On Saturday mornings the Naples Farmers Market sets up at 2355 Vanderbilt Beach Road from 8 a.m. to noon, according to the Shoppes at Vanderbilt events page. Across the lot, on either side of the CVS at the northwest corner of Vanderbilt Beach and Airport-Pulling roads, two new buildings now stand. One is a single-story building that's finished. The other is a two-story building that's almost done.

The tenants moving into those buildings, and into the older spaces that came open this year, have one thing in common. Most of them are built around time spent on site, with a tasting bar, a mahjong league, fudge-making group events and a second-floor bar.

The Leasing Plan Behind the New Buildings

The center's leasing team has said this out loud. "We're trying to curate an eclectic mix of tenants there," PJ Hill, leasing manager for the Shoppes at Vanderbilt, told the Naples Press in September. "As the center has grown and is established now, it's a fairly large shopping center. We have so much here it gets tricky to find good complementary concepts."

Building 1000, the smaller building north of CVS, went entirely to a wine and spirits retailer. Building 1100, at more than 20,000 square feet and directly west of the pharmacy, is leasing one unit at a time. The first tenant to open sets the tone for the rest.

The Good Pour Sells Bottles by Letting You Taste First

The Good Pour opened at 2373 Vanderbilt Beach Road in early September, in a new 7,200-square-foot building that faces Airport-Pulling Road. It held its grand opening October 16 through 18 with live music, light bites and free tastings.

The store looks less like a liquor store than a tasting room with shelves. Managing partner Ivo Atanasov described the setup to the Naples Press: 16 wines by the glass in 1-, 3- or 6-ounce pours, split evenly between whites and reds, plus a separate machine with seven spirits by the glass for allocated bourbons and tequilas. The Reserve Room handles private functions. A Tasting Bar pours rare whisky and wine. There's also a gift bar where shoppers build their own baskets, which beverage director Jeff Nichols called "a Build-A-Bear for adults."

The chain also works charity into each sale. It partners with more than 300 nonprofits and gives part of its profits to a charity each shopper picks. Founder Ray Horal started the company in Winter Park. The North Naples store is its fifth location and the first outside Central Florida, and Atanasov and Nichols, who both live in Naples, own and run it. Horal told the Naples Press that Naples, with its major annual wine festival, is "the most dynamic wine market in the country."

Hours run 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Being open until 10 at night on a weekday shows the store expects evening visits as much as quick bottle runs.

Smaller Spaces Are Being Built for Groups

The same idea shows up in how the center is splitting and refilling its older units.

The Axe Lodge's former space facing Airport-Pulling has been divided into three units. Serenity Medical Spa and TG Hair Salon took two. The third, Suite 705, belongs to Paradise Coast Mahjong, a boutique for mahjong gear that also offers lessons, leagues, open play, memberships and special events. The Paradise Coast Mahjong website set Tuesday, October 20 as opening day, at 2371 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Unit 705. Leagues and memberships give the space a reason to fill on a regular schedule.

Art of Fudge is taking over the former Kitchen Social space. Hill described it to the Naples Press as "a fresh fudge and confectionary concept, not just as retail but also as an experience," with interactive experiences and group events.

Building 1100 adds a design stop. Corvé Fine Cabinetry & Millwork, a local custom cabinetry company that already has a space on Old 41 Road, planned a fall opening for its second showroom on the ground floor at 2355 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 1116. Lola Moda, a women's clothing shop, is listed as coming soon at Suite 130.

Two Burger-and-Burrito Spaces Become Brand Launches

Two quick-service restaurants at the center closed in February, Imperio Taqueria and Crazy King Burrito. Both spaces are going to brands that don't exist anywhere else yet.

Big Daddy Smash Burger is aiming to open in November at 355 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 142, the former Imperio Taqueria space, serving made-to-order smashburgers and hand-cut fries. "This will be the first location for them," Hill told the Naples Press. He added that the people behind it have restaurant and hospitality experience but are launching a new brand.

The former Crazy King Burrito end unit has also been leased to a new brand. Its name hasn't been announced. Hill said the space is set up for quick service and that he expects the new concept to use it that way.

What Leaves in November

One long-running tenant is leaving. Neighborhood Organics Market & Cafe has operated at 2355 Vanderbilt Beach Road since 2014, and its owners decided not to renew the lease when it ends in November. The shop is selling its house-made soups, baked goods and prepared meals until it closes.

It isn't leaving the property entirely, though. Neighborhood Organics will keep selling at the center's Saturday farmers market.

The 2027 Anchor Moves in From Immokalee Road

The biggest arrival comes after the holidays. Rusty's Raw Bar & Grill has been at Uptown Center on Immokalee Road for 23 years. It is moving to Building 1100 and will reopen as Rusty's Rooftop Raw Bar & Grill. Rusty's own relocation page explains why:

"After 23 wonderful years in our current location, we were unable to reach a lease renewal agreement that made financial sense for the long-term future of the business. Rather than compromise the quality of the Rusty's experience, we chose to invest in our future and move forward with Rusty's Rooftop."

The new home is Unit 1102 in Building 1100. Rusty's will stay open at Uptown Center through January 2027, and the page says, "We'll close one day here and open there the next." The new two-story space faces Vanderbilt Beach Road, with a bar on each floor and indoor and outdoor bar seating upstairs. Hill told the Naples Press that the restaurant wants to keep its traditional menu while bringing "a nice, fresh new concept that caters a little more to this market."

A second-floor bar with outdoor seating above Vanderbilt Beach Road fits the same pattern as the tasting bar and the mahjong tables, and it gives the center a dinner-and-drinks anchor for evenings.

The Calendar, In Order

• Open now: The Good Pour, 2373 Vanderbilt Beach Road, held its grand opening October 16 to 18.
• Opening day October 20: Paradise Coast Mahjong, 2371 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Unit 705.
• Planned for fall: Corvé's Suite 1116 showroom.
• Leased, no opening date announced: Art of Fudge, Lola Moda and the unnamed quick-service brand.
• November target: Big Daddy Smash Burger, Suite 142.
• November: Neighborhood Organics closes its storefront and stays at the Saturday market.
• After January 2027: Rusty's Rooftop opens the day after the Uptown Center location closes.
• Every Saturday: Naples Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to noon, 2355 Vanderbilt Beach Road.

A Bakery Down Vanderbilt Beach Road

The same stretch of Vanderbilt Beach Road picked up a morning stop in September. Sour & Dough Artisan Bakery opened at 893 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Unit 58, in The Pavilion. It's a family-run shop with French-inspired bread, pastries, gourmet sandwiches and specialty coffee, co-owner Marcel Itzcovich told the Naples Press. Gulfshore Business also covered the opening. You can get coffee and a pastry there before the farmers market and still reach the market before it closes at noon.

New anchors like these change how a part of town feels day to day, and the corner of Vanderbilt Beach and Airport-Pulling is changing faster than most. If you live in North Naples and want to know how that is showing up in the homes nearby, Adam Papish and the team follow this corridor block by block and are glad to walk you through it. Find your next dream home.