In a report last year, FOX 13 quoted Patrick Cimino, land use chair of the Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association, saying, "It's gotten a little more exaggerated, I guess, with the high-end stuff," about the retail shuffle at Hyde Park Village. He was talking about a shopping center most of South Tampa has walked through a hundred times without thinking twice about who owns which storefront.
You should think about it now. Not because the Village is getting fancier. Everyone who has parked near Snow Avenue this summer already knows that. The part worth understanding is how the turnover is happening, because one address tells the story better than any list of new logos could.
One Corner, Three Tenants in Three Years
Start at 1609 W. Snow Ave., between the Buddy Brew coffee shop and J. McLaughlin. For decades this was the Wine Exchange, the kind of shop regulars build routines around. It closed in 2023. The space sat empty for more than a year, filled briefly by a Silvia Tcherassi pop-up, and this July reopened as a 2,300-square-foot Ralph Lauren boutique carrying both the men's and women's Purple and Collection lines. According to the company, it's the only full-line Ralph Lauren store in the Tampa Bay area, apart from two Polo outlet locations at the region's outlet malls.
The table below puts that address alongside other recent and planned changes.
| Spot | What was there | What's there now |
|---|---|---|
| 1609 W. Snow Ave. | The Wine Exchange, closed 2023 | Ralph Lauren, opened July 2026 |
| 714 S. Village Circle | Paper Source | Rifle Paper Co., opening fall 2026 |
| Second-floor space, formerly Allisongs for Tots | Children's retail | Shack Yoga and Fitness |
| A prominent ground-floor block (address not yet public) | — | Hermès, opening 2027 |
Rifle Paper Co. is worth a second look because of where it's coming from. The stationery brand's flagship has operated in Winter Park since 2010. The Hyde Park Village location will be the brand's second-ever storefront.
LoveShackFancy did something similar this summer, opening its first Tampa Bay boutique and its first Florida location outside the southern part of the state, in a space designed with the blush grasscloth and antique brass details the brand is known for. And in August, Hermès confirmed it's coming to Hyde Park Village in 2027, which means the Village will soon count a house that sells $10,000 handbags among its six blocks of shops.
WS Development, the Boston-based firm that has owned Hyde Park Village since 2013, has seen several additions during that period: Zimmermann signed on in 2022, the property's first hotel, the 36-room Palihouse, opened in late 2023, and LoveShackFancy and Ralph Lauren both arrived this year with Hermès now committed for 2027.
A Lease Dispute at Forbici
The dispute has been pending in Hillsborough County since last year.
Forbici Modern Italian, the Roman-style pizza restaurant known for cutting pies with scissors, has operated in the Village for years. In 2025, WS Development sued the restaurant's operating group, alleging it exceeded its lease limit of 159 total guests, including just 40 outdoor seats, and expanded its footprint without the city permits required to do so. Local reporting at the time also cited a claim of roughly $800,000 in lease-violation fines tied to the dispute.
The lawsuit claims the owners were restricted to 159 guests total, including just 40 seats outside.
Forbici's operators said at the time they were negotiating with the landlord and hoped for a resolution. As of last spring's reporting, the restaurant was still serving lunch on Snow Avenue, with no trial date set.
Recent Retail Changes
The businesses that have closed in the past two years include Goody Goody Burgers, Pottery Barn, which moved out of its space, and the Wine Exchange, which never came back. New arrivals include brands with national or international footprints.
Linda Aiken, president of the Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association, has taken a more patient view, noting that the ownership group has been transparent to work with over the past decade.
Aiken's comments speak to the ownership group's relationship with the neighborhood, while the tenant changes reflect the Village's evolving retail mix.
What to Watch at Hyde Park Village
If you're a regular at Forbici, the lease dispute is one development to follow. If you've been meaning to try Rifle Paper Co.'s stationery line without driving to Winter Park, that changes this fall when the Village location opens at 714 S. Village Circle. Hermès is expected to open at Hyde Park Village in 2027. Further announcements may follow before then.
Hyde Park Village is a six-block property whose retail mix has changed over time. Recent openings, planned additions, and departures include local businesses as well as national and international brands.
If you're weighing what any of this means for property values or timing a move in or out of South Tampa, that's a conversation worth having with someone who tracks these shifts as they happen, not after they've already reshaped the block. The Landruá Group works across Central Florida and keeps a close eye on how neighborhood-level change like this plays out for buyers, sellers, and investors alike. Let's Connect when you're ready to talk through what it means for you.
