ve got going on in the Mile right now,\u201d Arrizurieta said. \u201cYou drive down, you can\u2019t miss it right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Martinez, the owner of Bliss Imprints & Gifts at 293 Miracle Mile, said he feels like exposure is both the biggest challenge, and largest opportunity, for retail owners in the Gables.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of the reasons why he came up with Gables-Opoly, a Monopoly-like board game featuring Gables landmarks, shops and other local businesses. A percentage of every purchase goes back to the chamber\u2019s foundation, which uses the funds to support businesses and nonprofits in the city.<\/p>\n

\"From (From right) Jorge L. Arrizurieta, president of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce; Cristina Miller, president of the Coral Gables Foundation; and Jorge Martinez joined Eddy Martinez (with hat), owner of the Bliss Imprints & Gifts store, during the launch of the new Coral Gables-themed Monopoly-style game on Friday, March 6, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

The chamber and the city are trying their own initiatives, too.<\/p>\n

The Gables hosts events, festivals and activities throughout its downtown year-round to help draw in crowds not just to the Mile, but also to other streets across the city, including Restaurant Row on Giralda Avenue. It looks for Instagrammable artwork to display in hopes of getting another viral success story, like the 2018 Umbrella Sky installation on Giralda Avenue and the 2023 \u201cMoon Over the Gables\u201d artwork on Ponce Circle Park that flooded the city with visitors.<\/p>\n

The city is currently revamping its permitting department and last year formalized a concierge-like permitting assistance program that was launched in 2011 in collaboration with the chamber to help business owners obtain permits easier and faster, with the goal of speeding up the opening of shops and restaurants.<\/p>\n

The chamber is also backing another idea Mayor Vince Lago recently proposed \u2014 a plan to potentially charge commercial property owners across the Gables a beautification fee, except for those on Miracle Mile and Giralda, which already have a similar fee in place.<\/p>\n

Lago explained in a March 10 meeting<\/a> that the fee would make required maintenance cheaper and easier for business owners, while letting the city manage sidewalk pressure-cleaning and repairs, landscaping and streetscape upkeep to clean and beautify the city.<\/p>\n

How does the new Coral Gables board game fit into the chamber\u2019s plans? \"View View of the Gables-Opoly’s board and cards. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

For Miller, Gables-Opoly \u201cfelt like a perfect fit\u201d for the chamber\u2019s efforts to engage shoppers with businesses and get some love on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cGables-Opoly is the perfect opportunity to expose visitors to the area, community businesses,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n

The board game features historic and famous landmarks, including the Biltmore Hotel, the Venetian Pool and City Hall. The University of Miami and other Gables staples, including Hotel Colonnade, Hyatt Coral Gables and the DeSoto Fountain, are also part of the game.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s been a success, according to Miller and Martinez. The game sold out a few days before Martinez hosted a Gables-Opoly event with a larger-than-usual board during the city\u2019s monthly Giralda Live event in March. His next shipment of boards is expected to arrive this week.<\/p>\n

Could proposed property tax cuts impact shops and other businesses?<\/p>\n

Everyone is talking about the potential property tax cuts<\/a> that may soon be on Florida voters\u2019 ballots. Gables leaders have raised concerns during city meetings about the potential impact.<\/p>\n

Arrizurieta said the chamber, just like the city, is closely monitoring developments.<\/p>\n

He believes the proposals floating around Tallahassee will lead to a \u201cdeeper conversation about how the local governments are spending their money and where they\u2019re spending their money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody needs to be vigilant,\u201d he said. \u201cI think there\u2019s a long road left before we get to that conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Eddy Eddy Martinez (right), owner of the Bliss Imprints & Gifts store, listen as Jorge L. Arrizurieta, president of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, speaks during a meeting at the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com What should business owners know about opening in the Gables?<\/p>\n

Arrizurieta said getting involved in the community is crucial.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy strongest tip would be to get engaged, be a part of the fabric of this community and be a part of the chamber\u2019s activity,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great place to not only meet your peers, meet your colleagues, but meet your clients and your prospective clients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social media and AI also need to be part of your playbook, according to Arrizurieta.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re not involved in taking advantage of social media and using AI in today\u2019s reality, you\u2019re way behind the curve,\u201d said Arrizurieta, noting that social media helped make ScandyCandy, a Swedish candy store, a viral sensation in the Gables.<\/p>\n

\"Bryn Bryn Ingram decides what to choose from a large assortment of candy offered at the ScandyCandy store on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Both Miller and Martinez shared a similar sentiment, explaining that business owners need to be ready to network and create a social media strategy. They said the chamber provides a variety of opportunities, from luncheons and social events to training sessions on marketing, AI and other subjects, including for business owners whose shops are not actually in the City Beautiful but either want to move there someday or want to do business within the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s talk about access. If you cold-call as a small business, you cold-call the Biltmore, you cold-call Baptist, you\u2019re probably not going to get a meeting,\u201d said Miller. \u201cBut if you\u2019re seeing these folks out at these networking events, and they get to know and trust you, you\u2019re more likely to secure business with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Gables-Opoly initiative, for example, helped Martinez secure a deal to do promotional products for the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

Arrizurieta said people should think of the chamber\u2019s networking power like a gym membership. If you don\u2019t use it, you won\u2019t lose weight or build muscles.<\/p>\n

\u201cA chamber membership is exactly the same way,\u201d he said, noting that people can also pay to attend certain events, instead of a complete membership, to test the waters.<\/p>\n

To learn more about the chamber, visit coralgableschamber.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"From (From left) Eddy Martinez, owner of the Bliss Imprints & Gifts store; Cristina Miller, president of the Mark A. Trowbridge Chamber Foundation; and Jorge L. Arrizurieta, president of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, posed holding Gables-Opoly, a Coral Gables-themed Monopoly-style game, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Michelle Marchante<\/a><\/p>\n

Miami Herald<\/p>\n

Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health\u2019s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald\u2019s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow.\u00a0
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