The first level of the West Shops opened at Bal Harbour Shops on Wednesday, September 23. Five weeks later, the Village holds its 80th anniversary celebration at Waterfront Park. Both events trace back to the same history. The family that opened the Shops in 1965 was there when the Village was incorporated, and the expansion now taking shape at 9700 Collins Avenue mostly moves Bal Harbour's existing names into larger rooms.
That holds for the restaurants on the property too. This fall's newest tables went into spaces residents already knew, and the boutiques coming into the new wing are mostly ones that were already down the corridor.
The grandson of a founder is building the new wing
Bal Harbour Shops opened in 1965 as a single-level fashion center with 30 retailers, according to the Shops' own history. Its founder, Stanley Whitman, was among the Village's original incorporators, WWD reported last November. The developer behind the current project, Whitman Family Development, is led by his grandson, president and CEO Matthew Whitman Lazenby.
WWD put the scale of the West Shops at about 200,000 square feet of new retail, which brings the center to roughly 600,000 square feet. The same piece described a separate, much larger "village center" concept with housing and a five-star hotel, and said that project was still years away. The construction behind the barriers today is the retail wing only.
WWD's November 2025 report named a third-quarter 2026 ribbon-cutting as the target, after years of delays from opposition, entitlements, the pandemic and plan revisions. The Level 1 debut on September 23 came inside that quarter. Bal Harbour Shops billed the morning as a celebration of the West Shops debut with "an exclusive preview on our roster of upcoming boutique openings." The Greater Miami visitor listing for the event described a first group of Level 1 boutiques, with more to arrive in stages. That means the wing is opening in stages, and only its first floor is open so far.
Who is moving in, and how far they're moving
WWD reported that 18 existing tenants will relocate into the expansion to "right-size" their space. Three brands it named are new to Bal Harbour. A third group of brands, already in the center, is positioned to enlarge as the relocations free up room.
| Category | Names reported by WWD |
|---|---|
| Moving within the Shops into West Shops | Akris, Isaia, Graff, Bottega Veneta, Zegna, Zimmermann, The Webster, David Yurman, Etro |
| New to Bal Harbour | L'Agence, Toteme, Peserico |
| Enlarging as room frees up | Prada, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Brioni |
That list explains much of what residents will see this season. With 18 tenants moving across the property and four more set to enlarge, the directory will keep changing well after the new wing's first floor opened, one relocation at a time.
The Webster shows the timing most clearly. Its directory page lists it as "Coming Soon, West Shops, Level 2," with its "new and expanded location" set to reopen in November 2026. That puts the second floor of the wing a month or more behind the first. Elsewhere in the center, a new lululemon boutique is open on Level 3 of the East Shops. It carries custom art pieces by Alex Proba and merchandise the Shops says is only available at this location. Peserico and Toteme already appear in the center's "New Stores" directory, with Peserico at Suite 262 and Toteme at Unit 269, both at 9700 Collins Avenue.
The restaurants changed the same way
The center's dining changes followed the same pattern. The year's two notable arrivals both took over rooms that already had a history.
Stephen Starr's Slim's opened March 17 in the former first-floor Makoto space. It seats 183 and serves lunch and dinner daily, Miami New Times reported. Makoto is still operating; the Village lists it among this season's Miami Spice participants. In June, Jeffrey Chodorow's China Grill returned to Bal Harbour Shops, according to New Times' June openings roundup. The Miami Herald reported that it took over the former space of the French restaurant Le Zoo, which closed in 2025. Starr and China Grill were the two restaurant names WWD had tied to the expansion plans.
The one change that freed up a room went the other way. Hillstone closed its Bal Harbour Shops location on August 10, 2026, after 11 years, New Times reported. The Real Deal noted that the restaurant group did not give a reason. No successor has been announced for the space.
For anyone working through the current lineup, the timing is useful. Bal Harbour's Miami Spice listing runs through October 31, 2026. It names Makoto, Atlantikós, China Grill and Slim's as participants, with three-course menus from $40 to $95. China Grill and Slim's both opened this year, so the program is a fixed-price way to try them before the holiday season.
Getting in while 9700 Collins is closed to cars
The construction has changed how cars reach the property. Bal Harbour Village announced that the 9700 Collins Avenue vehicle entrance and the valet beside Carpaccio would close starting February 27, 2026, "until further notice." No reopening date has been posted. The Shops' current access page gives these routes:
- Self-parking: the 96th Street garage or the 9800 Collins Avenue entrance.
- Valet: the 2nd/Green Level of the 96th Street garage, the Neiman Marcus stand via 9800 Collins, or drop-off only at Saks Fifth Avenue via the South Collins Gate, with pickup at Neiman Marcus.
- Rideshare: the 2nd/Green Level of the 96th Street garage.
- On foot from Collins Avenue: the pedestrian walkway near the 9700 block, continuing toward Neiman Marcus and entering between Chanel and Neiman Marcus.
- On foot from 96th Street: the garage walkway, then the elevator to the Green Level, a left turn, and the signs to the Shops.
The West Shops debut sent arriving drivers to the 96th Street garage and Green Level valet. For now, 96th Street is the main way in by car.
The Village marks its own history the same season
The Shops is expanding around a family name with roots in the Village's founding. The Village's anniversary season looks back at that same founding era, and every date falls before Thanksgiving:
- Saturday, October 24, 7 to 9 p.m.: The Fall Festival at Bal Harbour Waterfront Park, 18 Bal Bay Drive, with a train ride and a corn maze. Admission is free for residents and hotel guests.
- Tuesday, October 27, noon to 3:30 p.m.: An Unscripted art tour to Superblue Miami. Transportation leaves from Waterfront Park, and the fee is $5 for residents and hotel guests.
- Sunday, November 1, 6 to 9 p.m.: The 80th Anniversary Celebration at Waterfront Park. The evening is for adult guests, is open to Bal Harbour residents, and encourages cocktail attire. RSVP at 305.993.7444 or [email protected].
- Thursday, November 5, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.: The Founders Circle rededication at 9650 Collins Avenue, open to Bal Harbour residents.
Founders Circle sits at 9650 Collins Avenue, one block south of the Shops' address. It was first dedicated in 1990. At the November 5 ceremony, the Village will unveil the renewed monument and add Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar to the people it honors for their contributions to Bal Harbour. The Village will also seal and bury an 80th Anniversary time capsule, to be opened in 2046 at Bal Harbour's Centennial.
Waterfront Park, which hosts most of the fall calendar, is also where the next public project is waiting. The Village's June 26 capital-program update said the Harbourfront Park, Jetty and Cutwalk project was still awaiting its final permit. After that, the construction manager's guaranteed maximum price goes to the Village Council. As of that update, no construction start was scheduled.
When The Webster reopens on Level 2 in November, the time capsule will already be in the ground, and the West Shops will have a second floor open. If you're weighing how the expansion changes your corner of Bal Harbour, whether you own a residence near Collins Avenue or are watching which brands land next, APT Team follows these openings closely and can talk through them with you. Let's Connect.
