Over roughly fourteen months, the stretch of Forest Hill Boulevard around the Mall at Wellington Green has added a 450-seat comedy club, a rock pub with live music five nights a week, an arcade of more than 13,000 square feet with its own full-service bar, and a steakhouse from the family behind the Okeechobee Steakhouse. Starting in December, eleven air-conditioned indoor pickleball courts are scheduled to open in a building that has mostly sat empty since 2008.
Each one moved into space that retail had given up. The mall doesn't hide its plan. Its marketing manager has said it plainly, and so far the results point her way: Wellington's evening out is shifting toward the mall, one storefront at a time.
The Old Storefronts and Who Moved In
Ask what's new at Wellington Green and nearly every answer is something to do, not something to buy, and most of it went into a space with a retail past.
| Location | What it was | What it is now | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10570 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Shoppes at Wellington Green | Circuit City, mostly vacant since 2008 | Diadem Pickleball Complex | Soft opening December, launch January |
| Upper level, next to CMX Cinemas | Shared upper-level mall space of nearly 14,000 square feet | Palm Beach Improv and Copper Blues Rock Pub & Kitchen | Improv opened Sept. 4, 2026 |
| First floor, across from the food court | Arcade Time's smaller former footprint | Expanded Arcade Time with full-service restaurant and bar | Grand opening July 8, 2026 |
| Second level, across from CMX Cinemas | Francesca's | Bikini Bar | Opened June 27, 2026 |
| First floor | Forever 21 | Palazzo Couture, 21,000-plus square feet | 2025 |
The Circuit City building has the longest story. The Town-Crier reported that several proposals for it went nowhere after the chain closed its stores in 2008. Wellington Planning, Zoning & Building Director Tim Stillings told the paper that the interior build-out is now permitted and underway. Retail couldn't use that building for close to two decades. What it had going for it, in the words of Diadem's Gene DeVito, was "high ceilings and air conditioning."
Why a Comedy Club Ended Up in Wellington
The Palm Beach Improv is the clearest sign of how far the shift has gone. As WPTV recounted, the club started out at CityPlace in downtown West Palm Beach and then spent time in a temporary home at the Kravis Center. When it settled down again, it picked the upper level of the Mall at Wellington Green, next to CMX Cinemas.
The room is substantial. Stet News reported 450 seats in a mix of booths, high-tops and low-tops, new lighting and sound systems, and a menu that runs from appetizers and tapas to full entrées. The Sun Sentinel listed Nate Jackson's Big Dog Comedy Tour as the opening engagement, Sept. 4 through 6. The club's own calendar now runs well past opening weekend. Max Manticof plays Oct. 13, an Open Mic Night follows on Oct. 14, and holiday party bookings are open from Oct. 12 through Nov. 23.
Copper Blues Rock Pub & Kitchen shares the space. The Sun Sentinel described a gastropub with cocktails and pub fare, live music on the patio five nights a week, brunch, and a later-night club atmosphere once the evening gets going. Its Palm Beach location page lists live-music programming and is taking reservations this month.
Back when the deal was announced in June 2025, mall general manager Asad Sadiq told the Town-Crier that the pairing would bring nationally recognized entertainment and "experiences" to the property. The original target was late 2025. Opening in September 2026 meant a delay of about nine months, but the club did open.
Summer Stopped Being the Slow Season
The strongest piece of evidence came from the mall's own staff, speaking to WPTV in July.
"We are transforming this mall from 'come here and shop' to 'come here and watch a movie or watch a comedy show or play arcade games.'"
Mall Marketing Manager Julie Schalm said that to WPTV, which also reported that summer has become one of the mall's busiest seasons. In a village whose calendar has long revolved around the winter show season, a busy summer matters. People going to a movie, a game night or a comedy show still come in August.
Arcade Time chose that summer for its expansion. The new venue has more than 13,000 square feet, hundreds of retro and modern games, billiards, immersive attractions and a full-service restaurant and bar. According to the Town-Crier, it held its ribbon-cutting on July 8, which is also National Video Game Day. Owner Jonathan Demare told WPTV that "entertainment paired with dining has proven to be a model that helps bring new energy and long-term foot traffic to malls."
Pairing entertainment with food and drink runs through every one of these tenants. The arcade added a full-service bar, the comedy club serves entrées alongside its shows, and the pickleball complex will open with a restaurant and bar of its own. Each venue is set up to keep guests through dinner and into the evening.
What Opens Before the Holidays
Indoor pickleball is the biggest addition still to come. Diadem plans 11 air-conditioned courts, two pickleball simulators, two golf simulators, a pro shop, a private party area and a restaurant and bar. DeVito told the Town-Crier that the company chose Wellington for its established pickleball community and its limited indoor options. The soft opening is planned for December and the full launch for January. Diadem's operation in Coconut Creek gives a preview of the format.
The corridor's restaurant row on the outparcels keeps growing too:
- Lewis Prime Grill, 10120 Forest Hill Blvd. at The Pointe at Wellington Green, is a spinoff of the Okeechobee Steakhouse owned by Ralph Lewis. It opened May 14, 2026.
- La Coppetta Matta, an Italian gelato shop at 10660 Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 150, run by sisters Laura and Patricia Generoso. It opened Sept. 6, 2026.
- Cluck Face Nashville Hot Chicken, 1347 State Road 7, from franchisees Dave and Nancy Chapman. The most recent report targets mid-November.
Put together, a steak dinner at The Pointe, a show upstairs at the Improv, and gelato on the drive home are all on one stretch of Forest Hill Boulevard.
The Nordstrom Building Is Still Undecided
One big space hasn't been filled yet. Nordstrom closed in 2019. On March 31, 2026, Bainbridge Companies applied to demolish the building and build 620 apartments in three seven-story buildings, plus a parking garage and recreation space, on just over 18.4 acres. The Town-Crier reported that the proposal needs advisory-board review, Village Council review and a master-plan amendment. As of WFLX's July 1 report, the plans had not been approved and no timeline had been announced. Any hearing would appear on the Village of Wellington's public meeting calendar.
An Evening Built Around the Corridor
The Village's own fall and holiday calendar happens a short drive west, at the Wellington Amphitheater and Town Center Promenade on Forest Hill Boulevard. Several of the season's dates pair easily with a stop at the mall:
- Saturday, Oct. 24: Weekend Concert Series featuring Turn It On Again, A Phil Collins Experience, 6 to 10 p.m. at the Wellington Amphitheater, 12100 Forest Hill Blvd.
- Thursday, Dec. 3: Holiday Cultural Celebration and Tree Lighting, 5 to 9 p.m. at the amphitheater.
- Saturday, Dec. 12: Holiday Boat Parade, 6 p.m. at the Town Center Promenade, 12150 Forest Hill Blvd.
- Sunday, Dec. 13: the 42nd Wellington Holiday Parade, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., based at the amphitheater.
On the night of the boat parade, Copper Blues' patio stage and the Improv's late show are both a few minutes east. By mid-December, Diadem's soft opening should also be underway in the old Circuit City.
At Kirsten Kopp Real Estate, we follow the changes along Forest Hill Boulevard as closely as we follow the show calendar. If you'd like a local's read on what's opening near you this season, request a private consultation.
