Emeril's Coastal served its last meal at 435 Grand Blvd. on October 26, 2025, after eight years. Almost a year later, Grand Boulevard's own "What's New" page lists five arrivals. Two are open: a bakery and an eyewear store with exam rooms. Three are still marked "Coming Soon": an ear-piercing studio, a sports bar and Groomingdales, which shares its name with a local pet groomer. Only one of the five serves dinner, and it's the one that's late.
So this is now a different kind of town center. Four of the five new tenants are places you go to get something done. The one that would bring back the evening crowd, Shades Bar & Grill, has already missed its target date. For the rest of 2026, the strongest reason to park at Grand Boulevard on a weekend is a calendar of free events on the lawn.
What Left, and What the Center Has Announced Since
Emeril's Coastal was a sit-down seafood room. The NWF Daily News report on the closing listed New Orleans BBQ shrimp, a fried seafood platter, shrimp and andouille gumbo, and fresh catch of the day among its specialties. As of mid-September 2026, Grand Boulevard's official listings hadn't named a new tenant for that address.
Here's the full list of new arrivals, as the center published it on September 18, 2026:
| Business | What it is | Status on Grand Boulevard's page |
|---|---|---|
| Perla Baking Co. | Bakery, second location | Open Now |
| Warby Parker | Eyewear, contacts and eye exams | Open Now |
| Rowan | Nurse-performed ear piercing and hypoallergenic jewelry | Coming Soon |
| Groomingdales | Not described; shares a name with a Miramar Beach pet groomer | Coming Soon |
| Shades Bar & Grill | Burgers, seafood, cocktails, live entertainment | Coming Soon |
Only the bottom row replaces anything like what Emeril's offered. The other four are the kind of stops you can fit around a school pickup or a Saturday morning.
The Two That Are Already Open
Get The Coast reported in March that Perla Baking Co. had officially opened its second location at Grand Boulevard. The first is in DeFuniak Springs, and Perla is part of the Amavida Coffee family. The story didn't give an exact opening day, so "this spring" is as precise as anyone can be.
Warby Parker opened at 585 Grand Blvd. on April 18, 2026. It sells eyewear and contacts and gives eye exams on site, and Grand Boulevard billed the store as the brand's Northwest Florida debut. An eye exam is an appointment you book, and that's a different reason to drive to the center than shopping or a night out.
Two More Errand Stops on the Way
Rowan is a nurse-performed ear-piercing and hypoallergenic-jewelry studio founded by Louisa Serene Schneider. Its space is Suite L106 at 585 Grand Blvd., in the same building as Warby Parker. Grand Boulevard's September 1 announcement says the center "has added" the studio, but Rowan's directory page reads "Coming Soon – Dec 1." December 1 looks like the opening date to plan around.
Groomingdales is also listed as coming soon, with no date. Miramar Beach already has a pet groomer by that name, sometimes listed as Groomingdales on the Gulf, at 8955 US-98, Suite 100. The matching name suggests the Grand Boulevard listing is that business moving or expanding, but no operator statement confirms it yet.
Once Rowan opens, a Saturday at Grand Boulevard could easily include an eye exam, a pastry and an ear piercing. Not long ago, the dinner reservation was the anchor.
Shades Is the Dinner Spot, and It's Running Late
Shades Bar & Grill is the one restaurant on the list, and it comes with a long local track record. The original Shades sits at 10952 E County Hwy 30A in Inlet Beach. The father-daughter team of Rick Spell and Christy Spell Terry leads Spell Restaurant Group, the company behind it. Spell Restaurant Group says the Inlet Beach bar has been a favorite for more than 30 years and has 28 screens. Grand Boulevard's announcement adds that the flagship pours 34 draft beers.
Here's how the Grand Boulevard opening has moved so far:
- September 30, 2025. Grand Boulevard announces Shades for a renovated 4,800-square-foot space at 8670 US Highway 98, at the center's westernmost entrance, opening "late summer 2026."
- October 18, 2025. The NWF Daily News reports the opening as "Summer 2026."
- January 6, 2026. A county-filed drawing for a "Shades Restaurant Renovation" at 8670 US Highway 98 is dated.
- September 2026. Grand Boulevard's directory describes the restaurant, but its "What's New" page still says "Coming Soon." The restaurant's own site says only that it opens "in 2026."
Late summer has come and gone. The address points to the western end of the center, not the old Emeril's space at 435 Grand Blvd., so Shades adds a new dinner option without filling the one that closed. Its planned format is burgers, seafood, sandwiches, cocktails and live entertainment. That's a casual sports bar, not a replacement for a white-tablecloth seafood dinner.
Meanwhile, the Calendar Is Doing the Work
With the dinner slot still open, Grand Boulevard's event schedule gives people a reason to come on weekends, and almost everything on it is free and outdoors. The weekly Grand Boulevard Farmers' Market runs every Saturday and is free to the public. Here's what's listed between now and Thanksgiving:
| Date | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Fall Festival & Farmer's Market, 40+ vendors, live music, arts and crafts | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Live Music on the BLVD with The Wildlife Specials in Grand Park | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| Oct. 15 to 25 | Emerald Coast Theatre Company's The 39 Steps | Show dates vary |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Fall Book Carnival with free books, crafts and live music | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Pilates on the Lawn with Kendra Scott and Lululemon | 9 to 10 a.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Barktoberfest, presented by Dog Harmony | 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Halloween on the Boo-ulevard, trick-or-treating with merchants | 4 to 6 p.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | 30A BBQ Festival, seventh edition | 5:30 to 8 p.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Hometown Holiday Parade | 5 to 7 p.m. |
Barktoberfest is a dog costume event, and it lands while Groomingdales is still a "Coming Soon" tile on the same website. The Halloween trick-or-treat route runs through the merchants, so the newer tenants get foot traffic before Shades even opens. Grand Boulevard notes that events are weather permitting and subject to change.
If you want to stretch Halloween weekend, the Village of Baytowne Wharf, a short drive east inside Sandestin, lists a free outdoor Hocus Pocus screening on Friday, October 30, with seating at 6:30 p.m. and the movie at 7 p.m. On October 31, it has Trick or Treat Street from 6 to 8 p.m., followed by fireworks at 8. Since Grand Boulevard's Halloween event ends at 6 p.m., a family could do both in one evening. Baytowne also lists Bubbly Baytowne on October 15 and its 18th annual Beer Festival on October 16 and 17.
The Same Trend Up the Road
Grand Boulevard isn't the only place along the Emerald Coast Parkway adding errand stops this year. Get The Coast reported on September 4 that Beach Liquors and Fine Wines had opened its sixth Northwest Florida store at The Market Shops, 9375 Emerald Coast Parkway. The store is co-owned by Mike and Chuck Kelley, who founded the business with their sibling Pat.
Back at Grand Boulevard, the 2026 additions so far are a bakery, eye exams, ear piercing and Groomingdales, plus a sports bar still listed as "Coming Soon" at the west entrance. Until Shades opens or someone takes over 435 Grand Blvd., the closest thing the center has to a regular dinner draw is the Saturday farmers' market and the events lined up through November 20.
Retail changes like these shape the day-to-day appeal of everything within a short drive of Grand Boulevard, from the condos along Scenic Gulf Drive to the homes off US-98. If you'd like to talk through what this corner of Miramar Beach is like to live near, or how a property close to it might rent or sell, Jim Fish is glad to grab a coffee at Perla and talk it over. Let's Connect.
