For years, the pattern for a new store at Southlake Town Square went something like this: a brand opens in Dallas, tests the market, and eventually a second Texas location shows up somewhere near Central Market. Residents drove to Preston Center or NorthPark for the debut, then waited a year or two for their turn.
That pattern is breaking this fall. The mix of tenants opening between August and the end of the year is unusual in one specific way: several are their first stores in Tarrant County, not their fifth or sixth in North Texas. Kite Realty, which operates the center, called the past year the biggest merchandising shift in the property's 20-plus-year history. Fall is when residents will actually feel it, both at the register and on the weekend calendar.
The Tarrant County firsts
Three of the incoming names are opening their first Tarrant County doors on Grand Avenue and State Street. That is a meaningful shift for a shopping center that has historically played second fiddle to the Dallas side of the Metroplex.
Swiss athletic brand ON Running is taking a 6,000-square-foot space at 415 Grand Avenue East, between Alo and Sunglass Hut, its first store in Tarrant County. Reformation, the Los Angeles sustainable-fashion label, is also opening its first Tarrant County boutique, in a 2,007-square-foot space at 213 Grand Avenue near lululemon and YETI. Crate & Barrel is slated for an 18,945-square-foot store at 321 State Street, adjacent to Tyler's, and is anticipated to open near Independence Day 2026, meaning the doors should be open and the traffic pattern settled by fall.
Ascension Coffee is the outlier in the group. The Dallas-based café is taking over the former Corner Bakery location, bringing its full espresso bar, single-origin slow bar, seasonal coffee flights and elevated all-day menu to town; the Southlake café will mark Ascension's seventh location and just its second in Tarrant County. It is scheduled to open in August 2026, which puts it first in the fall rotation. For anyone who has watched the Corner Bakery corner sit dark, a chef-driven all-day menu in that footprint changes the morning rhythm of the north end of Town Square.
| Opening | Location | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Ascension Coffee | Former Corner Bakery, Town Square | August 2026 |
| Crate & Barrel | 321 State Street | Near July 4, 2026 |
| ON Running | 415 Grand Avenue East | Second half 2026 |
| Reformation | 213 Grand Avenue | 2026 |
The through line is not "more retail." It is that Town Square is now competitive with NorthPark and Legacy West as a launch site rather than a follow-on. For residents, the practical translation is fewer 30-mile drives east on 114 and 121 for a fitting or a home delivery consult.
Beyond Grand Avenue: Park Village and Carroll
The fall energy is not confined to the Kite Realty footprint. A short walk or a two-minute drive gets you to a second and third cluster that residents already treat as extensions of the same trip.
At Park Village, one of DFW's most popular restaurant brands is finally making its way to Southlake as Hudson House opens in the former RA Sushi space, bringing its East Coast-inspired atmosphere, oyster bar, signature cheeseburgers and famous martinis to the city. The RA Sushi corner has been a quiet spot in an otherwise busy center for a while, and Hudson House is the kind of tenant that tends to reset foot traffic across an entire property.
The more experimental arrival is Wonder. The technology-driven dining platform allows guests to order from more than 20 restaurant concepts in a single transaction, bringing together menus from renowned chefs and brands including Bobby Flay and Marcus Samuelsson; construction is expected to wrap by mid-June, positioning Wonder for a summer opening, and the concept offers a solution for groups with different cravings, allowing diners to mix and match cuisines without compromising on convenience. Whether the format sticks in Southlake is a real question. What it removes, at least for a season, is the standing family debate about sushi versus burgers versus pasta on a Tuesday night.
Farther out on Carroll Avenue and around Trader Joe's, three independents have already turned the lights on and will be settled by fall. Ferah Tex-Med, offering modern Mediterranean cuisine with a Texas twist, is now open next to Nothing Bundt Cakes; Nikko, specializing in sushi and Asian cuisine, opened next to Trader Joe's; and Stella Trattoria is offering authentic Italian cuisine on State Street, across from Market by Macy's. These are the spots that quietly absorb the overflow when Town Square's Grand Avenue restaurants have an hour-long wait.
The fall weekend calendar
Openings matter more when there is a reason to walk past them. Fall 2026 gives residents three big weekends worth planning around, and each one changes the character of Town Square for a few days.
Celebrate Southlake, September 12. Running 2:00 to 7:00 PM at Rustin Pavilion, free and hosted by the City, Celebrate Southlake commemorates the City's birthday and showcases everything that makes Southlake extraordinary. This year carries additional weight as the City marks its 70th anniversary.
Oktoberfest Southlake, October 16 to 18. This is the milestone weekend of the fall. Oktoberfest Southlake turns 25 this year, taking place in the heart of Southlake Town Square with a weekend of entertainment, food, contests, and family activities, and admission and parking are completely free. The music is unusually good for a free civic festival: the Friday headliner is Back in Black, a tribute to AC/DC, at 9:30 PM, and the Saturday headliner is Larger Than Life, billed as the #1 boyband experience in the country, with an act that has toured with NSYNC, O-Town, 98 Degrees, LFO and TKA. Plan the Grand Avenue errands around it or accept them as impossible for the weekend.
DiwaliFest, late October. DiwaliFest is a cultural celebration hosted by the Southlake Foundation each fall in Southlake Town Square, inspired by Diwali, the Festival of Lights, and features traditional Indian dance performances, live entertainment, cultural exhibits, and authentic cuisine. It is the newest of the three anchor events and, for a lot of families, the most reliably beautiful one after dark.
A short residents' cheat sheet for the season:
- First coffee of the fall run: Ascension, once it opens the former Corner Bakery space.
- Best low-friction weeknight dinner: Ferah on Carroll, or Nikko next to Trader Joe's, if Grand Avenue is on a wait.
- Skip driving east: ON Running and Reformation cover two categories that used to require a NorthPark trip.
- Block the calendar: September 12, October 16 to 18, and the DiwaliFest date on the Southlake Foundation announcement.
What it adds up to
The easy read of a list this long is "Southlake is growing." The more useful read is that Town Square has finally graduated from a very good regional shopping center into a launch market that national brands are willing to open in first. That shows up in leases and square footage this fall. It will show up in property values and buyer demand more slowly, over the next several selling seasons, as the trade area gets tighter and the reasons to leave town for a Saturday drop off.
For anyone already living here, the takeaway for the next four months is simpler. Walk Grand Avenue on a weekday morning after Ascension opens. Put October 16 to 18 on the family calendar. Try Hudson House on a Tuesday, not a Friday.
If a fall home project, a lot question, or a move on either side of Southlake is on the table this season, the team at Holly Davis & Amy Farris would be glad to talk through it. Contact us when you are ready.
