At 6:30 on a weekday morning, the lights are already on at Amavida Coffee Roasters in the Lofts West building on North Barrett Square. By 10 a.m., 30A Cork & Barrel is open at the same address. On Sundays, the 30A Farmers Market fills North Barrett Square from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and it runs all year. All of it is within walking distance of a front porch.
The town's merchant directory leaves some things out. It lists no full-service grocery store and no standalone bakery. Those needs are covered 2.2 miles north on US 98, at a shopping center that has grown quickly in 2026. Rosemary Beach handles the walkable part of the week. Watersound Town Center handles the rest. The second half of this year changed what that short drive is for.
What the Walkable Core Handles
Main Street and the Barrett Squares are set up for small, frequent errands. Here is the everyday list as of the town's August 2026 merchant directory and the businesses' own sites:
- Coffee. Amavida Coffee Roasters at 104 North Barrett Square is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. 3rd Cup Coffee is at 16 S. Barrett Square, and Charlie's Café is at 46 N. Barrett Square.
- Breakfast and lunch. Summer Kitchen Café is at 78 S. Barrett Square and is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Provisions. CK's Feed & Supply at 31 Main Street sells wine, artisanal cheese, prepared dips and salads, and ready-to-heat casseroles.
- Wine and spirits. 30A Cork & Barrel carries wine, liquor, and craft beer, open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
- Movement and upkeep. Power Movement Pilates teaches reformer and mat classes at 31 Main Street. Vivo Spa 30A on Georgetown Avenue offers facials, massage, and body treatments. Nail Garten at 62 Main Street is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
- Produce and baked goods. The Sunday market brings in fresh produce and baked goods each week.
These businesses are good at things you buy often and in small amounts, like a morning latte, a bottle for dinner, a ready-made casserole, or a class before the beach gets busy. A pantry restock, a prescription, a bank errand, or a checkup is a different kind of trip.
The 2.2 Miles That Cover the Rest
Watersound Town Center is at 170 N. Watersound Parkway in Inlet Beach, by the entrance to the Watersound Origins community. As of this week, Google Maps shows the fastest route from Rosemary Beach as 2.2 miles and about six minutes via US 98. A slightly longer route along 30A and South Watersound Parkway is 2.6 miles and about eight minutes.
The center's directory lists the tenants that fill the gaps in Rosemary's walkable core.
Groceries and pharmacy. Publix at 11291 US Hwy 98 E has a pharmacy, deli, and bakery, plus Publix Liquors next door. That bakery counter is the closest thing to a full-time bakery in either town center.
Banking. Capital City Bank is at 11275 US Hwy 98.
Health care. Ascension Sacred Heart Primary Care provides routine checkups and treats illness and injuries. The directory describes it as primary care, not urgent care. Nearby are Ascension Sacred Heart Women's Diagnostic Center, Dermatology Specialists of Florida and Aqua Medical Spa, 30A Chiropractic & Wellness, and Legacy Dental Studio.
Services. Lagree 30A, Halo Salon and Blowout Bar, Grand Nails Lounge, and FedEx Office round out the list. FedEx Office matters more than it might seem. The Rosemary Beach Post Office at 28 Main Street keeps short retail hours, weekdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to noon, and USPS says no mailing services are available at that location.
Food. The dining list is broad and casual: Ambrosia Prime Seafood & Steaks, Scout Sports Tavern, Friends 30A Burger Bar, Nigel's Bananas, Sweet Henrietta's, Marco's Pizza, Village Market, Starbucks, and Jersey Mike's Subs. Rosemary's dining is built around lingering. Watersound has the easy weeknight options, like pizza, a burger, a sports tavern, or a sub to go.
Until recently, that was the whole story. Rosemary covered the daily stroll and Watersound covered the weekly stock-up. In 2026, the trip north started serving another purpose.
This Year, the Drive Became About More Than Errands
On June 30, 2026, The St. Joe Company announced a set of openings at Watersound Town Center. FP Movement, Hemline, Monkee's, and Sunset Shoes & Lifestyles had opened, along with Jersey Mike's Subs, Lagree 30A, and Art-of-Fact(s), a shop for home décor, gifts, and artwork.
On August 20, St. Joe announced that Johnnie-O had opened and that Anthropologie had signed a lease for a store of about 9,000 square feet. The store will include an Anthropologie Weddings bridal shop, which the brand offers only at select locations. St. Joe's leasing director tied that choice to the destination wedding business across the 30A area. The same release lists J.McLaughlin among the center's apparel tenants.
The size figures show how fast things are moving. In its June release, St. Joe described the center as about 160,000 square feet. By August it was about 170,000 square feet and 98% leased, with plans to grow to about 400,000 square feet. That planned total is well over twice the current size. The June release also noted that the nearby Watersound Origins, Watersound Camp Creek, and Watersound Origins Crossings communities had more than 1,700 completed homes, townhomes, and apartment units. Those homes are the steady customer base the center is being built around.
For a Rosemary Beach owner, the change is easy to describe. A few miles north, a short grocery stop now also offers apparel boutiques, a fitness studio, and soon a large national home and fashion store.
Still Unannounced as of Early October
- Anthropologie's opening date. Construction on its building has begun, and St. Joe says the date will be announced later.
- The other tenants in that building. St. Joe has not named them.
- A second new retail building. It was expected to break ground later in 2026, per the August release.
- A Watersound Weddings & Events storefront. A September 2026 St. Joe announcement places it at the center but gives no opening date.
All of these are plans in a developer's forward-looking statements, so treat them as plans until doors actually open.
Two Calendars, Different Times
The two town centers now run event calendars that rarely overlap. Rosemary Beach's steady weekly fixture is a morning event, the Sunday farmers market in North Barrett Square from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. year-round. Watersound's fall fixture happens on Friday evenings.
The First Friday Fall Concert Series runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Pavilion, 85 Origins Main St. It is free, family-friendly, and open to the public. The center credits the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County and The St. Joe Community Foundation for the series. Two of the four dates are still ahead:
- November 6: Webb Wilder Trio, with opener Jessica Willis Fisher.
- December 4: Michelle Malone Trio, plus an Art Bazaar from 4 to 8 p.m.
Each concert features artists connected to the 30A Songwriters Festival, which returns January 15–18, 2027. The center's events page also lists a holiday gathering, Winter Wonder Watersound, marked as rescheduled without a new date posted yet.
Put together, a weekend can easily use both centers without them competing. Friday evening can be a free concert on the Pavilion lawn six minutes up US 98. Sunday morning can be produce and baked goods in North Barrett Square, followed by coffee at Amavida.
If you're weighing how being close to Watersound Town Center figures into what a Rosemary Beach home is worth, or wondering what the planned growth to 400,000 square feet could mean for the east end of 30A, Joshua Fowler is glad to talk it through quietly over coffee on Barrett Square. Let's Connect.
