Most of what opened at Watersound Town Center in 2026 came out of one building. St. Joe announced it in November 2025, said its shops would open in mid-2026, and then mostly delivered on that schedule. The center off US Highway 98 at the Watersound Origins entrance is now close to full. As of June 30, 2026, St. Joe reported it 98 percent leased. That changes how to read every tenant announcement from here on. A new store at Watersound Town Center means construction first, and the pace of construction now sets the pace of openings.
Nine Months From Announcement to Open Doors
St. Joe's November 6, 2025 release named five retailers for a building then under construction: FP Movement, Monkee's, Johnnie-O, Hemline and Sunset Shoes & Lifestyles. The same release scheduled a second group of openings, in other newly built space, for early 2026. Here is how those promises held up.
| Tenant | What St. Joe projected in Nov. 2025 | Status in St. Joe's 2026 updates |
|---|---|---|
| FP Movement | Mid-2026 | Recently opened as of June 30 |
| Hemline | Mid-2026 | Recently opened as of June 30 |
| Monkee's | Mid-2026 | Recently opened as of June 30 |
| Sunset Shoes & Lifestyles | Mid-2026 | Recently opened as of June 30 |
| Johnnie-O | Mid-2026 | Expected later in summer as of June 30; opened by Aug. 20 |
| Art-of-Fact(s) | November 2025 | Joined the center, per June 30 update |
| Jersey Mike's Subs | Early 2026 | Open as of June 30 |
| Lagree 30A | Early 2026 | Open as of June 30 |
| Fischer Homes | Early 2026 | Open as of June 30 |
That November release also said Scout Sports Tavern and 30A Chiropractic & Wellness had recently opened. So the run of openings that residents have watched over the last year really started in fall 2025.
The table shows a center that opens close to its own timetable once a building is underway. Of the five shops promised for mid-2026 in that one building, four were open by June 30 and Johnnie-O followed in August. That track record helps when reading what St. Joe has said about the next round.
Why the Remaining Space Can't Hold the Next Big Store
St. Joe's quarterly filing for the period ending June 30, 2026 lists Watersound Town Center at 161,108 net leasable square feet, 98 percent leased. Two percent of that is roughly 3,200 square feet, spread across whatever suites were left.
The next big name St. Joe announced is Anthropologie, in a store of about 9,000 square feet. As of midyear, all the unleased space in the center combined came to about a third of what that one store needs. Nobody could have moved into an empty storefront this fall. The store needed a building of its own.
The same filing shows how much building is left. As of June 30, the center had 168,887 square feet completed and 231,113 more planned, for a total of 400,000. The Watersound Town Center residents use today is about 42 percent of the planned buildout. St. Joe has described it in slightly different ways over the summer: about 160,000 square feet in its June 30 release and about 170,000 in its August 20 release, depending on what it was counting. Under any of those figures, more of the center is still to come than has been built.
Anthropologie's Building, and the One Still Being Planned
St. Joe's August 20, 2026 announcement said construction had begun on a new retail building that Anthropologie will share with tenants not yet named. The store will include an Anthropologie Weddings bridal shop, a format the company offers only at select locations, where brides can book appointments with stylists and shop gowns, bridesmaid dresses and accessories.
St. Joe explained the bridal shop choice by pointing to the wedding trade along 30A. In the release, Rebecca Waters, St. Joe's Director of Commercial Sales and Leasing, said:
"Given the strength of the destination wedding business throughout the 30A trade area, we believe the addition of Anthropologie Weddings to the brand's signature retail offerings will be especially well received and a terrific complement to the market."
WJHG's report on the lease also left out an opening date. St. Joe has said only that it will announce one later.
A second building is further back. In June, St. Joe said two more buildings were planned to break ground in 2026. By August, one was underway and the other was "anticipated to break ground later this year." Its tenants have not been named. Going by the last building, which took roughly nine months from St. Joe's announcement to open doors, any shops in these two new buildings are a 2027 story.
The next official update is close. St. Joe scheduled its third-quarter results for release on October 28 and its earnings call for October 29. Quarterly releases are where St. Joe has updated the center's square footage and leasing so far this year.
What the Finished Part Already Covers
Because the center is almost fully leased, the current directory is a fairly stable list of what's here for the next several months. The Watersound Town Center directory puts everyday errands and dining under the same roofs:
- Groceries and errands: Publix Supermarket with its pharmacy, deli and bakery, plus Publix Liquors, FedEx Office and Fleet Feet
- Coffee and quick meals: Starbucks, Jersey Mike's Subs in the Publix shopping center, Friends 30A Burger Bar and Marco's Pizza
- Sweets: Sweet Henrietta's for cakes, cookies and coffee drinks, and Nigel's Bananas for frozen bananas, ice cream bars and chocolate-dipped key lime pie
- Sit-down dining: Scout Sports Tavern, Village Market at Watersound Town Center, and Ambrosia Prime Seafood & Steaks, which lists a daily Caymus Happy Hour from 3 to 6 p.m. in the bar and on the patio
- Shopping: J.McLaughlin, Summer House Lifestyle, Art-of-Fact(s) and the 2026 group of FP Movement, Hemline 30A, Monkee's, Sunset Shoes & Lifestyles and Johnnie-O
- Fitness and wellness: Lagree 30A and 30A Chiropractic & Wellness
So far the new buildings have added clothing, fitness and specialty shops, plus a sub shop. The grocery store, the coffee stop and the sit-down restaurants were already here.
The Pavilion Calendar Through December
The Pavilion at 85 Origins Main St. is the part of Watersound Town Center that doesn't wait on the next building, and its calendar is full through early December. The First Friday Fall Concert Series is free and family-friendly. The Cultural Arts Alliance, Russell Carter Artist Management and the St. Joe Community Foundation bring artists connected to the 30A Songwriters Festival, according to SoWal, which suggests bringing chairs and blankets for the covered pavilion.
- Friday, Nov. 6: Webb Wilder Trio with opener Jessica Willis Fisher at the First Friday concert. Mountainfilm on Tour is listed at Watersound Town Center the same night and again on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 6 to 10 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 4: Michelle Malone Trio, plus an Art Bazaar from 4 to 8 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 6: Winter Wonder Watersound, a free public holiday celebration with Santa, carolers, cookie decorating, letters to Santa and a children's theatre performance. The listing doesn't name a venue.
SoWal lists the concert music from 6 to 8 p.m. Watersound's own event pages for November 6 and December 4 show 6 to 9 p.m., so check the evening's listing before you head over. The series is a warm-up for the 30A Songwriters Festival, which returns January 15 to 18, 2027.
At Empire Real Estate of Florida, we keep an eye on how places like Watersound Town Center grow, because the shops and gathering spots within a short drive shape daily life in Watersound Origins and along east 30A. If you'd like to talk about what the center's next buildings could mean for your corner of Watersound, Contact Us.
