New stores and a pub opening at International Plaza

If Jon Gosselin ever comes to Tampa, he'll have a new place to buy his signature Ed Hardy T-shirts.

A slew of new stores and restaurants will open this year at International Plaza, including the flamboyant shirt company Ed Hardy, college ethos retailer Urban Outfitters and South American yacht/beachwear seller Zingara.

But fans of the Samsonite store, Oilily and the Bamboo Club will see those operations have already packed up and left. Typically, Tampa's most upscale shopping mall announces new stores as they open throughout the year. But this time, mall officials say they had several new stores sign leases, and were ready for publicity.

Among the new openings:

Fashion designer Michael Kors will open his first Tampa-area boutique in December, on the upper level near Neiman Marcus, with luxury sportswear and accessories. That store replaces Iridesse, the pearl-focused jewelry store run by Tiffany & Co. that closed its Tampa location in August.

This summer, Urban Outfitters will open a relatively large, 11,351-square foot location on Bay Street near the Fit2Run athletic store, focusing on eclectic college and first-apartment-inspired clothes, art and music. (Corporate officials with Urban Outfitters did not comment on the fate of the Ybor City U.O. location.)

For fans of British food, The Pub will open in the two-story space vacated a year ago by the Bamboo Club. The new bar/restaurant is modeled on pubs around the British Isles, with a large pub replica façade outside, wood bar, English-style food and beers.

Ed Hardy will open a boutique in April on the upper level near the Grand Court where Cache Luxe closed in January. Gosselin, who is the "Jon" of the now-defunct reality show "Jon and Kate, Plus 8," helped make a national splash in his single life by wearing Hardy on the red carpet. Designer Christian Audigier will have two lines in the store: Paco Chicano, a line of spiritual, Latin-inspired designs and Smet, a street-themed line of T-shirts, hats, jeans and hoodies.

Sperry Top-Sider will open a location in the former Samsonite space on the upper level above the children's play area. That store will feature the Sperry line of nautical-themed shoes and fashion.

And just before June, the South American swimwear-designer Zingara will open on the second floor where Oilily left, and will feature with swimsuits, hats, bags, footwear and beach gear.