Gateway Jax has just revealed the initial retail lineup for Vandeveer, the first mixed-use residential building at Pearl Square, spanning a Michelin-recognized restaurant, a Connecticut bagel brand, a Pilates franchise, and a German beer garden. It's the first planned retail cluster in the city's Urban Core, and the first tangible piece of a $1 billion district that spans nine city blocks.
Pearl Square, designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, SK+I Architecture, Elkus Manfredi Architects, Cecconi Simone on interiors, and Hoerr Schaudt on landscape. is the largest private investment in downtown Jacksonville's history. The master plan covers more than two million square feet, with over 1,250 residential units across four buildings, 100,000 square feet of Class A office space, more than 200,000 square feet of retail and dining across 20-plus shops and 15 signature restaurants, the 109-room boutique Hotel Merrydelle, and roughly an acre of park and public open space.
Bar Citra, the St. Augustine restaurant awarded a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 Florida Michelin Guide, is taking 2,000 square feet for its coffee program, house-baked pastries, seasonal plates and natural wine list, the first expansion outside their home market for husband-and-wife owners Rachel Gant and Andrew Deming.
Buchner's Biergarten, from the Murray Hill institution Buchner's Bierhalle, will pour German beer from a vintage-inspired Citroën truck on the Porter House Lawn beginning in October.
PopUp Bagels, the Westport, Connecticut brand that serves its bagels hot and unsliced to be torn and dipped, will open its second Jacksonville location.
Rounding out the group are Go Greek Yogurt in its first Northeast Florida location, JETSET Pilates, and Pearl Street Nails. They join a Publix, the area's first new-construction grocery store in more than a decade, and Colletta, a from-scratch Italian restaurant inside the restored Hotel Merrydelle.
Buchner's and JETSET open in fall 2026, with additional tenants continuing through early 2027. The full nine-block buildout is ongoing, with further residential, office, hospitality, and retail phases still in development.