Publix Opening Window & Parrott Orchard Tenants Revealed

Key Takeaways

• Publix is now expected to open between July and September, per the Herald-Leader — a summer-to-early-fall window.
• An updated LoopNet listing for the Shops at Parrott Orchard reveals the tenant lineup: HOTWORX, Everbowl, Kilwins, plus a newly listed facial bar and nail salon.
• Green Releaf, a medical marijuana dispensary, opened at 950 North Mulberry — card required; it's a regulated medical program.
• The Hardin County Playhouse is relocating into the front of the former Cinema 3, a 13,000+ sq ft building off Dixie.
• Sweet Rebel Boutique (downtown) and Little Playland (Ring Road) have both announced closings.

Summary

Nate Bryan's Business Buzz this week delivered the update Hardin County has been asking about for months: Publix finally has a real opening window. Citing the Herald-Leader, Nate placed the grocery store's debut somewhere between July and September — and paired it with a fresh LoopNet listing that, for the first time, shows where the surrounding tenants at the Shops at Parrott Orchard are going.

Beyond Publix, Nate covered a new medical-cannabis dispensary, a community theater finding a permanent home, two local closings handled with care, and a downtown dining scene that keeps adding new names.

He kept the sourcing honest throughout — what's confirmed, what's "the listing now shows," and what's still being chased down.

Watch this segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhDM2dPzg2g Full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c98g4e2AHMA Read the full S2026E23 recap: https://hardinlocal.com/podcast/s2026e23-pillar/

Full Article

For anyone who has driven past the Parrott Orchard construction wondering when the grocery store actually opens, Nate Bryan had the news. Per the Herald-Leader, Publix now has a confirmed opening window of July to September — a real timeframe at last on the area's most-anticipated retail project. "I would think we're looking at a summer opening, summer, early fall," Nate said, walking through the possibilities (he couldn't resist floating a July 4th "America and Publix" debut).

The bigger reveal was the supporting cast. A newly updated LoopNet listing for 1305 Parrott Orchard Road — the first Nate had seen uploaded by someone other than himself — lays out the Shops at Parrott Orchard unit by unit. Confirmed tenants include HOTWORX (infrared fitness, about 1,953 sq ft — which sent Rachel into an excited aside about finally not having to drive to Louisville for it), Everbowl (açaí bowls), and Kilwins (chocolate and fudge, the kind of name Nate noted you usually only see in tourist towns). The new piece: the listing now shows a facial bar and a nail salon going in next to each other — tenants Nate hadn't seen reported anywhere before. The main Publix building runs about 50,000 sq ft, with Publix Liquors, a returning Firehouse Subs, and a relocating UPS Store (moving from North Dixie, with promised expanded Sunday hours) filling out the rest. A 1.35-acre corner outparcel has been under contract since the project was announced — a trapezoid lot Nate suspects is destined for a fast-food chain.

On the new-openings front, Nate confirmed that Green Releaf, a medical marijuana dispensary, has opened at 950 North Mulberry — behind the Mulberry Subway, in the back left corner with plenty of parking. He was careful and neutral about it: this is a regulated medical program, not a walk-in shop. "You have to have a card. You have to have all the other stuff. You're not just walking in and just perusing." He also corrected two common errors on air — the name is spelled Green Releaf ("leaf, like the leaf, not relief as in ahh"), and the address is 950, not the 915 that still shows on Google.

In a nice full-circle story, the Hardin County Playhouse is moving into the front of the old Cinema 3 off Dixie — a former movie house now becoming a home for live performance. Rachel, who worked the deal, explained the community theater is currently leasing the front portion of a building topping 13,000 square feet, with a long-term goal of buying the whole thing. "From a theater to a theater," as Nate framed it. (He also went out of his way — twice — to insist Rachel didn't tip him off: "I will take a lie detector test. So will she.")

Nate handled two closings with warmth. Sweet Rebel Boutique, the downtown shop near Vibe, announced it's closing with a sale running all week after several years in business. Little Playland on Ring Road, a longtime indoor play space for toddlers and young kids, also announced it's closing — news Nate acknowledged would disappoint a lot of parents. "Small business is hard to run," he said. "Thank them both for serving the community."

And downtown keeps adding names. Bluegrass Meats opens June 9 in the former Dairy Queen building, a German restaurant at 109 North Mulberry is set to open soon serving all three meals (Nate's excited and a little intimidated by the menu), and a barbecue spot is on the way. Nate closed with a tease: a "buckle up" mall update is coming next week, possibly big enough for its own standalone stream.