AUSTIN, TEXAS — PopStroke Entertainment Group, a golf-centric entertainment concept based in Florida, will open a new venue in Austin. PopStroke is assuming operations of The Pitch, a sports-themed entertainment hub on the city’s northeast side that was designed by Mark Odom Studio and developed by Karlin Real Estate. PopStroke will deliver a rebranded dining experience and upgraded event spaces, and the company will also operate The Pitch’s pickleball courts and introduce two new sand volleyball courts. The opening is set for the fall.
BATON ROUGE, LA. — A partnership between New York-based companies DLC and DRA Advisors has acquired Towne Center at Cedar Lodge, a 316,031-square-foot shopping center located near the Louisiana State University (LSU) campus in Baton Rouge. The purchase price was $81 million, according to the Baton Rouge Advocate. The seller was undisclosed. Whole Foods Market anchors the property, which was 93 percent leased at the time of sale. Other tenants include Barnes & Noble, Nike, Gap and Ulta Beauty.
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — SRS Real Estate Partners has arranged the $7.3 million sale of a two-parcel, multi-tenant retail strip center located at 730 4th St. N in St. Petersburg. Built in 2009, the property totals 10,802 square feet and was fully leased to a mix of tenants including Foxtail Coffee, The UPS Store, Jimmy John’s, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Verizon Wireless at the time of sale. Patrick Nutt and William Wamble of SRS Capital Markets represented the seller, a Tampa-based investment group, in the transaction. The buyer was a national fund that targets multi-tenant retail properties. Both parties requested anonymity.
BUCKEYE, ARIZ. — Vestar has signed leases with five new tenants at Verrado Marketplace, a 500,000-square-foot open-air lifestyle and entertainment center under development in Buckeye, roughly 35 miles west of downtown Phoenix. Retail and restaurant concepts including Sourdough & Co., See’s Candies, CityVet, Great Clips and NextCare are anticipated to open in May 2026 and will occupy a combined 10,000 square feet. Upon completion, Verrado Marketplace will offer a selection of retail, dining and service-oriented options. The new tenants will join a mix of anchors and national brands such as Target, Harkins BackLot, Safeway, Ross, Marshalls, HomeGoods, ULTA Beauty, Famous Footwear, Buckle, Bath & Body Works, European Wax Center and Zara Nails. A variety of eateries are also confirmed including Salt Tacos + Tequila, Shake Shack, Handel’s Ice Cream, Nekter Juice Bar, Thai Chili, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Tropical Smoothie and Hawaiian Bros Island Grill.
LUTSEN, MINN. — The Duluth office of Kraus-Anderson has completed construction on Papa Charlie’s Event Center and Lodging in Lutsen within northeast Minnesota. Located at 467 Ski Hill Road, the 9,825-square-foot restaurant and lodge replaces the former facility that was shuttered by a 2023 fire. Designed by LHB Architects, the new $10 million replacement building includes Charlie’s Alpine Bistro. The two-story center’s lodging, called Sunset Studios, includes a bridal suite and eight custom lodging units with balconies overlooking the Poplar River and Moose Mountain. Construction began in September 2024.
When asked what makes Florida appealing from a retail perspective, Steven Miskew, CEO of Southeast Centers, put it succinctly: “The good macro-economic drivers are here: population growth, lack of supply and low vacancy, all in a pro-business environment,” he said. As Miskew asserts, Florida’s population continues to swell as approximately 1,755 people move into the state daily, according to 2023 data from online self-storage platform StorageCafe. Additionally, U-Haul has ranked Florida as a top four growth state in its annual growth index — which analyzes the destinations for one-way moves across its fleet — every year since 2015. Seven Florida cities ranked in U-Haul’s top 25 growth metros in 2024. Florida’s growing population underpins the success of its retail sector as more rooftops directly correlates to more demand for corresponding services, including grocery, food-and-beverage, health and wellness and soft goods. Phil Kirkpatrick, business recruitment and property development at the City of Clearwater’s economic development and housing department, says that the Tampa Bay-area city is seeing very strong retail occupancy levels. “Vacancy is quite low as of the end of 2024, sitting at 5.4 percent,” says Kirkpatrick, acknowledging that the rate exceeds the vacancy rate of the overall Tampa Bay metro …
KILLEEN, TEXAS — JLL has negotiated the sale of Killeen Marketplace, a shopping center in Central Texas. According to the website of the new owner, Chase Properties, Killeen Marketplace totals roughly 116,000 square feet and is anchored by Best Buy, Ross Dress for Less, Shoe Carnival and dd’s Discounts. The property traded as part of a portfolio deal that included a retail center in Lufkin, Texas, as well as two shopping centers in Arkansas. Adam Howells, Barry Brown and Erin Lazarus of JLL represented the seller, Ball Ventures, in the transaction. Deborah Johnson of JLL assisted in closing the deal as the broker of record.
STAFFORD, TEXAS — EDGE Capital Markets has brokered the sale of Shops at The Grid, a 12,500-square-foot retail strip center in Stafford, a southwestern suburb of Houston. The newly constructed center, which was fully leased at the time of sale, lies at the entrance of The Grid, a 192-acre master-planned development anchored by Costco Business Center and Target. Chace Henke and Micha van Marcke of EDGE represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. — Core Palmetto, an affiliate of Core Investment Management, has sold Palmetto Plaza, a 186,095-square-foot retail center located in Miami Gardens, roughly 16 miles north of downtown Miami. The sales price was $46 million. Core originally acquired Palmetto Plaza in 2021 for $33 million.Aldi and Dollar Tree anchor the property, which was more than 95 percent leased at the time of sale. Other tenants include The UPS Store, Regions Bank, Dunkin’ and Bright Star Academy. Built in 1987, the center sits on nearly 12 acres. Douglas Mandel and Zach Levine of Marcus & Millichap represented Core in the transaction and procured the undisclosed buyer.
BEAUMONT, CALIF. — CH Realty Partners (CHRP) has secured full entitlements for Beaumont Pointe, a 622-acre industrial and commercial development in Beaumont. In early 2026, CHRP will begin construction on Phase One, encompassing 2 million square feet of industrial space spread across two buildings. Located along the south side of State Route 60 west of Jack Rabbit Trail, Beaumont Pointe will include 5 million square feet of Class A industrial and logistics space across six buildings, 246,000 square feet of general commercial space, a 125-room hotel and 277 acres of open space and conservation area. At full build-out, the project is estimated at $1.5 billion in total development value and is expected to support more than 5,400 jobs and significantly expand Beaumont’s tax base. The Contract for Difference (CFD) structure ensures infrastructure such as roads and utilities as privately funded by the project itself. Final Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) approvals for annexation and water service extension were approved in July 2025.