Restaurant plans fizzle, key lot remains vacant in the heart of West Palm Beach's Antique Row
A whirlwind entrepreneur who bought more than a dozen properties in West Palm Beach and Lake Worth in 2022 is letting go of a key lot in the heart of the renowned Antique Row shopping district after plans to build a restaurant fizzled.
Martin Sprock, co-founder of Moe’s Southwest Grill and Planet Smoothie, had hoped to build one of his Mediterranean-inspired Kid Cashew eateries on the vacant land at 3500 S. Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach but now has the lot listed for sale at $2.2 million. That’s about 25% higher than the $1.75 million he paid in March 2022.
Chris Aumente, a Realtor with Brown Harris Stevens who is co-listing the 0.23-acre property, said getting new construction started in burgeoning West Palm Beach can be challenging, and Sprock wants to focus on properties with buildings already on them.
From down and out to up and coming: When did West Palm Beach's trendy Antique Row get its name?
“This is an opportunity for someone to put in a high-end store or coffee shop because it has great exposure and is on a street known for world-class shopping,” said Aumente, who is co-listing the property with Alexis Waller, also of Brown Harris Stevens.
Antique Row, which generally stretches from Belvedere Road to Southern Boulevard on Dixie Highway, has experienced a renaissance in recent years. New shops, design firms and restaurants have opened to cater, in part, to pandemic-driven newcomers settling in historic neighborhoods south of downtown West Palm Beach.
Another boon to the street is the luxury CasaMara apartment complex at 3111 S. Dixie, which opened in late 2020, and is fronted by food, wine and design shops. A Joseph's Classic Market, Amped Fitness, Pink Steak restaurant and Salons by JC have also added to the allure at the Shops at The Press in the building formerly owned by The Palm Beach Post.
Sprock’s 2022 buying spree, which included historic homes he hopes to restore, was triggered by the influx of new residents to the area, which he said made it ripe for investing.
"I just think it's a great market,” he said in a 2023 interview.
Aumente said he’s had calls about Sprock’s vacant lot from a doctor interested in building an office on the land, a Palm Beach antique dealer wanting to establish a shop on the mainland, and neighbors who are “stalking it” to see if the price drops.
Shop Local: Antique Row offers French furniture, Turkish carpets, vintage dresses and more
A slightly smaller lot just north of Sprock’s land that had been listed for $2.2 million went under contract in late March, Aumente said. The property at 3231 S. Dixie Highway has a 72-year-old, 1,500-square-foot building on it that was a KFC and now houses La Placita Mexican Food.
Aumente said although he doesn’t know the amount of the final sale, the listing price leads him to believe that Sprock’s property is properly priced. Brown Harris Stevens agent John Stewart, who listed La Placita, declined to comment about the pending sale.
“That was the big excitement on the street last week,” Aumente said about the contract on 3231 S. Dixie. “That’s a good comp for us. The building itself is not very useful and it doesn’t have alley egress, which is a plus.”
Sean Rush, who owns the art gallery and wine bar Nomad on Antique Row, said he’d like to see something “vibrant, youthful and happy” built on Sprock’s property to give the street more of a Sag Harbor feel. Sag Harbor, on Long Island, is known for its trendy restaurants and eclectic stores amid historic buildings and homes.
“I think the Row is going through a transition where it’s looking at its old identity and then figuring out what it’s new identity will be,” Rush said.
Sprock said he still plans to open a Ru Ru’s Taco and Tequila in the former Blue Front BBQ restaurant in Lake Worth Beach at 1132 N. Dixie Highway. The signature building with its art deco tower was built in 1949 and has an expansive outdoor patio area.
And he’s not completely ruling out keeping the lot on Dixie or building a Kid Cashew.
“There’s been a lot of interest (in the lot), but you never know until offers come in,” Sprock said. “West Palm needs the Kid, so maybe we will do one there next year.”
Want to get The Dirt?
Stay up to date on South Florida's sizzling real estate market and sign up for The Dirt weekly newsletter, delivered every Tuesday! Exclusively for Palm Beach Post subscribers.
Kimberly Miller is a veteran journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Plan for Kid Cashew restaurant on West Palm Beach Antique Row falls through
