Between Aug. 19 and Aug. 28, three national retailers opened on South Preston Road in Celina: The Home Depot, Costco Wholesale and Academy Sports + Outdoors. The timing was planned. It goes back to a 2022 agreement in which Costco's arrival was tied to building Ownsby Parkway. Ownsby was widened first, the large stores followed, and the tire shop, brunch spot and sandwich counter that will fill the gaps are scheduled through the end of 2027.
Late August on South Preston Road
Chipotle got there first. It opened at 3520 S. Preston Road on July 7, as Community Impact reported in its July business roundup. The rest followed in late August:
- Aug. 19. The Home Depot opened to shoppers at 6 p.m. after a board-cutting ceremony and held its grand opening the next day.
- Aug. 26. Costco Wholesale opened at 3445 S. Preston Road, at the corner of Preston Road and Ownsby Parkway, with its own gas station.
- Aug. 27. Club Pilates opened at 1520 S. Preston Road, Ste. 130.
- Late August. Academy Sports + Outdoors opened at 3525 S. Preston Road. Community Impact gives Aug. 23 as its opening date. The Celina Economic Development Corporation lists Aug. 28 as the official opening.
These stores are large. State project filings put the Costco warehouse at about 158,000 square feet, and the EDC lists Academy at about 64,000 square feet. All of that opened in roughly ten days, which makes it the biggest change to Celina's errand map in years.
The Road Came Before the Stores
The cluster sits at Preston and Ownsby because of how the deal was set up. According to the Celina EDC's account of the Costco opening, the project dates to 2022, when the City of Celina signed an agreement with Costco Wholesale Corporation that included commitments on infrastructure in the area. Building and expanding Ownsby Parkway was a critical part of that agreement. The EDC also put money toward public infrastructure tied to the Costco site. It describes that spending as meant to support more than one retailer, so that other commercial projects could follow.
The road was the slow part. Community Impact reported in April 2025 that the six-lane rebuild of Ownsby from Preston Road to CR 83 had been finished that January. It came in three months late because electric poles had to be moved. The road was done about a year and a half before the stores opened.
The Home Depot came through a separate agreement. Celina City Council approved an incentive package in December 2024 that gives the retailer a sales tax grant of up to $1.4 million over ten years, split between the city and the EDC. According to Community Impact's earlier reporting, the city expects to see a return on its investment in five years.
Three Stores Built for How Celina Is Growing
Each of the three stores fits a city that is still under construction, and The Home Depot most of all. The EDC's release on the Celina Home Depot lists a larger garden center, a tool-rental center, a dedicated Pro team, more storage for online-order pickup and specialty showrooms. The store opened with 149 associates, and 124 of them were new to the company. Store manager Rachel Sutton told Community Impact that she expects a mix of do-it-yourself shoppers and professional contractors:
"There's a lot of growth in this area, and so we do believe that the pro part of our business will be huge at this store."
That puts contractors and homeowners in the same parking lot on South Preston Road. A weekend paint run or a garden-center trip now happens a few doors from a pro desk serving the builders working across the city.
Costco is the anchor for the area. The EDC describes the warehouse as a major retail anchor near The Crossing at Moore Farm, a large mixed-use development marketed and leased by SHOP Companies. Academy is in The Village at Ownsby Farms, according to the EDC. The cluster covers more than one development. It is a corridor of several projects that grew around the same intersection.
What Fills In Next
The large stores are all open. What comes next is smaller and fills the gaps between them. The EDC expects more retail, restaurants and services to keep arriving around the anchors. Three businesses have announced locations and target dates:
| Business | Location | Target opening | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discount Tire | 4250 S. Preston Road | Late November 2026 | Car service |
| Brunch Factory | 3655 S. Preston Road, Celina West | Spring 2027 | Breakfast and lunch |
| Potbelly | 4520 S. Preston Road, Ste. 100 | Summer 2027 | Sandwiches |
Discount Tire is the closest. A company representative told Community Impact that the store is expected in late November. That would bring car service to the same stretch as the Costco gas station. Brunch Factory comes from the owner of Celina Star Cafe, who described it to Community Impact as an upscale breakfast-and-lunch concept. Potbelly's site is north of Ownsby Parkway.
The table shows a timing gap. Shopping arrived in August 2026, but most of the sit-down food planned for this corridor is scheduled for spring and summer 2027. Until those openings, Chipotle is the main restaurant on this stretch.
Coffee and Lunch Are Still North
For now, the rest of a Saturday out sits farther north on Preston Road and downtown, and several of those spots opened this summer.
- 1418 Coffee, Celina Station. This cafe at 565 S. Preston Road soft-opened July 28. Community Impact covered the opening as part of downtown Celina.
- Ramble Coffee House. Run by 1418 Coffee, it opened June 27 at 2287 N. Preston Road to serve the Ramble community.
- LSA Burger Co. The restaurant opened Aug. 13 at 218 W. Walnut St. It is the brand's third location, and Community Impact's profile describes a menu that honors Texas legends.
All of these stops sit along one road. A Saturday can start at 1418 Coffee near downtown, head south to Costco, The Home Depot and Academy, and come back for lunch on Walnut Street without leaving Celina. Brunch Factory and Potbelly will bring more food to the south end, but not until next year.
Preston Road Carries All of It for Now
All of this traffic runs on Preston Road. The Dallas North Tollway extension is coming but is not open yet. NTTA's Dallas North Tollway project page lists Phase 4A, from US 380 to FM 428, with a target opening of late 2027, and the opening date for Phase 4B is still to be determined. Until then, the Costco, The Home Depot and Academy stores and everything still coming to the Ownsby intersection share Preston Road with all the other traffic heading north and south through Celina.
Celina's commercial map has changed since summer, and the Preston and Ownsby corridor will keep changing as each 2027 opening arrives. If you're thinking about how this growth might shape your own plans in Celina, Nancy Floyd is glad to talk through what she's seeing on the ground. Schedule a meeting whenever you're ready.
