Hilltop's New Storefronts Mostly Belong to Familiar Names
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
On April 14, the Painted Tree Boutiques marketplace at Hilltop North Shopping Center closed without warning. The Virginian-Pilot reported that the locations shut down nationwide, not only the one in Virginia Beach. Small vendors lost their booths overnight. By July 20, WTKR was covering the same space at 1624 Laskin Road under a new name, The Boutiques at Virginia Beach, with nearly 100 businesses selling everything from original artwork to food items to specialty socks.
That turnaround fits the rest of Hilltop's year. The 2026 openings people can walk into today were mostly started by owners already doing business at Hilltop or a few blocks away who scaled up into a new space. The big national names on the lease reports are mostly still "coming soon," and the largest one is targeted for 2027.
The Boutiques didn't restock the old Painted Tree floor with strangers. Before reopening, the company contacted shop owners who had operated inside Painted Tree and offered them their original booth spaces back. The remaining spaces went to new small businesses only after returning vendors had their chance. The Boutiques at Virginia Beach was formed by a parent company, The Collective Boutiques. Its current listing shows the Laskin Road store open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Not everyone came back. Melissa Smith told the Pilot she was focusing on her houseplant and botanical goods shop, Lucky Leaf Plant Studio in Wayside Village Shoppes.
"Morally, I can't go back. It breaks my heart, but I can't compromise my beliefs."
Both outcomes kept local vendors in business. Some returned to their old booths at Hilltop North, and at least one kept selling from her own storefront elsewhere in Virginia Beach. In the Pilot's June coverage, Audrey Allen, senior vice president and partner, said the company had been in touch with several shop owners and that "the excitement has definitely been mutual."
Three more of this year's Hilltop names follow the same pattern. Each one is an existing local operation that moved into more permanent space.
Sleepy Cowgirl Coffee started as a trailer. Owners Abraham Quirantes and Sam Colonna told Inside Business, via the Virginian-Pilot, that the trailer was "physically demanding, heavily weather dependent and limited to four hours of serving due to storage capacity." They signed on a storefront at 1860 Laskin Road in La Promenade after doing a pop-up there. The Pilot's coffee roundup dates the brick-and-mortar opening to January. The menu kept the drinks people knew from the trailer, including the Buckin Banana caramelized banana latte and the strawberry cream matcha that shares the shop's name. It added bagels, croissants, toasts, pastries from local bakeries and to-go sandwiches from Yorkies.
Pure Green held its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 737 First Colonial Road in Marketplace at Hilltop. WAVY called it Virginia Beach's first Pure Green superfood café. The owners, Tolan and Abby Dyer, are not new to the area. They opened the area's first Orangetheory Fitness, and the café marks a decade in business for them. Tolan Dyer told WAVY the café lets them serve customers "from workout to recovery." Abby Dyer is from the area, and the couple settled in Virginia Beach in 2015 after working as crew on luxury yachts.
Dainty & Dazzled, a jewelry bar and permanent-jewelry business, leased 2,240 square feet at Hilltop South, according to CoVaBiz's October/November transaction roundup. Its own website still lists a studio inside Sola Salon at 523 Hilltop Plaza, Suite 13. Neither source says whether the new lease is a move, an expansion or a second location. Either way, a business already at Hilltop is taking more space there.
Hilltop's 2026 activity also includes franchises and chains, and they sit at different points on the calendar.
Clothes Mentor, a women's resale apparel franchise, held its grand opening and ribbon cutting at Regency Hilltop, 1940 Laskin Road, Suite 301, and WAVY reported it officially open on March 26. Franchise owner Stephanie Baum supplied the opening photos. The rest are signed leases, not open doors. CoVaBiz reported that Goldfish Swim School leased 5,964 square feet at Regency Hilltop and True Pilates leased 1,670 square feet at Hilltop North. Ross Dress for Less signed the biggest lease of the year at 28,609 square feet in Regency Hilltop.
Ross's footprint is almost five times Goldfish's and about seventeen times True Pilates'. It is also the furthest away. The shopping center's owner said in May that Ross is "currently targeted to open in 2027" and that the exact timeline was still being finalized.
| Business | Center | What it is | Status as of early October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleepy Cowgirl Coffee | La Promenade, 1860 Laskin Rd | Coffee, matcha, baked goods | Opened January 2026 |
| Clothes Mentor | Regency Hilltop, 1940 Laskin Rd #301 | Women's resale apparel | Open since March 26, 2026 |
| The Boutiques at Virginia Beach | Hilltop North, 1624 Laskin Rd | Multi-vendor marketplace | Operating, listed open daily 10–8 |
| Pure Green | Marketplace at Hilltop, 737 First Colonial Rd | Superfood café | Grand opening Aug. 29, 2026 |
| Goldfish Swim School | Regency Hilltop, 1952 Laskin Rd, Suite 513 | Children's swim lessons | "Coming Soon," no date posted |
| True Pilates | Hilltop North | Classical Pilates | Lease reported, no opening date |
| Dainty & Dazzled | Hilltop South | Jewelry and permanent jewelry | Lease reported, current studio at 523 Hilltop Plaza |
| Ross Dress for Less | Regency Hilltop | Off-price retail | Targeted for 2027 |
Goldfish's Virginia Beach page lists the Suite 513 address and invites families to pre-register for updates on construction and the opening timeline, but it gives no date. True Pilates' website presents it as an operating classical Pilates studio, and the lease report doesn't say when the Hilltop North space will open.
The center getting the most physical change is the one where most of the new leases are. In May, Regency Hilltop's ownership announced a renovation with upgraded façades, newly designed storefronts, more landscaping and a central pedestrian walkway to improve circulation through the property. TS3 Architects designed it, Hemmis Construction is the general contractor, and Cadenz is managing the project. The stated goal is to finish before the 2026 holiday shopping season, with the center open throughout construction. CoVaBiz carried the announcement in its August/September issue.
The ownership also plans to rename the property and has not announced the new name. As of early October, no public update has confirmed progress, a delay or the new name since the May announcement and the July Ross lease report. The holiday finish is still the owner's target, not a confirmed result.
This is also Hilltop's first full year of retail changes without major road work next door. VDOT lists the Laskin Road Bridge Replacement and Widening Project, which ran from Republic Road through First Colonial Road to the bridge just west of Red Robin Road, as finished in May 2025.
Based on what has been announced, the next changes at Hilltop should arrive in this order:
Hilltop is part of daily life for many people in the nearby neighborhoods, and keeping up with which storefronts change hands is part of knowing those neighborhoods well. If you live near Laskin Road and want to talk through how the Hilltop area is changing, Missy L'Hoste & Team offers a free local market consultation and can give you an instant home valuation.
Our knowledge of the area will allow us to focus on the best strategy to not only achieve your goals, but to exceed your expectations. We know how to take control and get the job done to your complete satisfaction. Work with the team now!