By Strawberry Jam

Dania Jai-Alai

Photo by Strawberry Jam

It was recently announced that the Dania Jai-Alai is set to close in September on an $80 million sale.  For some, it will be a bitter end to a vintage sport that has been around for thirty-plus years.  But according to the president and CEO of Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming which owns the space, Dania Jai-Alai “no longer fits our current growth strategy.”  It is supposedly being sold to private investors through an all-cash deal.  You can read the article in Forbes here.

Dania Beach has long been known as a quirky place. It is Broward’s first city (incorporated in 1904), “stuck in the past” some might call it, and known for it’s antiquing.  Sorry to say, but it might be time for a facelift.  Last summer, the Dania Beach Press (which apparently does not have a website) stated that the Pirates Inn (located just West of the Jai-Alai) was hoping to be marketed to a supermarket of sorts, possibly a Trader Joe’s.  You’ll have to take my word for it as we don’t have the actual article and it was in print, but you can read a similar, less specific Sun-Sentinel article about it here.  Little information is known at this time as to whether or not live jai-alai will continue.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?  Many argue that Dania would be one of the last on the list of Trader Joe’s openings, whose current closest locations are in Georgia and South Carolina.  At the same time, I think it can be said that Dania is a nice buffer between populated cities such as Aventura and Ft Lauderdale which already have a similar market (Whole Foods).  Weigh in on your opinions in the comments.

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