JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The future of the Regency Square Mall is unclear as a new buyer works to close a deal on the property. Meanwhile, businesses inside the mall are wondering what the deal could mean for their existence.
That includes a unique nonprofit operating in the mall.
The IRIS Lending Library for the Blind serves blind and visually impaired readers all over the world.
“I started out in seventh grade," said IRIS President Julia Neimes. "My sister and mom found out about the braille center like we have here that we here, so I went with her and I did that.”
Neimes started her braille journey as a teenager volunteering to help make braille books.
Fast forward a few decades, and now she’s in charge of one of the largest, Christian libraries for the blind in the country.
“I never dreamed as a child that I would be doing this," said Neimes. "It’s a good feeling as a Christian to be able to serve God in this capacity and to help people that are looking for good reading material.”
IRIS ("I Read I See") moved into the mall in 2018, and Neimes says they’ve been able to accomplish a lot since then.
“This is all the places we’ve sent books of the Bible to across the world," said Neimes while pointing to a map with pins spread out as far away as Africa.
The library has grown so much that it purchased land to build a permanent, stand-alone location on Cesery Boulevard.
However, when mall owners announced in October plans to sell the mall…
“We weren’t quite prepared to move out quite this quick," said Neimes. "We have the land, but to move to a temporary location is going to be extremely difficult.”
Neimes explained that braille books are inherently large and heavy.
An architect has already made plans for the new library, but they still need to be put out for bid. Building alone will take at least six months, if not longer.
Blackwater Development is buying the mall, and the owner said in a statement:
“We will reach out to the remaining tenants in the coming weeks to discuss their leases and future plans for the Regency property. It is our goal to work with the remaining tenants to find solutions that promote their ongoing success.”
Blackwater is in the final stages of due diligence and the deal will likely close in the Fall.
The owner said there are no plans right now to close the mall.
“Very time, labor-intensive," said Neimes. "We only want to move once, so we’re hoping that we can pull this together.”
The Regency Square Mall has to give the library two months' notice before terminating their lease.
The library hasn’t gotten that notice yet, so they’re optimistic they’ll be able to keep making headway on the new building so the books will have a new home soon.
To find more information about donating or volunteering at the library, click here.