"It's going to save us like an hour," Celina resident Maneder Yadav said after the Costco on Preston Road opened. "We generally go to the one in Frisco, and this is right next door."
That hour matters more than any single store does. For years, a big shopping run in Celina meant leaving Celina, and the city's economic development corporation says so directly. Residents historically drove to surrounding communities to shop. Then, over roughly one week in late August, that changed. While it was happening, downtown Celina was making very different kinds of bets on the blocks around the square.
One Week on Preston Road
Here are the late-August openings, by address:
- The Home Depot, 3245 S. Preston Road, opened with 149 employees
- Costco Wholesale, 3445 S. Preston Road at Ownsby Parkway, opened Aug. 26 with 220 employees, a 158,000-square-foot warehouse and a fueling station
- Academy Sports + Outdoors, 3525 S. Preston Road
Smaller openings filled in around them. Bojangles was set to open June 23 at 3615 S. Preston Road. Club Pilates opened Aug. 27 at 1520 S. Preston Road, Ste. 130. Burn Boot Camp followed Sept. 8 at 3520 N. Louisiana Drive.
The pace stands out against what came just before. Celina's first Walmart opened on Preston Road on April 29. By July 14, the City Council had already approved up to $5.1 million in incentives for a possible second Walmart supercenter. So in four months, the corridor went from one national anchor to four, with a fifth in the works. The Celina Record reported that Costco's arrival made Celina the smallest U.S. city by population ever chosen for a full-service Costco.
The Home Depot is planning for builders as well as homeowners. Store manager Rachel Sutton said in a Community Impact report that she expects the professional-contractor side of the business to be "huge at this store." The city also wanted it badly enough to offer a sales tax grant of up to $1.4 million over 10 years, split between the city and the Celina Economic Development Corporation.
What the Square Added Over the Same Summer
The square's new arrivals came in at a completely different scale.
LSA Burger Co. opened Aug. 13 at 218 W. Walnut St., the same month as the Preston Road stores. Its menu is named for Texas music. The Waylon is a classic burger with mayonnaise and mustard, and the Chili Willie is topped with Fritos and Texas chili.
Two weeks earlier, Granny's Bakery at 401 W. Pecan St. swapped its self-serve coffee station for a full pastry-themed coffee bar, which opened July 27. Owner Mikala Everson added banana-bread, birthday-cake, cinnamon-roll and cookie-butter flavors. A block over on Walnut, Nowhere Bar just finished its first year at 501 W. Walnut St., in the space that used to be Jimbo's Pizza.
None of these businesses competes with a warehouse store. A burger named for Willie Nelson, a cookie-butter latte and a neighborhood bar are all things you go out for, not things you stock up on. Once the bulk run stays in town on Preston Road, the square no longer has to cover that need, and every storefront downtown can go toward a meal, a drink or an evening out.
Downtown has lost businesses too. The Forge 1912, at 132 N. Louisiana Drive near the square, closed in summer 2025. The city reported in January 2026 that it had bought the former restaurant property and was considering a community use for it. Rather than leaving that space to the market, the city took control of what comes next.
The City Has Lined Up Incentives for New Downtown Dining
On Sept. 9, two weeks after Costco opened, the City of Celina approved an economic development agreement with Celina Real Estate LLC covering two properties on the square. The deal supports $7.5 million in private investment.
Both projects include new restaurant space:
- 102 N. Ohio St., at the corner of Ohio and Walnut, gets a new two-story building of about 12,400 square feet. Its historic-style facade draws on the gas station that once stood on the site. About 7,200 square feet is set aside for retail and restaurants, with 5,200 square feet of office space, for an anticipated $6 million investment.
- The Mayer Building, 313 W. Pecan St., will be renovated to hold at least 5,000 square feet of restaurant space, backed by $1.5 million.
The city called these "some of the last remaining underutilized buildings around the Square." Under the Chapter 380 agreement, the two projects are eligible for up to $2.3 million combined. The incentives would be funded through Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 11 and are tied to construction and verified private investment.
"Downtown is the heart and soul of Celina, and maintaining its vitality as our community grows remains one of our highest priorities," Mayor Ryan Tubbs said in the city's announcement.
Anthony Satarino, president of the Celina Economic Development Corporation, said the goal is to create "additional reasons for people to spend time Downtown." The city has now put incentives behind both kinds of growth, with a sales tax grant for a national retailer on Preston Road and performance-based incentives for mixed-use buildings with dining space on the square.
This won't change the square quickly. Construction at the Mayer Building has to start by Jan. 1, 2028, and finish by June 1, 2029. At 102 N. Ohio, construction has to start by Oct. 1, 2028, and finish by March 1, 2030. Those are contract deadlines, not opening dates, and no restaurant operators have been named for either site.
Where the Fall Calendar Happens
For now, the square's main draw is its events, and the city's fall schedule keeps nearly all of them downtown. Celina Oktoberfest ran yesterday, Oct. 3, on the Downtown Square. It featured German-inspired food, local vendors, a Dachshund Dash and keg rolling. Here's what's still ahead:
- Friday Night Market, Oct. 9, 6 to 9 p.m., at 141 N. Ohio St. It's free and monthly, with more than 60 vendors selling handmade, homemade and homegrown goods.
- Library pumpkin-painting party, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 3 to 5 p.m., at the Downtown Celina Pavilion, 141 N. Ohio St. The first 100 participants get a free faux pumpkin.
- Beware! of the Square, Oct. 24, 4 to 9 p.m. This free Halloween festival has trick-or-treating, a haunted manor, a kid zone, Cirque acts, pumpkin decorating and more than 60 vendors.
- Friday Night Market, Nov. 6, the next date on the city's 2026 market calendar
- Christmas on the Square, Dec. 2, 5 to 9 p.m., a free holiday celebration on the Downtown Square
The city's event pages carry no publish dates, so check the City of Celina's event listings before you head out.
What's Next, and Which Side of Town It Lands On
The pipeline follows the same split. Toni Mehmedi owns Celina Star Cafe on Pecan Street and is opening two more restaurants. Brunch Factory is planned for 3655 S. Preston Road in the Celina West development. Mehmedi says it will serve an "upscale" breakfast and lunch, with elevated versions of traditional brunch food. GyroHaus is coming to 305 E. Ownsby Parkway, Ste. 155, with build-your-own bowls and gyros served assembly-line style. Both are targeting spring 2027. So one local owner now has a café on the square and two newer concepts going into the corridor.
Downtown is adding daytime services as well. Kid Approved Pediatrics plans to open at 408 E. Pecan St. in November 2026. Chief Medical Officer Lilyan Blatt said many of the practice's current patients are Celina and Prosper families.
Meanwhile, the second Walmart is still in development, and the Prosper-Celina Journal reports that more national brands could follow as Preston Road keeps filling in. National chains will keep coming to the corridor. The next two restaurant spaces on the square are slated for the Mayer Building and the corner of Ohio and Walnut, and the city has already set their deadlines.
Downtown reinvestment like this shapes what nearby homes feel like to live in. Long before a seller lists or a buyer tours, it helps to know which projects are funded and when they're due. If you're weighing a move around the square or out toward Preston Road, TLC Realty TX can walk you through what's planned nearby. Request a Personalized Consultation and we'll map out the timeline with you.
