Bal Harbour Shops has stood for 61 years, and much of its finished West Shops wing will go to brands that already have a door on the property. The restaurants are a different story. That side of the center has turned over more in the past year than the retail side will by the end of next year.
The Wing Opened in September and Fills In Through 2028
Whitman Family Development, the family company that owns the center at 9700 Collins Avenue, announced on November 3 that the two-level West Shops wing is complete. It adds roughly 200,000 square feet and is fully leased, according to Red Sidewalks. The first stores in the wing opened at a morning preview on September 23. The remaining openings come in stages through 2028.
The project has a long history. The Real Deal notes that the expansion won approval in 2017. Once construction wraps, the center will have 140 tenants across 500,000 square feet. In the directory Bal Harbour Shops posted on October 8, West Shops listings appear as "Opening soon," separate from the stores marked "Open." Louis Vuitton, for example, is listed for the first and second levels of the West Shops.
So the wing is finished, but its stores open on their own timelines. A neighbor walking through this month will see some finished storefronts and many that are still waiting for their tenants.
Familiar Names Will Fill Many of the New Storefronts
The relocations change the center as much as the debuts do. According to Haute Living, the West Shops give established tenants room to expand or move. The magazine described the outcome as "an evolution of the whole destination, rather than a separate wing of new arrivals." Red Sidewalks, citing WWD, reported that Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, David Yurman, Graff, Loro Piana and "more than a dozen other existing tenants" are moving into larger spaces in the wing.
Here are the two groups side by side:
- Moving or expanding into the West Shops: Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, David Yurman, Zegna, Graff, Loro Piana, The Webster and Zimmermann
- Debuting at Bal Harbour Shops: Tom Ford, KHAITE, Elie Saab, Boucheron, Louis Vuitton, Celine, Messika, Eden Gallery, Moorer and Paul & Shark
The center's own October 8 directory marks 20 current tenants "Relocating soon." The list runs from Audemars Piguet and Roger Vivier to ZEGNA, Zimmermann and Saks Fifth Avenue, and it includes Avenue 31 Café and Café en 3 at Neiman Marcus. For anyone who shops here regularly, that is the practical effect. Over the next two years, many familiar boutiques will change addresses within the property, so a regular route through the center will shift with them.
The center's own figures show why this matters to locals in particular. Bal Harbour Shops told The Real Deal that its average customer visits at least 19 times a year and stays about two hours each time. It also said international visitors have historically made up half of its foot traffic. Someone visiting 19 times a year is the shopper who will notice which doors have moved.
The East Shops Changed First
The changes customers can already see are in the older part of the center. TOTEME and Peserico now have live East Shops directory listings with regular hours. Dolce & Gabbana has finished an expansion within the existing property. Red Sidewalks, citing WWD, reported that Lululemon and Simkhai are expected in the East Shops in 2027.
Lululemon stands out on a roster built around Hermès, Chanel, Goyard and Richard Mille. It is the kind of store someone stops into on an ordinary weekday errand, which fits the center's own picture of a customer who comes back again and again.
The Restaurants Have Already Turned Over
Most of the boutiques are still on their way, but the dining side has already changed. In August, The Real Deal reported that Hillstone closed its 6,400-square-foot second-floor restaurant after 11 years. It had opened as the Grill at Bal Harbour, and at closing it directed diners to its Coral Gables and North Miami locations. That came after earlier closures at Aba and Stephen Starr's French bistro Le Zoo.
New restaurants have opened in the same period:
| Restaurant | Where things stand | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Carpaccio | Open | Bal Harbour's longest-running restaurant, open for more than 30 years |
| Makoto | Open | One of the center's established dining draws |
| Avenue 31 | Open | Part of the existing restaurant roster |
| Slim's | Open | Stephen Starr's steakhouse; grand opening was Saturday, March 14 |
| China Grill | Open | Jeffrey Chodorow's restaurant reopened in the former Le Zoo space after a 14-year hiatus |
| Hillstone | Closed | Shut in August after 11 years |
China Grill used to operate in Miami Beach. Its Bal Harbour location counts Jon Bakhshi as a partner. The center says its restaurants bring in about $70 million a year. That helps explain why the owner is expanding dining along with retail. Matthew Whitman Lazenby, CEO of Whitman Family Development, told WWD that the number of restaurants will roughly double, to at least eight and possibly 12, Red Sidewalks reported. Haute Living's summary of the plan works well for a resident: "come for a boutique appointment, stay for dinner."
So the dining lineup has already changed this year, while most of the new retail is still a couple of years from opening.
The Garage on the Church's Former Site
The expansion also changed the block. Lazenby told WWD, in an interview Red Sidewalks summarized, that a Congregational church that stood on the property was sold and rebuilt in Bay Harbor Islands. A new parking garage went up on the church's old site, replacing an older garage that was torn down for the expansion. The West Shops have two retail levels with parking above, and officials agreed that one of those parking levels can be converted to stores later.
Here is how the center's visitor instructions say to get in:
- Self-park: Enter through the 96th Street parking garage or the 9800 Collins Avenue entrance.
- Valet at the garage: Use the garage's 2nd/GREEN level.
- Valet at Neiman Marcus: Enter at 9800 Collins Avenue.
- Valet at Saks Fifth Avenue: At the South Collins Gate. This point is for drop-off only, and pickup is at Neiman Marcus.
- Rideshare: Enter and drop off at the 96th Street garage on the 2nd/GREEN level.
The same page gives separate pedestrian routes from Collins Avenue and from 96th Street. Neighbors who walk over from the Village or from Bay Harbor Islands can come straight in without going through the garage.
The Next Reopening Is Up the Avenue
The center's dining turnover is part of a larger change on Collins Avenue. The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, Miami, at 10295 Collins Avenue, is set to reopen February 1, 2027, after a renovation. It named Fabien Gnemmi general manager on October 28, according to Hotel Online. The relaunch plan includes redesigned rooms and suites, new dining concepts, a spa, expanded wellness offerings and a private membership.
Across 96th Street from the garage, the Village held a November 7 and 8 edition of The Market at Bal Harbour, now in its fifth season with Florida Fresh Market. It set up artisanal food and produce along the beach path at Bal Harbour Beach South, at 96th Street and Collins Avenue.
If you own a condo near 96th Street and want to understand what the Shops' next two years could mean for your building, Leonor Ortiz works with Bal Harbour owners and boards and can walk you through it in English or Spanish. Request a Consultation.
