Who Gets to Fill Palm Harbor's Storefronts This Fall?

"There will always be a grocer. A grocer is needed no matter what." Vicky Anthony, Kimco Realty's vice president of leasing for its southern portfolio, said that to the Tampa Bay Beacons this summer. She was explaining how Highland Lakes Plaza on U.S. 19 went from a mostly empty strip to one of the busiest shopping centers in North Pinellas.

In the same interview she explained how the plaza picks its tenants, and that answers a bigger question for anyone who lives in Palm Harbor: who ends up in the town's open storefronts. On U.S. 19, the new names are national chains, chosen because they can pay more rent. In historic downtown, the fall calendar is still run by the parks department, the museum and the long-running local spots on Florida Avenue and Nebraska Avenue. Bar Fly, a local operator expanding this year, is consolidating its whole business in Palm Harbor.

A Plaza That Had Already Lost Its Grocer Once

Highland Lakes Plaza opened as Highland Plaza in March 1979 with a Publix as its anchor. A photo lab, travel agency, hardware store, beauty parlor, florist and bank surrounded it. The Publix stayed until spring 1992, when it moved next door to Coral Landing.

Stein Mart took the anchor space, and Palm Harbor Bookstore, Michaels, Orangetheory Fitness, Famous Footwear and Hallmark joined over the years. Stein Mart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, and its box stayed empty for four years. One resident described the center to the Beacons as "a ghost town."

Here is how the turnaround played out:

1. January 2024. Kimco Realty, a New York-based real estate investment trust that focuses on grocery-anchored, open-air centers, buys the plaza.
2. December 2024. Trader Joe's opens in the former Stein Mart. It is the northernmost Trader Joe's in Tampa Bay.
3. Next. With about 21,000 square feet still open, Kimco brings in Barnes & Noble. Perspire Sauna Studio takes the old Marathon Grille space, and Kimco spends millions on new lighting, landscaping and sign pylons along U.S. 19.
4. Announced in August 2026. Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill, Code Ninjas and J.Crew Factory.

Some old tenants stayed through all of it. Michaels, Orangetheory and Famous Footwear are still there, and the grocery store is back where the plaza started.

Why the Next Tenants Will Be Chains

Kimco has been open about how it picks the next tenants. The Beacons reported that the center would focus on filling its remaining space with strong national chains rather than local stores. Anthony gave the reasoning:

"While the local mom-and-pops are obviously ideal, the blend of locals and nationals demands a higher rent, because their sales are stronger."

The sizes of the announced spaces show the same thing. The Palm Harbor-Dunedin Beacon reported Kimco's site plan:

The Costa Vida at 33505 U.S. 19 N. will be the chain's first location in Florida. It has more than 90 locations elsewhere, mostly in the western U.S. Code Ninjas is a coding and STEM franchise for kids ages 5 to 14. Kimco also told the Beacons it expects three more leases with large national companies, opening through 2027.

A franchise can also bring a local face to U.S. 19. Elsewhere on the highway, Kahwa Coffee Roasting Company opened a franchise at 32700 U.S. 19 N. in June. The St. Pete Catalyst reported that franchisee Chris Deneault grew up in Palm Harbor and wanted his shop there. He signed the lease in June 2024, and the hurricanes that fall pushed back the opening. The brand is based in St. Petersburg, and the franchisee is from Palm Harbor.

The Local Operator Moving the Other Way

Bar Fly's year runs against the U.S. 19 pattern, and it began in Safety Harbor. The Tampa Bay Beacons reported that the fly fishing-themed bar and seafood spot served its last meal in Safety Harbor on July 30, after 14 years. Owners Jeff and Celeste Harrell put that corner under contract to Frenchy's, the Clearwater-based restaurant group, which plans to open its sixth restaurant there after renovations.

The family is putting everything into Palm Harbor. About a year ago they opened a smaller outpost here, built around the original Bar Fly idea of a laid-back coastal bar with fishing gear and apparel. Harrell then signed a lease for the former Pizza World space one door down, with Serava Nails & Spa between the two. The plan is a sit-down restaurant carrying 80 to 90 percent of the menu from Safety Harbor's Saltwater Grill.

In a social media post quoted by the Beacons, the restaurant said that by "focusing our efforts on one location, we'll be able to work together as a family" and bring the next generation into the business.

In August, the owners were aiming for a September opening. The existing Palm Harbor bar serves a smaller menu with the lobster melt, lobster roll and a selection of tacos. Check Bar Fly's own pages for the current opening status before planning a dinner around the full menu.

Downtown's Calendar Comes From Local Institutions

Highland Lakes Plaza has nothing on the fall calendar. Every dated community event between now and December is organized by local institutions, and most of them happen in the historic district. The Visit Palm Harbor downtown guide describes that district as a compact area of locally owned restaurants, pubs, boutiques and small businesses.

Wine Around Palm Harbor is the event most clearly tied to the town itself. The museum sets out seven wine-and-food tables, each representing one of the area's historic communities. The craft festival address, 1023 Florida Ave., is also the address Visit Palm Harbor lists for Thirsty Marlin.

The guide's dining and bar directories give a picture of the businesses around those events:

• da Bine Brewing Company, 993 Florida Ave.
• Thirsty Marlin, 1023 Florida Ave.
• Fatty's Fish Shack, 1026 Nebraska Ave.
• Fireside Pizza Cafe, 1104 Nebraska Ave.
• Sluggers Grill, 1101 Nebraska Ave., No. 2
• Les Olson Jewelers, 1210 Nebraska Ave.

Just outside the district, the same guide lists Palm Harbor Stilt House Brewery at 625 Alt. 19 and La Dolce Vita Trattoria at 600 Palm Harbor Blvd.

The Next Change Downtown Will Be the Street

U.S. 19 is getting new tenants, and the next change downtown is to the street. Several of the downtown businesses above have Nebraska Avenue addresses. Pinellas County is designing improvements to Nebraska Avenue between Alternate 19 and Westlake Boulevard. The plan looks at continuous sidewalks, roadway and drainage work, traffic calming, and a mini-roundabout at 16th Street.

According to the county's project page, updated July 27, 2026, design runs through early 2027 and construction is planned from late 2027 through late 2028. This holiday season's events on Florida and Georgia avenues come well before any construction.

The county is also building a 28,457-square-foot Palm Harbor Recreation Center on the site of the former Senior Center. It broke ground on April 17, 2026, and plans call for a gym, an indoor track, public recreation and event space, and emergency shelter capacity for up to 498 people. For now, the busiest stretch of the season runs from the Oct. 30 carnival at Harbor Hall to the Dec. 5 tree lighting at 11th and Georgia.

Palm Harbor is home for me. Seeing a family business like Bar Fly choose this town is the kind of change I watch most closely in our own neighborhood. If you're curious how these shifts on U.S. 19 and downtown might affect your own plans in North Pinellas, Julie Kelsey would be glad to talk it through over coffee. Let's Connect.