Every season, the short stretch of South County Road facing Town Hall gives a quick read on the island's mood. You can tell from whether the pumps at the corner station are running, whether C. Orrico's windows are lit, and whether the Church Mouse has a line at the register. This fall that read takes longer than usual, because the block reopens in pieces on a schedule that runs into January.
Much of the schedule traces back to one address. The island's only gas station, at 340 S. County Road, closed on June 28 for a renovation that has announced dates for each part of its return, and the company behind it now also owns the building next door. The rest of Midtown's center has its own approvals, open questions and pending dates, but the corner station sets the pace.
Two Buildings Under One Owner
For years it was Gray's Sunoco. It will reopen as Palm Petrol. In March 2025, a Delaware company named for the property's address bought the station for $11.94 million. That company is managed by Armata Holdings Management Corp., a real estate investment firm controlled by Alex Griswold, who grew up in Palm Beach. Griswold told the Town Council the purchase came after he and a larger group of residents pooled their money when the station was rumored to be for sale. He has not publicly named the other investors.
A second Griswold-controlled entity, 336 S County LLC, then paid a recorded $9.5 million for the commercial building directly north of the station. That is 336 S. County Road, long the home of the fashion retailer C. Orrico. The deed was recorded June 5 in Palm Beach County. So two neighboring addresses on the busiest errand block in Midtown now share an owner, and both closed for renovation within weeks of each other this summer.
Griswold explained his reasons in the Palm Beach Daily News:
"When you grow up in a place like Palm Beach, you feel a deep sense of obligation to protect what makes it special. This station is part of that story, and both our investors and I are committed to honoring that — not just for today's residents, but for generations to come."
He told the same paper he grew up filling his bike tires at the station and buying candy bars after school. That is the tone of the project. The renovation restores what the station used to be, and the phased reopening returns its services one at a time.
The Calendar Runs Into January
Griswold described the order to the Daily News: gas service first, then the vehicle service shop, then the expanded convenience store, with a grand opening celebration after that. Put next to the other announced dates on the block, the season looks like this:
| Timing | Address | What is scheduled | Status as last reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 1 | 340 S. County Road | Palm Petrol fuel service resumes | Announced plan as of June; no later confirmation found |
| November | 336 S. County Road | C. Orrico returns in a smaller space in the same building | Announced plan as of June 3 |
| Nov. 1 | 340 S. County Road | Palm Petrol vehicle service shop opens | Announced plan |
| Dec. 1 | 340 S. County Road | Expanded Palm Petrol convenience store opens | Announced plan |
| January | 340 S. County Road | Palm Petrol grand opening celebration | Announced plan |
| "Opening 2026" | 380 S. County Road | George x Avenue 31 | Site plans approved; no date set |
| Not announced | 378 S. County Road | Church Mouse to-go coffee counter | No opening date as of late July |
The fuel date is the one with the most practical weight. While the station was closed, the Palm Beach Daily News reported in July that residents, workers and household staff had to cross the bridges to fill up, and it described the closure as lasting "until at least October." As of mid-October we have not found a published confirmation that the pumps restarted on Oct. 1, or any announcement of a delay. Palm Petrol's own website gives no operating status. Until the station or the Daily News says otherwise, Oct. 1 remains the planned date. In June, Griswold also said he expected the whole project to finish by the end of the year.
C. Orrico follows the same pattern next door. Co-owner Kathie Orrico told the Palm Beach Daily News that the boutique would close for the off-season and return in November, in a smaller space inside its current building. No later update on the date or the new layout has come out.
What the Corner Will Look Like When It Is Finished
The design work explains why the station is reopening in phases.
The exterior returns to the mid-century modern style the station had when it opened in 1956. The Mediterranean-style S-tile roof comes off, and a flat roof goes on to match the original. The building gets white paint, white porcelain tile on some surfaces, and green-and-white detailing. One of the four garage stalls becomes retail space, which adds 1,094 square feet to the convenience store. The other three stalls get paneled-glass doors to match the store's new windows.
Here is what each part is meant to offer once it reopens:
- Pumps: full-service fueling with attendants, which is rare in Florida.
- Service bays: fewer stalls, with the same services as before, including tire nail removal, oil changes and diagnostics.
- Store: standard convenience items alongside a curated selection of gifts, baked goods, wines and specialty items, with a focus on long-established local purveyors.
The service shop gave up a stall so the store could grow. That trade explains the order of the dates. Fuel can come back first, while the bays and the enlarged retail space need more time.
Up the Block, Every Change Is Partial
The staged pattern carries north along South County Road. The other changes in Midtown's center are also arriving in pieces, each at a different point between a plan and an open door.
The Church Mouse, 378 S. County Road. The secondhand shop near Town Hall is owned by the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea and sells high-end clothing, accessories and furniture. It plans to add a small to-go coffee counter, with proceeds going to the church's outreach. According to the Palm Beach Daily News, the counter will have no customer seating, and no opening date had been announced as of late July. The same report said the shop stayed open through the summer this year instead of closing for the season. The church's Church Mouse page lists hours of Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
George x Avenue 31, 380 S. County Road. The building next door to the Church Mouse, which once housed the Le Bar a Vin wine bar, is slated to become a Mediterranean-theme nightclub that will also serve food. It will take up two floors. The Palm Beach Daily News reported on Oct. 7 that the Town Council approved the site plans, a major municipal step. The venue's website calls it the newest Avenue 31 location and says "Opening 2026," with no month given. With the approval coming in October, the year-end target leaves little time. So far it is a stated goal with no opening date.
Café L'Europe, 331 S. County Road. The restaurant across the street started brunch service on May 30. According to the Palm Beach Daily News, brunch is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays in season and on Sundays only in the off-season. The restaurant's website currently lists Sunday brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The same Daily News report said the Town Council's approval of brunch was being challenged before an appellate panel, with parking cited. The town's attorney asked for dismissal, arguing in part that the restaurant's grandfathered use did not require added off-street parking. We have found no ruling reported since August, so the approval and the challenge both still stand as of that report.
Taken together, the Midtown center has one coffee counter with no date, one nightclub with approved plans, one brunch service under appeal, one boutique due in November and one gas station returning across four dates. None of these addresses is a finished story yet.
What Is Not Arriving This Season
Two blocks south, Worth Avenue's biggest restaurant news is further out than the headlines suggest. Plans filed for 150 Worth Ave. would rename The Esplanade "Burlington Arcade at Palm Beach" and bring in a Casa Tua restaurant and private club, a Robin Birley club, a Birley Bakery and luxury retail. As of the Daily News report in late August, the proposal had not been approved. Stephen Starr's proposed Room Service steakhouse at 151 Worth Ave. could open as early as December 2027, according to a September report. For this winter, the concrete openings are on South County Road, between the corner station and the Church Mouse, spread from October into January.
Questions about how a property's renovation and phasing affect its value come up often in our work, both on the island and in Wellington. If you would like to talk through one, David Welles is available for a confidential consultation.
