This fall in Westlake, the big news isn't a big box. Lowe's and Walmart are still construction sites. Meanwhile, a string of small businesses has opened or is about to open, and they handle the errands that come up every few weeks or every year: a haircut, an eye exam, a bag of donations, a morning coffee, a bank visit, a tire rotation. These are the trips that used to mean driving to another town, and one by one they're moving inside city limits.
The local blog Westlake Wanderer put it plainly in early September after a visit to one of the new tenants:
"I had my annual eye care appointment today and it only took me five minutes to get there! No more commuting out to Wellington and having to take a half day of sick leave."
That one sentence sums up this season. Here's where the change is happening, plaza by plaza, as of mid-October 2026.
Westlake Palms is a building full of appointments
Westlake Palms is the building that the Westlake Wanderer describes as "airport-looking," set between Orangetheory Fitness and Tractor Supply Co. The blog reported in July that it was fully leased. Look at the tenant list and nearly every business there is something you book or drop in on regularly:
- Junior's Barbershop & Co. announced its third location here with a June 25 opening, and by July 22 the Wanderer was listing it as open.
- Westlake Eye Care was reported open by Sept. 4. It also has Saturday hours, so an eye exam doesn't have to take time out of a workday.
- The Goodwill donation drop-off was reported open in the same Sept. 4 update. It runs daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with an attendant, its own parking and rolling carts. Two 5-minute parking spaces sit right out front, so a trunk full of outgrown clothes is a quick stop. The Wanderer also says the drop-off can look closed when it isn't. If it's between 8 and 6, it's open.
- A pediatric dentist is planned for the glass-enclosed end unit. The Wanderer's Oct. 8 update didn't give an opening date.
- Ella Cafe had its sign up by Oct. 8, in the small unit between Westlake Eye Care and the Goodwill drop-off. That update didn't give an opening date for the cafe either.
Of everything in this building, Ella Cafe will probably change the most mornings. This is a regional brand, not a new concept. Ella says it opened in 2016 and serves Italian-style coffee made from its own bean blend, with pastries made in house and food prepared from scratch. It already has locations in Plantation, Davie, Coral Springs, Boynton Beach and at Hard Rock Stadium. Once it opens, Westlake Palms will cover a haircut, an eye appointment, a donation run and a coffee, all from one parking lot.
Where things stand right now
Some of these businesses are open, and some only have a sign up or a projected date. This table separates them, based on the latest local reports.
| Business | Location | Status as of mid-October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Junior's Barbershop & Co. | Westlake Palms | Open since summer |
| Westlake Eye Care | Westlake Palms | Open, reported Sept. 4 |
| Goodwill donation drop-off | Westlake Palms | Open daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Ella Cafe | Westlake Palms | Sign up Oct. 8, coming soon |
| Pediatric dentist | Westlake Palms, end unit | Planned |
| Chase Bank | Corner parcel near Grove Market | Aiming to open by end of October |
| Dollar Tree | Grove Market, the Aldi plaza | Grand opening announced for Aug. 6 |
| Cold Stone Creamery | Publix plaza | Expected by end of 2026 |
| Mavis Tires & Brakes | Publix plaza, northeast corner | Under construction |
Grove Market and the Publix plaza cover the rest of the routine
The pattern continues in the other two plazas.
At Grove Market, which most people know as the Aldi plaza, the Westlake Wanderer's mid-year commercial roundup announced a Dollar Tree grand opening for Thursday, Aug. 6, at 8 a.m. The same roundup said Chase Bank was "finally on its way" on a corner parcel nearby. At the Oct. 7 City Council meeting, Chase asked for a couple of minor sign waivers, and the Wanderer reported the bank is "looking to open by the end of the month." If it keeps that schedule, Westlake will have a full-service bank branch in town before Halloween.
At the Publix plaza, Cold Stone Creamery is expected by the end of the year. Mavis Tires & Brakes is going up on the northeast corner. The Wanderer's February council summary describes it as a 5,636-square-foot shop with six service bays. An oil change or tire rotation is another regular errand that will soon stay local.
In an Aug. 4 report, WPTV listed Chase, Dollar Tree, Goodwill, Cold Stone Creamery, Westlake Eye Care, Ella Cafe and Mavis among the businesses then under construction in Westlake. Ten weeks later, three of those seven are open.
The big anchors are on a slower clock
The small storefronts are filling in now because the big projects run on a longer schedule. The Lowe's site is at Town Center West, at Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and Town Center Parkway North. When WFLX covered the project in August 2025, completion was forecast for late 2026 to early 2027. That forecast is now more than a year old, and the store is still under construction.
The Walmart is a step further back. According to the Town-Crier, Minto closed the sale of 24 acres at Town Center West to Walmart on July 30. The planned 188,779-square-foot superstore was approved in April. The Town-Crier's August report didn't give an opening date. We wrote about what the Walmart approval means for resale pricing earlier this year. For daily life, the store is still a fenced lot.
The Westlake Fieldhouse is further out still. A Sept. 2 council recap moved the expected groundbreaking to the first quarter of 2027, with about a year or more of construction and summer 2028 suggested for completion. That's later than the "ready by next fall" estimate that circulated in August.
So the timing looks like this: three openings at Westlake Palms already, a bank aiming for this month, ice cream expected by year-end, a tire shop under construction, a Lowe's forecast for late 2026 to early 2027, and the Fieldhouse and Walmart further out.
Two dates on the fall calendar
If the streetlights near home have looked pink lately, that's on purpose. Westlake's outdoor lighting is pink this October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Wanderer reported from the Oct. 7 council meeting. That leaves about a week and a half to see it.
The bigger date is in December. The city's 5th Annual Holiday Market is set for:
- When: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Where: the Future Seminole Improvement District Park, just south of Seminole Ridge High School
- Cost: free admission
- What's there: food trucks, local vendors, family activities, a snow-globe experience and photos with Santa
Through mid-October, the city's own calendar pages don't list a separate October or November festival, a Halloween event or a tree lighting, so Dec. 5 is the date to save. If Cold Stone opens on its year-end target, the Holiday Market and the new ice cream shop could both fall in the same month.
One more local note from this fall. The Town-Crier reported that on Sept. 29, the Westlake community presented Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Station 22 with a handcrafted dining table that seats 14.
For a look back at how the city's parks and trails filled the summer, our Westlake weekend playbook covers Adventure Park and the Fitness Trail. Our Westlake neighborhood page has the bigger picture.
Each new business on this list cuts a drive out of someone's week, and that's the kind of detail we track when we talk with Westlake homeowners about their home's value. If you'd like to know how the openings near your street might show up when you sell, call or text me at On Call Realty and schedule a free consultation. I answer my phone.
