Can a Saturday's errands in Eastmark stay close to the Great Park? Since mid-September, groceries, the vet visit and library holds all can. A meal out at the new corner and a scoop from Petersen's Ice Cream can't yet.
EastMarket, the new center at the northeast corner of Ray and Ellsworth roads, opened in a particular order. The businesses that handle a weekly to-do list came first. The ones that make a corner a place to linger are still announced tenants with no public opening dates. So for now Eastmark's daily life runs on two addresses. Errands happen on Ellsworth Road. Gathering happens a short drive away on Eastmark Parkway.
The grocery store came first, and early
Construction on EastMarket began in October 2025. At the groundbreaking, the plan called for the center to be finished by August 2026 and for Sprouts Farmers Market to open in the fourth quarter. Sprouts beat that schedule. Its 23,299-square-foot store was set to open Sept. 18, 2026, a few weeks ahead of the fourth-quarter window. In its October 2026 Retail Review, the City of Mesa confirmed that Sprouts had celebrated its grand opening at EastMarket. The City called it "a highly anticipated retailer" in "one of Mesa's fastest-growing areas."
The center is built around that store. EastMarket covers 6.6 acres with roughly 50,500 square feet of space at 5131 S. Ellsworth Road. It was developed by Phoenix-based Common Bond Development Group and built by A.R. Mays Construction. Sprouts takes up a little under half of that footprint. When the center was completed, more than 25,000 square feet had been leased beyond the grocery store. Common Bond founder and president Brian Frakes described the goal to the Phoenix Business Journal this way:
"Our goal from day one was to deliver a complete, high-performing commercial hub tailored to the Eastmark community."
He said in the same report that Sprouts and the other tenants are expected to bring daily traffic to the center. A grocery store sets that daily rhythm. People go weekly or more, and every trip puts them past the storefronts that haven't opened yet.
Where each tenant stood at the end of October
Here is the roster Common Bond announced in September, sorted by what was open as of late October.
- Open: Sprouts Farmers Market. Grand opening confirmed by the City of Mesa in its October 2026 roundup.
- Open: GoodVets East Mesa. At 5115 S. Ellsworth Road, Suite 105. The clinic's location page takes appointments and lists hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.
- Coming this winter: Lapels Dry Cleaning. At 5143 S. Ellsworth Road, Suite 108. A press release dated Oct. 23 set the opening for Oct. 24 and promised dry cleaning, laundry, alterations and a 24/7 garment-care kiosk. Lapels' own Mesa location page now says "Opening Winter 2026."
- Announced, no public date: the restaurants. First Watch, Qdoba, SoFresh and Petersen's Ice Cream.
- Announced, no public date: services. Pacific Dental Services, Zara Nails and PNC Bank.
The Lapels change is a fair guide to the rest of the list. Opening dates for storefronts in a new center move, sometimes within days of being announced. The safest assumption for any tenant without a date is that it's coming, timing unknown. Common Bond's property page also still advertises inline shop space for lease, so the September roster may not be the final lineup.
Eastmark Parkway is the other half of the loop
The second new building that changes the weekly routine isn't at EastMarket. Mesa Public Library's Gateway Library is open at 5036 S. Eastmark Parkway, on the same stretch of road as Eastmark Great Park at 5100 S. Eastmark Parkway. The library describes Gateway as its first new branch in 30 years. The building has won the Library Interior Design Award from the International Interior Design Association and the American Library Association in both 2024 and 2026.
For the errand run, the useful feature is outside the building. Gateway has exterior hold lockers that work 24/7, the same setup as the Mesa Express Library at Brady Park, and holds can be drawn from a collection of half a million items. That means a Sprouts trip on Ellsworth and a hold pickup on Eastmark Parkway can happen in the same outing at any hour. The library's opening hours don't have to fit around anyone's schedule.
The rest of the building is meant for staying a while. Gateway has a Sensory Room for neurodivergent visitors, a Nursing Room for parents of infants and several outdoor spaces for programs. Inside there's the Pixel Paseo, an interactive digital art display, along with THINKspot equipment and cashless payment. Familiar library services carry over too, including the Stuffbrary, children's storytimes, and teen and adult programs. Until EastMarket's restaurants open, this end of Eastmark Parkway is where an hour can go without a to-do list.
The Great Park carries the season's social calendar
With First Watch and Petersen's still undated, Eastmark's holiday gatherings this year are happening at the Great Park. The Neighborhood Boutique at Eastmark runs outdoor markets there with local vendors selling handmade goods, boutique clothing, home décor, specialty foods and gifts. Two dates remain on its 2026 calendar:
- Fall Boutique, Saturday, Nov. 14, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Eastmark Great Park.
- Holiday Market, Friday, Dec. 4, 5 to 8 p.m., billed by the organizer as part of Eastmark's Holiday Celebration.
The organizer is still taking vendor applications for the holiday market on its site, and that's also the place to check for any schedule changes.
The Nov. 14 market lands on a Saturday morning. That makes it easy to pair with a grocery stop on Ellsworth and a locker pickup at Gateway, since all three are within the same short drive. The Dec. 4 market is an evening event. It's the season's clearest night out inside Eastmark while the restaurants on the EastMarket roster are still dark.
What changes when the restaurants open
The order matters because each opening adds a different kind of visit. Weekly grocery trips, vet appointments and quick locker stops at any hour are already part of the area's routine. First Watch, Qdoba, SoFresh and Petersen's Ice Cream would add meals out and ice cream runs. Those are the visits that keep people at a corner for an hour instead of fifteen minutes. Once they arrive, Ray and Ellsworth starts filling some of the role the Great Park plays this season.
More is on the way across southeast Mesa. The City's October roundup says Mesa City Council approved items in September that advance Legacy Park and Gateway Crossing, a mixed-use project the City describes as part of its long-term plan for the area. For this holiday season, the practical map is shorter. Groceries and the vet are on Ellsworth Road. Holds, storytime and the markets are on Eastmark Parkway. The opening dates for First Watch and Petersen's are still the ones to watch for.
If you're curious how the new grocery anchor and the shops still to come at Ray and Ellsworth fit into your Eastmark home's place in the market, the team at Avenue 43:19 follows southeast Mesa block by block and can give you a clear, current read. Get Your Free Home Valuation and we'll walk you through it.
