Carefree serious about enticing shoppers, diners

By Sonja Haller

The Republic | azcentral.com

Busloads of people with spending money once unloaded at Carefree’s town center. Merchants did a bustling busi­ness.

The buses are gone. So are many of the bustling storefronts.

The town is seeking to change that by strategizing with developers, real-estate agents and landlords and by making the community more attractive to day trip­pers and tourists.

Carefree’s population of 3,300 will never be able to support the town finan­cially, so the community is dependent on outsiders dining and shopping in Care­free.

Carefree, which borders Scottsdale’s northern boundary, has no property tax and half of its yearly budget comes from sales-tax revenues, which have either dipped or remained flat over the past few years.

Currently, there are close to 40 store­front vacancies, about a 20 percent va­cancy rate.

Part of the new strategy is filling the vacancies by creating a more vibrant, things-are-happening-here town center, which serves as its cultural and econom­ic hub.

“We’re trying to put in events and amenities that bring people into town,” said Mayor David Schwan. “It’s a lot easi­er to sell someone on opening a new busi­ness if they come and see our parking lots full and people walking around.”

Some ideas include a splash pad, which has not been without controversy, a better amphitheater sound system and shading to accommodate future events, and a reflective pool around the town’s iconic sundial.

The town touts its recent addition of the $1 million Carefree Desert Gardens, pedestrian gas lamps, colorful banners, a powder coating of its iconic sun dial and Wi-Fi availability.

Last year, the town eliminated its de­velopment fees to further encourage people to set up shop in Carefree.

Scottsdale resident Jacqueline Hig­gins signed a lease this month in the town center for a women’s apparel shop that will open in October. She looked in north Scottsdale and Cave Creek before decid­ing on an 825-square-foot space in Care­free.

“It’s a nice, little Western jewel,” Hig­gins said of the town. “There’s a lot of balls in play in Carefree and I’m optimis­tic that things will come together favor­ably. I do believe there is profitability in the area.”

Town Councilwoman Melissa Price, who has arranged most of the meetings with developers, real-estate agents and property owners, believes the town is po­sitioning itself for economic success but that it must change an antiquated mind­set. The buses are never coming back, she said. News accounts show the town was seeking a return of the bus traffic as far back as 1999 without success.

“Times have changed greatly since those days when we had busloads of peo­ple. At that time there wasn’t anything in between us and Scottsdale. It was just open desert and it was a day trip to come to Carefree,” Price said. “But now there’s competition with retail centers and communities all around us and peo­ple have more choices about where to go.”

Rod de Szendeffy, a 30-year resident and owner of three Carefree buildings, said the town has gotten away from what works — and the buses worked.

“Where else between a Paradise Val­ley resort and here is there another com­munity like Carefree? Nowhere.”

Of his buildings in the town center, one is 75 percent vacant, another has four tenants but 16 more spaces for lease.

“Five years ago, things were better. They were much better 10, 15, 20 years ago,” he said.

“I could tell you, I could give stores away and they wouldn’t make any mon­ey,” de Szendeffy said, explaining that his leasing prices are competitive.

Price believes things will change if the town gives more reasons for more people to visit.

“People are looking for entertainment. Just look at CityNorth. Great shops, great restaurants, and they’re having a tough time making it,” Price said. “Every devel­oper has said you put in the entertain­ment and the businesses will come.”

Harry Vardakis owns eight properties in Carefree, including four buildings in the Carefree commercial area. With the recent leasings to a restaurant and Hig­gins’ shop all his spaces have tenants.

“The reason is that I went with the flow of the economy,” he said. “I’m a pro­found believer that you have to help your­self, especially in this kind of economy.”

A Carefree resident since 1968, Varda­kis said this Town Council and leaders are on the right track.

“This administration has done more in the past five years than anyone had done in 20 years,” Vardakis said. “As far as the future of Carefree they have excellent ideas.”

He envisions the town one day becom­ing a little desert Rodeo Drive, with high­end shops that people will make the trip for not just because of the store but be­cause of the experience.

“Carefree has got to be ahead of the curve, not behind it,” he said.

Jacqueline Higgins (left) works with painter Landon Balke on the color she wants for her new Carefree apparel shop opening in October called Jackie’s. CHARLIE LEIGHT/THE REPUBLIC