Lot pegged for Antique Row eatery up for sale

But owner Sprock won’t rule out return to plan

A whirlwind entrepreneur who bought more than a dozen properties in West Palm Beach and Lake Worth in 2022 is letting go of a key lot in the heart of the renowned Antique Row shopping district after plans to build a restaurant fizzled.

Martin Sprock, co-founder of Moe’s Southwest Grill and Planet Smoothie, had hoped to build one of his Mediterranean-inspired Kid Cashew eateries on the vacant land at 3500 S. Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach but now has the lot listed for sale at $2.2 million. That’s about 25% higher than the $1.75 million he paid in March 2022.

Chris Aumente, a Realtor with Brown Harris Stevens who is co-listing the 0.23-acre property, said getting new construction started in burgeoning West Palm Beach can be challenging, and Sprock wants to focus on properties with buildings already on them.

“This is an opportunity for someone to put in a high-end store or coffee shop because it has great exposure and is on a street known for world-class shopping,” said Aumente, who is co-listing the property with Alexis Waller, also of Brown Harris Stevens.

Antique Row, which generally stretches from Belvedere Road to Southern Boulevard on Dixie Highway, has experienced a renaissance in recent years. New shops, design firms and restaurants have opened to cater, in part, to pandemic-driven newcomers settling in historic neighborhoods south of downtown West Palm Beach.

Another boon to the street is the luxury CasaMara apartment complex at 3111 S. Dixie, which opened in late 2020, and is fronted by food, wine and design shops. A Joseph’s Classic Market, Amped Fitness, Pink Steak restaurant and Salons by JC have also added to the allure at the Shops at The Press in the building formerly owned by The Palm Beach Post.

Sprock’s 2022 buying spree, which included historic homes he hopes to restore, was triggered by the influx of new residents to the area, which he said made it ripe for investing.

“I just think it’s a great market,” he said in a 2023 interview.

Aumente said he’s had calls about Sprock’s vacant lot from a doctor interested in building an office on the land, a Palm Beach antique dealer wanting to establish a shop on the mainland, and neighbors who are