The Shoppes at Vanderbilt has long been a place for quick stops, and its new tenants are built for longer visits. This fall's openings include a wine shop with a tasting bar, a mahjong club with leagues, a fudge shop that plans to host group events, and a raw bar that will have a bar on each of its two floors. Each one is designed to keep a guest on site for an hour or more. The Vanderbilt Farmers Market, which reopens for the season today, ties the old version of the center to the new one.
The corner at Airport-Pulling and Vanderbilt Beach roads is the same corner. Its new tenants are asking for more of a visitor's time.
Two New Buildings Around the CVS
The change starts with construction. There are now two new buildings on either side of the CVS at the northwest corner. The single-story Building 1000 is finished, and the two-story Building 1100, at more than 20,000 square feet, is close to done. One wine and spirits retailer leased all of Building 1000. Building 1100 has signed tenants and still has space available.
New space gave the center room to choose tenants, and its leasing manager, PJ Hill, has described what he is aiming for:
"We're trying to curate an eclectic mix of tenants there. 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. We think we're heading in the right direction."
He told Tim Aten of Naples Press that "complementary" is the hard part. The tenants who have signed show what that word means in practice.
A Bottle Shop Built for Lingering
The Good Pour soft-opened on September 3 in the new 7,200-square-foot Building 1000, which faces Airport-Pulling Road. The store is set up more like a tasting room than a liquor store. Its WineEmotion dispensers pour 16 wines by the glass, eight whites and eight reds, in 1-, 3- or 6-ounce sizes. A separate machine pours seven spirits by the glass, which general manager Ivo Atanasov says include "very allocated bourbons and tequilas." The store also has a Reserve Room for private events, a Tasting Bar for rare whisky and wine, and a gift bar where shoppers put together their own baskets. Co-operator Jeff Nichols calls the gift bar "a Build-A-Bear for adults."
The business model is unusual too. The Good Pour works with more than 300 nonprofits, and each shopper picks the charity that gets a share of the store's profits. Ray and Giuliana Horal founded the chain in Winter Park. The North Naples store is its fifth and the first outside Central Florida. Ray Horal calls Naples "the most dynamic wine market in the country." Atanasov and Nichols, both Naples residents, own and run the local store.
The store is at 2373 Vanderbilt Beach Road. It's open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. A grand opening with live music, light bites and free tastings is set for October 16 to 18.
Rusty's Moves Across Town, and Upstairs
Rusty's Raw Bar & Grill is the biggest change on the list. It is a 23-year fixture at Uptown Center on Immokalee Road, and it is moving to the Shoppes at Vanderbilt as Rusty's Rooftop. The restaurant says it is relocating, not closing, and gives the reason directly. It "was unable to reach a lease renewal agreement that made financial sense for the long-term future of the business."
The timing is clear. Rusty's will stay open at Uptown Center through January 2027. The restaurant says, "We'll close one day here and open there the next." Hill says the new two-story space faces Vanderbilt Beach Road, with a bar on each floor and indoor-outdoor bar seating upstairs. He describes the plan as "traditional for what they're known for" with a new concept "that caters a little more to this market."
Rusty's gives its new address as 2331 Vanderbilt Beach Road, #1102. Press coverage has listed a different building number for the same suite, so the restaurant's own website is the one to check before the move.
The Smaller Tenants Point the Same Way
Most of the new leases are for things people do, not just things they buy. That's how the center's back-row spaces are filling up:
- Paradise Coast Mahjong will take Suite 705, one of three units carved out of The Axe Lodge's former space facing Airport-Pulling. It plans lessons, leagues, open play, memberships, special events and a boutique of mahjong supplies.
- Art of Fudge is moving into the former Kitchen Social space. Hill says it will offer "interactive experiences, group events and things of that nature," along with retail.
- Corvé Fine Cabinetry & Millwork is opening a showroom on the first floor of Building 1100, Suite 1116. It's the local company's second location, after its space on Old 41 Road.
- Lola Moda, a women's clothing shop, is in Suite 130. Its center directory profile lists daily hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Quick meals are still part of the mix. Big Daddy Smash Burger, a new brand from experienced restaurant operators, is targeting November in the former Imperio Taqueria space, Suite 142. Another new quick-service brand has leased the former Crazy King Burrito end unit, though Hill could not share details yet. Mystic Lobster Roll Co. changed owners and is now Magic Lobster Roll Co., still leading with lobster rolls. The directory lists it at Suite 148, open 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily.
As of early October, here's where each change stands:
| Business | Change | Timing as reported |
|---|---|---|
| The Good Pour | New, Building 1000 | Open since Sept. 3; grand opening Oct. 16–18 |
| Paradise Coast Mahjong | New, Suite 705 | Targeting October |
| Big Daddy Smash Burger | New, Suite 142 | Targeting November |
| Neighborhood Organics | Storefront closing | November, at lease end |
| Rusty's Rooftop | Moving from Uptown Center | After January 2027 |
| Art of Fudge, Corvé | New | Announced; Corvé "this fall" |
Mahjong and Big Daddy have announced targets but no confirmed opening days. In September, the center's directory page for Paradise Coast Mahjong still showed it closed all week.
The Market Is What Carries Over
This morning, as all the new tenants get ready, the oldest weekly tradition at the center starts its season. The Vanderbilt Farmers Market runs every Saturday from October 3, 2026, through May 22, 2027, rain or shine, at 2355 Vanderbilt Beach Road. The operator calls it North Naples' largest and longest-running farmers market, open year-round and pet and family friendly. It has more than 90 vendors from October through May, selling produce, flowers, honey, baked goods, specialty foods, artisan goods and personal care products.
The hours differ by source. The market operator says 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The center's events page lists 8 a.m. to noon. The later time comes from the operator's own site.
The market also helps explain the one departure on the list. Neighborhood Organics Market & Cafe has been at the center since 2014 and will close its storefront when its lease ends in November. It will keep selling its house-made soups, baked goods and prepared meals until then. "While this was a difficult decision, we feel it is the right time to focus on our family," the owners wrote this summer. Hill confirmed they will stay involved with the Saturday market. The shop's daily counter is ending, and its owners plan to keep selling at the weekly market.
Who Stays Put
Many of the center's current tenants aren't going anywhere. CVS still anchors the corner, and Starbucks is at Suite 308. The current directory lists these dinner options:
- Mojo Thai & E-San, Suite 186
- Ninja Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, Suite 701
- Flaco's Mexican Restaurant, Suite 710
- Mister01 Extraordinary Pizza, Suite 176
- Trattoria Abruzzo, 2359 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 414
Over the next few months, the corner will add a tasting bar, a mahjong club, a fudge shop with group events, a smash burger counter and a two-level rooftop bar. Through it all, the Saturday market runs every week until late May.
Many of our clients pick a home by how much of daily life sits within a short drive. A corner like this one, with errands, dinner and a weekly market in one place, is part of that decision. If you're comparing North Naples addresses with that in mind, Angelica Andrews can walk you through how each one fits around Vanderbilt Beach Road. Request a Private Consultation.
