After seeing some slowdown during the pandemic, leasing is picking up in the Midwest with retailers of all types filling spots in major cities and the surrounding suburbs. Grocery stores, restaurants, clothing brands and sports retailers all look to expand in America’s Heartland.

JLL negotiated leases for six new tenants at Rosedale Center, a 1.1 million-s.f. shopping center in Roseville, Minn., within the metro Twin Cities. The leases include Kendra Scott, J.Crew Factory, Johnston & Murphy, Lolli & Pops, Paris Baguette and BRKTHROUGH. Additionally, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Legendary Spice, Boba X and Kukuri recently opened at the center.

Cricket sports brand, CrossBat, opened an 18,000-s.f. location in Burnsville, Minn., just south of Minneapolis. The location marks the launch of CrossBat’s flagship cricket facility. The company plans to expand nationally. The indoor cricket venue offers box cricket leagues, nine full-length lanes for practice, cricket events, corporate team-building experiences and a coaching network. Cushman & Wakefield represented CrossBat in the lease, while KW Commercial represented the owner, Metro Center LLC.

Whole Foods Market opened a new 36,234-s.f. store in St. Charles, Ill., a western suburb of Chicago. The location’s product assortment will feature more than 650 products from the Midwest. Whole Foods will present Chicago-based supplier Evergreen with a low-interest loan through the Whole Foods Market Lending Program to help grow its operations and support expansion to more Whole Foods locations.

Lee & Associates of Illinois has negotiated a 4,500-s.f. restaurant lease in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. The tenant, Mansun, is a Korean restaurant with plans to open next year. This will be the proprietor’s second restaurant, following New Village Gastro Pub in Northbrook, Ill. Lee & Associates represented the tenant in the lease. Emerging Concepts represented the landlord, an entity doing business as 2M Square FB LLC.

Egg Harbor Cafe opened a location at Optima Verdana, 100-unit luxury apartment complex in downtown Wilmette, Ill. The 4,100-s.f. restaurant is directly across from Wilmette’s Metra commuter rail station. Specializing in breakfast, brunch and lunch, Egg Harbor Cafe operates in Illinois, Wisconsin and Georgia. Optima Inc. owns the property. The new Wilmette location represents the second Egg Harbor within an Optima community, joining the Streeterville location at the 490-unit Optima Signature high-rise in downtown Chicago. Optima is planning a new 128-unit luxury building just south of Optima Verdana. Known as Optima Lumina, the project will replace the long-vacant former Imperial Motors car dealership. The developer intends to retain the existing Starbucks within the project’s 5,900 s.f. of new commercial space.

Eight new retailers with a focus on men’s fashion recently opened at Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio. The new tenants are Allen Edmonds, Faherty, Peter Millar, State & Liberty, Todd Snyder and the first Vuori store in Columbus.

Academy Sports + Outdoors launched a 55,000-s.f. store at Southland Crossings in Boardman, Ohio, about 50 miles east of Akron. First National Realty Partners owns the 245,678-s.f. shopping center. The lease backfills a former vacancy and replaces a short-term tenant. The store offers a wide array of sporting goods, outdoor recreation equipment and apparel. Additional tenants at the property include Bob’s Discount Furniture, Boot Barn, Giant Eagle, PetSmart and Ross Dress for Less.

Desi Chowrastha, an Indian eatery based in Texas, has secured its first Kansas City-area restaurant in Overland Park, Kan. The restaurant will take up 7,564 s.f. and occupy space within a 15,500-s.f. pad building of Corbin Park Retail Village. Co-tenants include American Red Cross, Mozari Alterations and Embody. The menu features a variety of kabobs, curries, appetizers and sandwiches. The chain currently has 25 franchisees across America, with many others under contract. Block & Company Inc. represented the landlord in the lease and is the leasing and property management company for the pad building.

Owner Copaken Brooks has unveiled two new tenants joining the District at Lenexa City Center in Lenexa, Kan., Neat Cocktail Bar and The Groom Gallery. The cocktail bar will open this December in a 1,250-s.f. space that was formerly home to Savoy Tea. Block & Company Inc. represented Neat Craft Cocktails in the lease. The Groom Gallery, a full-service pet grooming concept with six locations throughout the metro area, signed a lease for 1,312 s.f. and anticipates opening in the first quarter of 2026. The District location will serve as a relocation of the company’s existing Lenexa site. Peak Real Estate Partners represented the tenant. Copaken Brooks also announced that three new restaurants are coming to the AdventHealth Campus at Lenexa City Center. Five Four, Urban Egg and Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill will open between 2026 and 2027.

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