The St. Armand’s Circle lineup will be changing yet again this Winter – however, this change may create some opportunities for entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on the famous beach-side shopping circle. Several stores are either withdrawing from the circle or merging. These include Patchington, a women’s apparel store that’s closing, Aria and Saffron, a jewelry store and a women’s apparel store that will be closing and later merging into a single business, and Nautical Sand Sculptures, a sand sculpture store that is moving to Venice.

Many have already taken advantage of the vacuum created by the departure. Steven Mason of St. Armand’s Optical Boutique and Gallery, an optometrist and eyewear shop also located in St. Armand’s, has already rented Nautical Sand Sculpture’s space and plans to convert it into flexible office space. Apricot Lane Boutique, a women’s apparel store, and Gigi’s Cupcakes, a gourmet cupcake cafe, are both slated for May openings.

With the already copious amount of women’s apparel and desert options for shoppers to choose from in St. Armand’s Circle, we can’t help but wonder – are cupcakes the answer? Anyone who frequents St. Armand’s Circle knows that the stores doing business there come and go as frequently as the fashions of the time – it’s safe to say we may see similar large exchange of businesses in St. Armand’s some time in the near future.

For more information, please read Maggie Menderski’s article in the Herald Tribune.