WATCH: Bridal shop owner ‘happy’ to be part of Daytona’s Volusia Mall
Nelly Albano previously ran her The Aventura Bridal & Tuxedo shop for 15 years at Seminole Towne Center in Sanford until its closure in late 2024.
DAYTONA BEACH — Volusia Mall has welcomed several new independent stores so far this year, with more expected in the coming months.
The new stores include Florida Mans Toys, which opened in February, The Aventura Bridal & Tuxedo, which opened in April, and Native Home Marketplace and All Star Karate, both of which opened in early May.
Here’s a look at some of the new arrivals as well as what else is coming:
Aventura Bridal & Tuxedo
The Aventura Bridal & Tuxedo quietly opened its doors at Volusia Mall, near the Pandora Jewelry store, in mid-April.
Owner Nelly Albano previously ran her bridal/tuxedo shop at Seminole Towne Center in Sanford for 15 years until the shopping center closed its doors late last year.
“I love it,” the Deltona resident said of her shop’s new digs at Volusia Mall. “I’m very happy here.”
Albano, who spoke with The News-Journal on May 22, said she was still in the process of getting things set up and hoped to hold a grand opening celebration at some point in the near future.
“It’s a little quiet,” she said of the mall’s foot traffic, “but I know things are going to change.”
Albano is one of a handful of shops that relocated to Volusia Mall after being displaced by the closing of Seminole Mall. The others include Florida Mans Toys and All Star Karate.
Shopaholix Boutique
This women’s apparel e-commerce business recently announced on Facebook that it will be opening a store at Volusia Mall in July. It will be located next to The Aventura Bridal & Tuxedo.
The store’s website, shopaholixboutique.com, shows a product mix that includes tops, T-shirts, tank tops and camis, bottoms, dresses/skirts, jeans, shorts, two-piece/jumpsuits, cardigans and ponchos, intimates and loungewear, outerwear, swimwear, and activewear, as well as “curve fashion” clothes, shoes and accessories.
According to state business incorporation records, Shopaholix Boutique LLC is owned by Whitney Abney of Palm Coast. Her personal Facebook page describes her business as offering “various styles and brands of fashion from LA’s popular urban fashion to East Coast’s sassy fashion sense.”
Abney has also been a “brand ambassador” for KORA Fitness and JustStrong since 2019. She studied at Bethune-Cookman University in 2009 as well as at Walden University Online in 2013 where she took classes in clinical research administration.
The News-Journal has been unable to reach Abney for comment.
Off The Chain Soul Food
Restaurateur Mikal “Kel” Moore plans to open an eatery called Off The Chain Soul Food in the food court at Volusia Mall this fall. He has set Sept. 23 as his target opening date but acknowledged it might not open until early October.
Moore is a Daytona Beach native who graduated from both Mainland High School and Bethune-Cookman University. He recently operated a soul food restaurant in Lansing, Michigan called Carrie’s Kitchen.
At Volusia Mall, Moore will take over the space previously occupied by the Cajun Cafe.
Returning to Daytona Beach is “an opportunity to bring something fresh and new to the mall,” said Moore in a phone interview.
According to a 2024 article in the Lansing State Journal, a sister publication of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, the menu for Carrie’s Kitchen “was developed around the food Moore grew up eating, including fried chicken, pork chops, catfish, pot roast, collard greens, and macaroni and cheese made from four different types of cheese.”
Moore told The News-Journal that he plans to offer a similar menu at Off The Chain Soul Food, including ox tails, pulled pork, “rodeo burgers,” and “made-from-scratch homemade desserts” such as banana pudding, poundcakes and pies.
“It’s going to be 100% soul food,” he said.
‘Mystery pizzeria’ coming to food court
Moore said he has been told by the mall’s management that a lease has been signed for “a pizza place” that will take over the food court space previously occupied by Sbarro’s. He did not know the name of the pizzeria but said its owners may already have a location elsewhere in town.
Mall officials have not responded to requests for comment.
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