Cheesesteak eatery, Home Goods others coming to Parrish

As construction of the Creekside Commons shopping center intensifies, Benderson Development has posted a roadside billboard announcing some of the businesses planning to set up shop there.

In addition to the Lowes home improvement store, as previously reported by the Herald in July 2020, also planned are South Philly Cheesesteaks, a Five Below specialty discount store, Home Goods, Crunch Fitness, Blossom Nail Lounge, and a Verizon phone store.

The Parrish restaurant would be the fifth location for South Philly Cheesesteaks. Maryann and Jeff Hopkins opened their fourth store on May 20 at 5967 Factory Shops Blvd., in Ellenton.

The business opened its first restaurant 18 1/2 years ago at 5942 34th St. W. , No. 115 In El Conquistador Village Plaza, Bradenton, near IMG Academy. More recent additions to the local chain include restaurants at 5442 Lockwood Ridge Road, Bradenton, and 1439 Main St., Sarasota. They also have a food truck.

“We already had a following of customers out here,” Maryann Hopkins said in June of the packed dining room of the new Ellenton restaurant.

“It takes a lot of hard work, quality, and consistency. We have an incredible staff and most of them have been with us for a long time. My best friend and three of my daughters work with us,” Hopkins said.

Creekside Commons is a 285,000-square-foot shopping center under construction on the northeast corner of U.S. 301 and Erie Road. Previously, a Walmart was announced for the site, but the retail giant backed out in 2017, and Benderson Development halted construction of the project, located next to a CVS store, for several years.

Improvements to the U.S. 301-Erie Road intersection, including the addition of a double turn lane, may have helped developers land Lowes for Creekside Commons, Gretchen Fowler, president of the Parrish Civic Association, previously said.

In 2004, Benderson purchased the 50-acre site for $2.12 million, and won approvals from Manatee County government for the shopping project in 2008. Those plans were put on hold because of the Great Recession before being modified in 2014.

The proposed Five Below specialty discount store announced for Creekside Commons would be the fourth in the Bradenton-Sarasota area. Other Five Below stores are located in the Cortez Plaza East at 865 Cortez Road W., in the Shoppes at UTC at 8249 Cooper Creek Blvd., and in the Sarasota Pavilion at 6571 S. Tamiami Trail.

The Home Goods store would be the third in Manatee County. Other Home Goods stores are located at 8213 Cooper Creek and at 7134 Cortez Road W.

Benderson Development did not respond immediately to a request this week on the timeline for opening Creekside Commons.