- November 10, 2026
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The Marketplace at Heritage Harbour, a highly anticipated east Manatee County project, has entered an exciting phase, says Joe Morris, executive vice president of Edgewood Properties.
Edgewood and M&M Realty Partners are the developers behind the mega shopping center near the interchange of Interstate 75 and State Road 64.
Morris is excited by the development of the marketplace’s “Main Street.” Instead of disconnected outparcels, a walkable area of shops and services is developing between Hobby Lobby and Whole Foods Market.
“We’re very proud of Main Street,” Morris says. “I think we spent more time figuring out Main Street than probably anything else. It’s come together.”
Sephora anchors the area. The beauty product retailer opened Nov. 6, and the smaller stores will roll open through March.
Projected opening dates of other stores, according to the East County Observer, sister paper of the Business Observer, include:
Previous openings this year included Cava and Sleep Number in February, MyEyeDr. in March, Panda Express and Heritage Harbour Dentistry in April and Chick-fil-A in October.
Panda Express and the dentist’s office are within the same pad to the west of Academy Sports + Outdoors. Morris didn't comment on exactly what will open alongside them in the third space because the lease is still being negotiated, saying only that it was “an exciting Italian concept.”
Whole Foods Market, meanwhile, opened Nov. 5.
The 42,000-square-foot store is the first Whole Foods Market in Manatee County and the brand’s 40th store in Florida.
Although Whole Foods has stores in 45 states, Canada and the United Kingdom, shoppers will still find an assortment of more than 450 items sourced from within the state, including raw and unfiltered Florida orange blossom honey.
One regionally recognizable name in the specialty department, which highlights artisan goods, is Norman Love Confections. Love has a store in The Shoppes at UTC and calls each chocolate "a handcrafted work of art."
The new Whole Foods also features full-service meat, cheese and seafood counters. Expert butchers are available to cut steaks and poultry to order.
The cheese counter is overseen by trained cheesemongers who can offer recommendations for any occasion, and over 650 wines and 250 craft beers are on hand for pairings.
The prepared foods department includes pizza, gourmet sandwiches and fresh-rolled sushi, plus hot food and salad bars with a rotating menu of comfort foods and seasonal options.
The sushi is rolled fresh daily by Genji, the largest sushi vendor within the chain of Whole Foods Market. Genji employs over 900 chefs.
Whole Foods hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
The next focus of the project will be the two pads in front of Target — one can be built up to 12,500 square feet and the other up to 6,500 square feet — but the tenants have not been decided yet.
A version of this article originally appeared on sister site YourObserver.com.
