As of mid-October, several of the new signs at Shore Drive and Pleasant Avenue still hang over storefronts that have no confirmed opening date. The tenant list is the smaller story, though. EF Capital is rebuilding East Beach Square so people stay for hours instead of minutes. The feature meant to make that happen is a backyard play and gathering space, and as of the latest reporting it had not been built.
A Strip Center Bought to Become Something Else
EF Capital bought the property, formerly known as East Beach Shoppes, in November 2024 for $7.5 million, according to The Virginian-Pilot. It then renovated the center to better match the East Beach development across Shore Drive. WTKR put the renovation at $1.3 million. The timing worked in the new owner's favor. Five tenants' leases were expiring just as EF Capital took over, which cleared space for a new lineup chosen as a set.
The purchase also came with two parcels behind the corner of the L-shaped building. The plan turns them into a shared outdoor area for every tenant. It would run behind the main property toward Pretty Lake Avenue, behind COVA Brewing, with covered picnic tables, couch seating, cornhole, playhouses, a stationary train and a pirate ship play set. Managing partner Brian Ehardt called it a "game-changer" for the Square. He described picturing a place to grab food and spend a couple of hours in the back. The tenants are picked to keep people there for a couple of hours, and the backyard is supposed to hold them.
Where Each Storefront Stands in Mid-October
The March reporting said most new tenants hoped to open by June. By August, those dates had slipped. Here is the latest sourced status for each business, as of October 12, 2026:
| Business | What it is | Latest sourced status |
|---|---|---|
| Fit Body Boot Camp | Fitness studio | Open by Aug. 12, per WTKR |
| Splash | Boutique | Open by Aug. 12, per WTKR |
| The Back Nine Golf | Golf simulator | Booking calendar live for Oct. 12–16 |
| Chelsea Bakehouse | Pizza and bakery | Targeted September; no confirmed opening found |
| Lolly's Creamery | Ice cream | Projected for "October timing"; not yet on the chain's locations page |
| Frank & Patty's | Burgers, hot dogs, bar | Projected for December 2026 to January 2027 |
| Large anchor space | Roughly 10,000 sq ft | Vacant as of August |
The Back Nine is the clearest recent addition. Its East Beach booking page showed its booking calendar running through Friday, Oct. 16, with a 6 p.m. slot on Oct. 12 already marked booked. The page gives no grand opening date. Lolly's Creamery's own site still lists only its Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Colley Avenue shops, so the East Ocean View scoop counter is a check-before-you-go stop for now.
Chelsea Bakehouse is in the same position. In August, co-owner John McCormick told WTKR, "We hope to be open at some point in September." We found no later report confirming the doors opened. Once they do, the menu is worth knowing. The shop will make a New York-style version of its pizza in a Polin oven imported from Italy. WTKR's February announcement added that the location would bake fresh bread and pastries on site. McCormick said the bigger plan for the center was a key reason he picked East Beach Square for only his second free-standing location.
The Lineup Covers the Whole Day
Lined up by the hours they serve, the new and existing tenants cover a full day. That matches what an owner would want from a center built to keep people around:
- Early morning. Sandfiddler Cafe, an existing East Beach Square business at 9561 Shore Drive, advertises 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. service, cocktails included.
- Coffee into happy hour. COVA Brewing at 9529 Shore Drive runs as both a coffeehouse and a brewery, with fair-trade espresso, 18 self-pour beer taps and four wine taps.
- Lunch. Mahalo Poke House renewed its 1,100-square-foot lease at East Beach Square, The Virginian-Pilot reported in a Sept. 7 lease roundup.
- Afternoon to dinner. Chelsea Bakehouse's bread, pastries and pizza, and later Lolly's ice cream, both pending.
- Evening. The Back Nine's simulator bays, plus Frank & Patty's when it opens.
Frank & Patty's is the tenant most clearly built around the outdoors. The Virginian-Pilot reported that the Norfolk location will be smaller than the original in Virginia Beach's ViBe District, which opened in 2024. Indoors it will have bar seating only, with tables on a covered patio the owners hope to enclose for cooler months. The focus is outdoor seating and carry-out. The food menu stays the same, and the drink list adds more cocktails. A carry-out burger counter next to covered picnic tables and a pirate ship play set makes sense as a pair. Without the backyard, it is a patio on a parking lot.
The Missing Piece Is Out Back
The March plan expected the outdoor area to be finished by April. In August, Ehardt told WTKR the project had hit delays from negotiations over tenant renovation allowances and from city approvals for the playground and community space. He added, "We can hopefully have a permit the next week or two." We found no later report that the permit was issued or construction started.
Ehardt described the center as being "at the midway point." He said he hoped that "in six more months we have another interview and everything's done." Six months from mid-August lands around February 2027, roughly when Frank & Patty's is expected.
The big vacancy matters for the same reason. The Virginian-Pilot sized it at 10,000 square feet in March. In August, Ehardt told WTKR his "dream tenant" was still Trader Joe's. If there was "no movement in the coming months," he said, he might divide the space among more tenants. No commitment has been reported. Whether that space goes to a grocery anchor or gets split among smaller shops will shape how often the neighborhood has a reason to cross Shore Drive.
Fitting the Square Into a Fall Saturday
Until the backyard exists, the Square works best as one stop in a longer Saturday. The other stops have firm dates.
The East Beach/EOV Farmers Market at Bay Oaks Park, 2413 E. Ocean View Ave., runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon through Nov. 21. Its season page lists 65 vendors. Counting from today, six market Saturdays remain, Oct. 17 through Nov. 21. A market morning followed by coffee at COVA or a late breakfast at Sandfiddler fits inside Sandfiddler's 2 p.m. close.
Two dated events fall on the next two Saturdays:
- Oct. 17, 6 p.m. The OV Sea Hags' Ocean View Witch Walk starts at Ocean View Beach Park, 100 W. Ocean View Ave., a short drive west. The City of Norfolk listing describes it as family-friendly, with local history, music, dance and coastal folklore, ending in the troupe's broom-dance finale.
- Oct. 24, 9 to 11 a.m. Norfolk's International Coastal Cleanup meets at Community Beach Park. Registration is required, supplies are provided, and the city asks for closed-toed shoes. City pages list the park at both 700 and 800 E. Ocean View Ave., so confirm the meeting point with organizers.
Drivers coming from the south should keep an eye on East Little Creek Road. According to an Oct. 8 city notice, VDOT crews were scheduled to reopen all three lanes in each direction at the I-64 and I-564 overpasses as early as Oct. 9. The plan also restores traffic signals and left turns from the I-564 east off-ramp. The notice says that schedule could change and that periodic temporary lane closures may continue while work goes on.
For news on the backyard permit or the anchor space, the East Ocean View Civic League holds member meetings on the first Thursday of each month. The next two are Nov. 5 and Dec. 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., in the EOV Recreation Center gymnasium at 9520 20th Bay St.
What gets built on Shore Drive affects every East Beach home within walking distance of it. If you'd like to know how the changes at East Beach Square line up with your home's value, Jack Blake offers a free home valuation built on local comps, not a portal estimate. Let's connect.
