Downtown Friendswood's largest project won't have storefronts this holiday season. The Albritton at 408 S. Friendswood Drive is still under construction and is expected to be finished in 2028. The new shopping that opened downtown in 2026 is in small suites a few doors away. So when the 7th Annual Friendswood Holiday Shop Hop runs November 5 through 7, it will be a walk past storefronts that each hold one business.
The bigger buildings are coming. This season's shopping is happening in the smaller ones.
The Biggest Downtown Project Is Still a Construction Site
The Albritton is by Friendswood-based Tannos Development Group. In July 2026, The Real Deal reported that the project had secured $28 million in mid-construction financing, which is meant to carry it "through the remainder of construction." The finished building will have 111 apartments, 11,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and 9,000 square feet of office space.
The City of Friendswood's development map, updated September 4, 2026, shows how the building will meet the street. Restaurants and retail will face S. Friendswood Drive, offices will face Willowick Drive, and apartments will fill floors two through four. Plans also call for a dog park and improved outdoor space between the building and the Friendswood Library, plus outdoor seating and wide sidewalks along S. Friendswood Drive.
A 2023 Community Impact forecast put completion in 2024 or early 2025. That timeline has passed, and the current target is 2028. No retail or restaurant tenants for The Albritton have been named publicly so far.
A smaller project is in the works around the corner. The Augusta Kelly Office Building planned for 403 Laurel will be a two-story building with 6,594 square feet of retail and office space. It will have head-in parking on Laurel, matching the building next door that houses APA Designs and Lola's. The city also plans a future six-foot sidewalk on the opposite side of Laurel to connect 403 and 405 Laurel with another planned development at 311 Laurel.
Both projects point the same way: more downtown storefronts in a few years. Until then, the openings that have already happened are what's new downtown.
One Address Added Two New Storefronts
The most active address downtown this year is 313 S. Friendswood Drive, where two businesses opened in neighboring suites within three months.
Foxtail Boutique, a women's clothing shop, moved from Pearland into Suite 101 and opened March 21, 2026.
The Gilded Page Literary Lounge opened in Suite 103 on June 13 with a ribbon-cutting and grand opening, according to a Friendswood Chamber of Commerce release reported by Community Impact. It sells books along with coffee, wine and pastries from Roland's Swiss Bakery. The lounge also takes reservations:
- During store hours: $50 for two hours
- Private after-hours events: $125 for two hours, with the option to add an hour for $50
- Groups: charcuterie boards can be pre-ordered
Nearby, at 307 S. Friendswood Dr., Suite A1, the Chamber will hold a ribbon-cutting for Dr. Alexandra Robertson's Sequence Family Chiropractic and Wellness on October 15. That puts three recent arrivals on the 300 block, each in a suite.
The Stretch Between 300 and 700 South
Head south along the same side of town and the new businesses keep showing up.
EverElle Boutique, at 607 S. Friendswood Drive, sells women's apparel, accessories, shoes, gifts and self-care products. It announced a grand opening and ribbon-cutting for June 27. At 699 S. Friendswood Dr., Suite 102, BlueWater Advisors has a Chamber ribbon-cutting on October 19 to celebrate the firm's new name.
Turn onto Laurel and you'll find APA Designs at 405 Laurel Drive, which sells florals, gifts and home décor in its store and online. The city describes the Augusta Kelly project's head-in parking as consistent with this building next door. Holiday shoppers can stop there now and see where that next storefront will go.
Two food stops sit at the north end of downtown. The Charleston Tea Room & Cafe at 154 S. Friendswood Drive lists lunch service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday. NamasTea, a tea shop with takeout, is listed at 104 S. Friendswood Drive, Suite B. Neither has a recent dated update online, so it's worth calling ahead before planning lunch around them.
Before the Punch Cards Come Out
The Chamber has a busy October calendar before the Shop Hop:
- Classic Car & Bike Show, Saturday, October 10, 9 a.m. The Chamber's spring show was delayed. Rather than hold it one week before Space City Corvette's annual show, the two groups combined them into one larger event that benefits Texas EquuSearch, which searches for missing persons and supports families in crisis.
- Sequence Family Chiropractic and Wellness ribbon-cutting, Thursday, October 15, 3 to 4 p.m., at 307 S. Friendswood Dr.
- Beauty Collective Salon & Academy ribbon-cutting, Saturday, October 17, noon to 12:30 p.m., at 4 Oaktree St.
- Pawsh Dog House grand reopening, Saturday, October 17, 3 to 6 p.m., at 512 N. Friendswood Drive. The Chamber lists it as "Lather and Leash Grand Opening." The ribbon-cutting is shortly after 3 p.m., with free barbecue, candy for kids, and an invitation to bring kids and pets in costume.
- Halloween in the Park, Sunday, October 25, 5 to 7 p.m., at Stevenson Park next to City Hall. Participating booths hand out candy to trick-or-treaters.
Several of these events are ribbon-cuttings for businesses that opened this year. Showing up is an easy way to see the newest storefronts before the holiday rush.
Running the Shop Hop on a Downtown Loop
The rules are simple. Pick up a punch card at your first participating shop, get it punched at each stop, and visit 15 of the 31 participating shops to be entered in the grand-prize drawing. A September 2 event listing places the Shop Hop on S. Friendswood Drive and says the store list is "coming soon." As of today, the 2026 roster hasn't been published. That means none of the shops in this post are confirmed participants yet.
Fifteen stops in three days is a lot, and the downtown suites sit close together. A rough walking order from north to south looks like this:
- 104 and 154 S. Friendswood Drive, NamasTea and the Charleston Tea Room, for a drink or lunch first
- 313 S. Friendswood Drive, Foxtail Boutique in Suite 101 and The Gilded Page in Suite 103
- 405 Laurel Drive, APA Designs, a short turn off the main road
- 607 S. Friendswood Drive, EverElle Boutique
Once the roster is out, add participating shops along this route and drop any stops that aren't on the list. Along the way you'll pass the Albritton site at 408 S. Friendswood Drive, which is still under construction.
The last day overlaps with another downtown event. On Saturday, November 7, the VCG Freedom 1K starts at 7:30 a.m. at the Stevenson Park gazebo, and the 5K follows at about 7:45 a.m. A farmers market is also scheduled at the park that day. Three days later, on Tuesday, November 10, the Chamber's Designer Bag BINGO starts at 6:30 p.m. at The Foundation for Hope Village, 15403 Hope Village Road. It features 18 games and limited seating.
If you're curious how downtown's new storefronts and the projects still underway could affect property values near S. Friendswood Drive, Lisa Sanders is happy to walk through it with you over coffee nearby. Request a Complimentary Concierge Consultation whenever you're ready.
