Popup Bagels to Open First Arizona Location at Gilbert's Heritage Park as Five Tenants Join Mixed-Use Project

Heritage Park, the mixed-use development rising at the northern gateway of Gilbert's Heritage District, has announced its first five tenants — led by Arizona's first Popup Bagels location and three East Valley firsts — as construction advances toward early second-quarter 2027 openings.

The project, located at Gilbert Road and Juniper Avenue in Downtown Gilbert at 422 North Gilbert Road, spans approximately 10 acres and is designed to pair roughly 47,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space with 288 multifamily units and a central public square. The five newly announced tenants collectively account for 15,946 square feet of that retail footprint.

Popup Bagels Leads a Lineup of Market Firsts

Popup Bagels, which originated as a local concept in Westport, Connecticut, will occupy 1,994 square feet at Heritage Park, marking the brand's first location in Arizona. The concept is known for bagels served fresh from the oven, whole, and accompanied by a selection of dips, with a focus on simplicity in its menu approach.

Joining Popup Bagels are four additional tenants, three of which represent East Valley firsts for their respective brands. La La Land, a café concept built around coffee, matcha and pastries, will open a 2,372-square-foot location — its first in the East Valley. The brand also operates a paid internship program aimed at helping youth transitioning out of foster care.

Hudson House, an elevated neighborhood eatery from Vandelay Companies inspired by New York's West Village, will take 7,882 square feet and feature a sit-down raw bar, a large wraparound bar, and a menu spanning East Coast oysters, fish tacos, chicken parmesan and a cheeseburger with thin-seared patties and house sauce. The Heritage Park outpost is one of two Arizona locations planned for the concept and represents its first East Valley presence. The restaurant's bar program centers on what the brand calls the "World's Coldest Martini," available in flavors including Bleu & Gold and Stone Fruit.

Salt & Straw, the Portland, Oregon-based ice cream brand founded by cousins Kim and Tyler Malek in 2011, will fill 1,215 square feet with chef-driven flavors made from sourced ingredients. Its menu includes Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons, Double Fold Vanilla, and Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper, alongside rotating seasonal offerings and ice cream cakes. The Heritage Park location will join three existing Salt & Straw shops in the Phoenix metro area.

Rounding out the announced tenants, [solidcore] — the national strength-training studio known for high-intensity, low-impact workouts on custom-built reformers — will open its first East Valley studio in a 2,483-square-foot space. The brand's 50-minute, full-body workout format uses slow and controlled movements designed to work muscles to failure.

Project Scale and Development Context

Heritage Park is being developed by Creation and occupies a full city block at the northern edge of Downtown Gilbert's Heritage District. The broader project encompasses approximately 531,348 square feet of mixed-use development across its full scope. The initial phase includes the roughly 47,000-square-foot retail and restaurant component alongside NOVEL Heritage Park, a 288-unit multifamily community being developed by Crescent Communities, which is targeted to open in spring 2027. The project also incorporates more than 300 surface parking spaces, a central public square, water features, mature landscaping, public art, and walking and biking paths.

Prior to the five-tenant announcement, Heritage Park had already secured Flagship Restaurant Group — operator of Ghost Donkey, Palma and Blue Sushi Sake Grill — in a lease of approximately 14,000 square feet, bringing total committed retail and restaurant space to a substantial portion of the initial phase.

East Valley Demand Underpins Tenant Strategy

The concentration of first-in-market concepts at Heritage Park reflects the East Valley's above-average population growth and household income levels within Metro Phoenix, conditions that have supported demand for higher-end food and beverage and wellness concepts. Gilbert has drawn net in-migration and records median household incomes well above national averages, factors that have underpinned operators' willingness to select the market for flagship or debut locations.

The Town of Gilbert has framed Heritage Park as a gateway project intended to extend the walkable core of the Heritage District northward, filling an entire block as the district's established restaurant row reached capacity. Groundbreaking took place in May 2025.

The tenant mix — spanning morning coffee and bagels, boutique fitness, full-service dining and ice cream — is structured to support all-day activation of the public square and retail corridor. By targeting early Q2 2027 openings for both the retail tenants and the residential component, the project aims to deliver a fully activated mixed-use environment at opening rather than phasing amenities over time.

Metro Phoenix multifamily has faced elevated vacancy amid a significant delivery wave between 2023 and 2025, with supply expected to taper through 2026. The integration of NOVEL Heritage Park into a larger mixed-use block with curated retail and an activated public realm has been identified as a strategy to differentiate the residential product from more commodity-oriented apartment supply in the current cycle.

Tenant Summary

The five announced tenants and their respective footprints at Heritage Park are: Popup Bagels (1,994 SF, first Arizona location), La La Land (2,372 SF, first East Valley location), Hudson House (7,882 SF, first East Valley location), Salt & Straw (1,215 SF), and [solidcore] (2,483 SF, first East Valley studio). Combined with the previously announced Flagship Restaurant Group lease, Heritage Park's committed retail and restaurant tenancy now spans multiple concepts across dining, coffee and fitness categories ahead of its projected 2027 opening.

Sources: Creation Equity — Heritage Park Tenant Announcement