Downtown Manhattan Beach Swapped Its Storefronts in 2026. The Bigger Change Is How Late It Stays Open.

"The turnover in downtown Manhattan Beach is unprecedented right now and we are all talking about it." Kelly Stroman, executive director of the Downtown Manhattan Beach Business and Professionals Association, told MB News that in early July. At that point the paper counted more than a dozen storefronts that were opening, closing or between tenants.

Three months later, the list is mostly settled. Go through it one storefront at a time and a pattern shows up. Coffee shops took over coffee shops. Cafes took over restaurants. Shops took over shops. The names on the doors changed, but most of what downtown sells stayed the same. The decisions that did go before city officials this year were mostly about evening hours.

The Swap Map, Space by Space

Here is the latest reported status of each changed space, based on MB News's July roundup, later reporting from the Daily Breeze and La Vista, and the businesses' own pages.

Gum Tree didn't leave downtown. It moved to 1140 Highland Ave. on Aug. 1. That's the address where Current Events said in late January it was closing its newsstand after a long run, according to Patch. Bacio di Latte opened in Metlox in June with Italian gelato and an affogato bar. That keeps a gelato counter downtown even though Gelato & Angels' old space now sells clothing. Ounce of Salt is owned by a local, Jen Baick, and it offers custom design along with its finished jewelry.

Count the rows and the morning coffee stops are all still there. Two coffee shops are being replaced by two coffee shops, and one cafe by another cafe. Of the ten spaces, the old gelato counter is the only one that changed category.

The Code Asks About Use and Size

The reason most swaps keep the same category is in the zoning code. Downtown has no Downtown Specific Plan in effect. The City Council adopted one on Dec. 6, 2016. Then in 2018 it rejected the 27 changes the California Coastal Commission attached and repealed the plan. The council replaced it with Ordinance 18-0022, adopted Nov. 6, 2018. That ordinance permits retail in the downtown commercial zone by right. A use permit is required only for a store with more than 1,600 square feet of sales floor. The ordinance has no definition of a chain or "formula" business and no cap on brand-name tenants.

The question goes back years. In August 2014, while the city had a temporary downtown moratorium in place, the Daily Breeze reported that the pause applied to switching from one type of commercial use to another, and that a chain could still replace a business of the same type. A councilmember asked staff to study limits on formula stores, but that never became a cap.

Restaurants have one more step. Eating and drinking places in the downtown zone need a use permit. A new restaurant can often move into an old one's entitlements, though. City staff said a restaurant at Sogno Toscano's Metlox space was already allowed under the property's existing approvals. The hearing was about what came on top of that, namely beer and wine service and a new patio with later hours. When a new brand takes over a space of the same type and size, it can open without a public hearing.

What Actually Went Before the Planning Commission

The downtown items that did go to public hearings this year were mostly about hours.

On June 24, 2026, the Planning Commission voted 4–0 to approve Sogno Toscano's request for on-site beer and wine and a new patio open until 11 p.m. daily.

Two weeks later, on July 8, the commission voted 5–0 to make Esperanza's expanded second-floor hours permanent. That means 2 a.m. indoors and 11 p.m. on the patio, on the condition that the patio doors stay closed whenever the patio is closed. City staff also listed Great White at 401 Manhattan Beach Blvd. as a downtown patio already approved to stay open until 11 p.m.

The city's general standard is earlier. On Dec. 2, 2025, the City Council adopted an outdoor dining ordinance that generally closes patios at 10 p.m. Businesses can get different hours through a use permit. When staff wrote the Sogno report, the ordinance still hadn't been certified for the Coastal Zone, where Sogno's patio is located, so it wasn't yet in effect there. All three patios above were approved for hours past that 10 p.m. standard.

Great White's Schedule Shows the Shift

Great White, in the old Pitfire space, is the clearest daily example. It serves breakfast, salads, sandwiches, bowls, coffee and drinks, including avocado toast, fish tacos and burgers. Its location page lists hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Tables are walk-in only until 4 p.m., and reservations start at 4. In practice, that's a casual breakfast-and-lunch spot by day and a reservation dinner spot at night, with a patio approved to stay open an hour after the kitchen's listed closing time.

La Vista, the Mira Costa student paper, ran a column in late September asking whether downtown is losing its local charm. The writer still counted Great White as a popular favorite and said Beyond Yoga fits Manhattan Beach's active lifestyle. Both readings fit the swap map. The categories downtown offers are about the same as before, and more of them are open after dark.

Still Waiting and Still Empty

We found no confirmed opening date for these spaces:

• Blank Street Coffee, at the former Peet's at 328 Manhattan Beach Blvd., has a signed lease and was described in late September as arriving soon.
• Framebridge, in the former Kate Lester Home space on Manhattan Avenue, was announced for fall. No opening has been confirmed.
• Sogno Toscano, at 451 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Suite B102, got Planning Commission approval in June. July reporting said it still needed a state ABC license and other city sign-offs before opening, and no opening has been announced since.
• Parakeet Cafe, in the former Cafe Altamura space on Highland Avenue, was delayed with no date as of July.
• Alfred Coffee, in the former Ocean View Cafe space on Highland Avenue, is under construction and expected in the spring.

In MB News's July roundup, five spaces had no announced tenant, and we found no later tenant announcement for any of them. They are the former Pressed Juicery on Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Drift Beach Club's Metlox space, Walstory on Manhattan Avenue, Harry's Cleaners on Highland Avenue, and the former Bardot Salon and Corpo Bonito spaces on Manhattan Avenue, which have been renovated and combined into one. In July, MB News reported several expressions of interest in the Pressed Juicery space.

Two Dates to Walk the New Downtown

The 36th Annual Pumpkin Race takes over Manhattan Beach Boulevard near the pier on Sunday, Oct. 18, starting at noon. The city's event page says Oct. 19 in its introduction, but its event listing gives Oct. 18, which is the Sunday. Great White and Beyond Yoga are both a short walk up the boulevard from the race.

The 2026 Pier Lighting and Holiday Open House runs Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 6 to 9 p.m. downtown and at the pier, with holiday lighting, music, shopping and dining. Blank Street, Framebridge or Sogno Toscano may have opened by then.

Downtown tenants affect how a block feels, and how a block feels affects what it's worth. If you'd like to know how this year's turnover is showing up on your street, Accardo Real Estate Associates can walk you through it. Request a complimentary market consultation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.