Preston's Nearest Storefronts Have Their Next Tenants Named. None Have Dates.

In the past week, two of the longest-running sit-down restaurants at Park West Village have closed. A few miles away on the Cary side, the old grocery anchor at Preston Corners has been empty for more than sixteen months. These spaces are not up for grabs. Whole Foods has confirmed the grocery space. Abbey Road Tavern & Grill has bought the lease on the former Ruckus Pizza space. As of September 30, 2026, neither has announced an opening date.

That gap describes this fall near Preston pretty well. The question is no longer what goes into each space. It is when it opens. Several smaller openings this year have filled some of the gap, and a few more businesses are still listed as "coming soon."

The grocery space at 930 High House Road

The longest wait is at Preston Corners, at High House Road and Northwest Cary Parkway. Lowes Foods ran the anchor store at 930 High House Road until Wednesday, May 14, 2025. The company told the Triangle Business Journal it had decided not to renew its lease. At the time, the closest Lowes Foods stores were the ones on Tryon Road and Mills Park Drive.

Ten months later, in March 2026, a Whole Foods spokesperson confirmed to Axios that the chain would open at Preston Corners in the former Lowes Foods space. The Triangle Business Journal had reported it first. The next day, CBS17 reported that Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, called the store "in development" and had "no other details to share at this time."

The location makes sense on a map. Cary's two current Whole Foods stores are at Waverly Place, 102B New Waverly Place, and at Alston Town Center, 5055 Arco Street. The Preston Corners store would sit between them. Axios also put the move in a larger context. Amazon is closing all of its Amazon Fresh stores and steering more of its grocery investment toward new Whole Foods locations. When this was written, no published construction start or progress update had turned up.

Park West Village lost two dinner spots in one week

The faster changes are across NC-55 in Morrisville. Ruckus Pizza, Pasta and Spirits served its last day at 1101 Market Center Drive on Sunday, September 27, after nearly 17 years in Park West Village. Laurel Carlin, the assistant manager, gave The News & Observer the reason in plain terms:

The restaurant made the "tough decision to close due to a decline in business from COVID and raised rent."

The chain is still running in the area. Ruckus keeps its locations in Raleigh, Apex, Cary and Leesville.

The same week, Triangle Food Blog reported that Leo's Italian Social had closed its Morrisville location. The North Hills restaurant is still open. No reason or replacement tenant has been reported for the Leo's space.

The Ruckus space already has a successor. Abbey Road Tavern & Grill bought the lease from Ruckus and plans to move in. It will be the company's third location, after Cary and Apex. Abbey Road's website lists Morrisville as "Coming Soon" and asks visitors to check back "in the upcoming weeks" for opening news. It gives no date and no renovation details.

One practical caution: the center's online directory still lists both Ruckus and Leo's. For now, the September news reports are more reliable than the directory.

What actually opened this year

Park West has added several businesses this year, and the confirmed openings are mostly quick stops and services.

Shake Shack opened to the public on Wednesday, May 13 at 1600 Village Market Place. The News & Observer reported daily hours of 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. As of today, it has been open about four and a half months.

Super Chix is a fast-casual chicken and frozen custard restaurant. WRAL reported it open by July 10 at 1125 Hatches Pond Lane in Morrisville, next to Wegmans. No exact first day was reported.

Pho Kitchen is a Vietnamese restaurant that the center now lists as open in Park West Village. In April, Triangle Food Blog had reported only new signage. Its street address and opening day haven't been published in the coverage so far.

Fade Pro Barbershop offers haircuts, beard trims and facials. The center announced it open at 1508 Village Market Place in a September 9 post.

None of these replaces a full-service dinner room. That makes the Abbey Road opening date the most important open question at Park West this fall.

Still on the "coming soon" list

Three more concepts within reach of Preston are announced but have no dates:

• Dum N Grill, an Indian restaurant serving biryanis, kebabs and curries, is listed as "Coming Soon" at 1000 Market Center Drive in Park West Village. The listing dates to April and still gives no opening date.
• Meat & Bite is opening a second location at 3608 Davis Drive in Morrisville, in the former Jersey Mike's space. Triangle Food Blog reported the sign in April without an opening date.
• Ala Rahi will serve a fusion of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and South Asian food at 1080 Darrington Drive, near James Jackson Avenue and Cary Parkway. As of September 25, Triangle Food Blog said it would open soon and pointed readers to the restaurant's Instagram for the announcement. The restaurant's own site also says "Opening Soon."

Of the three, Ala Rahi is the only one on the Cary side, along the Cary Parkway corridor that also leads to Preston Corners.

The timeline so far

The dates show how long these handoffs have taken. Lowes Foods closed in May 2025. Whole Foods was confirmed in March 2026, about ten months later. Six and a half months after that, there is still no public opening date. Ruckus closed three days ago, and Abbey Road was named as its successor before the last pizza was served. Abbey Road's site points to an announcement "in the upcoming weeks," which is the most specific timing any of these pending spaces has offered.

In the meantime, the sources show where each piece of the old routine has gone. The two existing Whole Foods stores at Waverly Place and Alston Town Center are still the closest Whole Foods options. Ruckus is still serving at its Cary and Apex locations. Leo's Italian Social is still open in North Hills. The Park West openings from this year, Shake Shack, Super Chix, Pho Kitchen and Fade Pro, are open now at the addresses above.

If you're thinking about selling or buying near Preston and want to know how changes at Preston Corners and Park West Village affect a listing's appeal, Kimberlee Edwards follows these openings closely and is glad to walk through what they mean for your timing. Let's Connect.