This Year, Palm Beach Changed During the Off-Season

On July 13, in the middle of the quietest stretch of the Palm Beach year, Bottega Veneta opened a 2,784-square-foot boutique at 70 Royal Poinciana Way, on the restored Royal Poinciana Playhouse site. The Italian house left Worth Avenue to do it. That move set the pattern for the 2026 season on the island. The changes that are already done came in May, July and August, while many owners were away. What is billed for November is, so far, mostly planned dates.

Anyone coming back for the season will find the island already rearranged in places, while several of the openings people are talking about have no confirmed date.

Where Things Stand in Mid-October

The moves, closings and summer hours in the top four rows are done. The Church Mouse coffee counter is still pending, like everything below it, and some of those plans date back to late spring with no newer update.

The Summer Moves Are the Finished Ones

The first change came on May 31, when Kapsiki closed its shop at 235 B Worth Ave. after 35 years on the avenue. The Palm Beach Daily News reported that owner Marnie Adams planned to reopen somewhere else on the island. As of mid-October, no new address has been announced.

Bottega Veneta followed in July. In August, The RealReal moved its Worth Avenue store to 700 S. Rosemary Ave. in CityPlace across the lake, and the Palm Beach Daily News reported Aug. 13 as the opening date. The Palm Beach Post described the new store as a larger space and said the Worth Avenue location had been open for nearly five years.

The quietest summer change may be the one with the biggest effect on daily island life. For years the Church Mouse, the Bethesda-by-the-Sea resale shop near Town Hall, held an end-of-season sale and then closed for the warm months. This summer it stayed open. The Palm Beach Daily News credited the shop's growing popularity, much of it from social media, and the extra sales from summer visitors. The church's website currently lists hours of Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Royal Poinciana Way Has Been Filling Since March 2025

The restored Playhouse site started taking retailers in March 2025, and Thom Browne opened its 1,500-square-foot boutique there on March 1 of that year. Thom Browne had previously run a seasonal shop at the Royal Poinciana Plaza, not on Worth Avenue. Cartier unveiled a 3,800-square-foot boutique on the site in December 2025, and the Italian label La DoubleJ has a boutique near Glazer Hall.

That history shapes how the north end reads this year. Bottega Veneta is the only one of these openings that local reporting describes as a direct move off Worth Avenue. The north end is building its own roster, and so far it isn't doing that by pulling tenants off the avenue.

Next comes Mira Mikati. The designer's namesake label plans its first standalone U.S. boutique at 340 Royal Poinciana Way, in the plaza that WS Development operates. The Palm Beach Daily News reported on Oct. 2 that the store would open "this fall," with a celebration planned for November. No opening day has been announced.

For now, the plaza is staying busy on a shorter calendar. The Pop-Up Patch for Philanthropy fills the East and West Courtyards from Oct. 15 through 18, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, with proceeds going to Cancer Alliance of Help & Hope, according to Palm Beach Illustrated. One subheading on the plaza's own event page gives Oct. 16 through 19, but its main listing matches the Oct. 15 to 18 dates. The plaza calendar also has trunk shows at Marissa Collections this week: David Perry Fine Jewelry on Oct. 13 and 14, then Nouvel Heritage from Oct. 15 to 17.

Worth Avenue Is Trading Tenants, Not Losing Them

With two departures and one relocation since May, Worth Avenue could look like it's thinning out. The pending list says something else. Vineyard Vines plans to return two years after closing its earlier Worth Avenue store. It has taken 330 Worth Ave., the former home of The Silver Fund, and the Palm Beach Post reported in September that interior and storefront work was underway for a planned opening in the first week of November.

The avenue's biggest dining news is further out. Restaurateur Stephen Starr plans a steakhouse, with the working name Room Service, at 151 Worth Ave. The Palm Beach Daily News put the target at December 2027 at the earliest. It belongs on next year's list, not this season's.

So Worth Avenue's year looks like turnover. A 35-year local boutique and a consignment store left, while a returning apparel brand and a nationally known restaurateur have committed to future dates.

Midtown's Two Doors on South County Road

The most local change of the season may be happening at two neighboring addresses in Midtown.

At 378 S. County Road, the Church Mouse plans a small to-go coffee counter selling what the church's rector, the Rev. Tim Schenck, called "coffee with a purpose," with proceeds going to the church's local charitable work, as quoted by the Palm Beach Daily News. On July 15 the Town Council unanimously approved a special exception to the zoning code that allows it. The approval came with three conditions:

• No food
• No seating
• No exterior signs

So the counter will be easy to walk past from the sidewalk. No opening date had been announced as of the latest report. The shop's profile has grown steadily: The New York Times named it one of the 50 best clothing stores in the country, and it now runs an online storefront at ChurchMouseShop.com.

Next door, at 380 S. County Road, the building that housed Le Bar a Vin is set to become George x Avenue 31. The concept is a two-floor Mediterranean restaurant with a nightclub component, and the Town Council approved its site plans this month, according to the Palm Beach Daily News. Hoodline identified Avenue 31 founders Stefano Frittella and Alexa Carcelli as the team behind it and Julian Baker as executive chef. No opening date has been given.

Within a few months, this block near Town Hall has gone from a seasonal resale shop and a former wine bar to a year-round shop with an approved coffee counter and an approved restaurant-nightclub next door. Neither new use is open yet.

The South End Waits on One Reopening

Down South Ocean Boulevard, the season starts with Acqua Café at 2875 S. Ocean Blvd. The restaurant closed this summer for an interior refresh, and in May managing partner and co-owner Jose-Luis Duran told the Palm Beach Daily News the plan was to reopen in early November. No newer update has been published since that May report, so calling ahead before planning a first dinner back makes sense.

For holiday planning, last year's Worth Avenue Association tree lighting was on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, with Santa's parade at 6:10 p.m. and the lighting at 6:25 p.m. That gives a rough sense of timing, though this year's date should be confirmed with the association.

Seasonal owners who come back to a house that sat closed over the summer often face the same kind of question as these storefronts: what got done while they were away, and what is still waiting on a date. The Don Moore Team keeps track of both for clients who split the year, from checking on a property in their absence to telling them what has changed on the streets around it. If you'd like that kind of local check-in before you return, Request a Confidential Market Consultation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.