Yummy Bowl, the Mongolian stir-fry and sushi restaurant that's been dishing out build-your-own bowls in Homewood since late 2019, is expanding to a second Birmingham-area location this month. The new spot is set to open at River Ridge Shopping Center off Highway 280, at 4606 U.S. Highway 280 in Birmingham, with a late-October target.
According to the Shelby County Reporter, which reported the expansion, Yummy Bowl's original Lakeshore Parkway location opened in late 2019 in a Homewood commercial district built around major institutional employers and universities. Site leasing plans from Crawford Square Real Estate Advisors show the new River Ridge spot will occupy Suite 9, a 5,568-square-foot space sitting adjacent to Saigon Noodle House and Men's Wearhouse. The shopping center's existing tenant lineup already includes World Market, Dollar Tree, Marshalls and Academy, per the Shelby County Reporter's reporting.
What's on the Menu
Yummy Bowl's menu leans heavily on customization, with the Shelby County Reporter reporting a build-your-own bowl option featuring more than 30 ingredients alongside close to 50 sushi rolls. Appetizers include gyoza dumplings, spring rolls, miso soup and edamame, and the menu rounds out with noodle dishes, fried rice and dessert options, the outlet notes. The expansion is expected to draw new attention to a different side of Birmingham and drive foot traffic to the businesses clustered around River Ridge, according to the same report.
A Shopping Center in Flux
River Ridge has seen years of frequent business turnover, the Shelby County Reporter reports, and the broader numbers around the property tell a more complicated story than a single new restaurant opening. In April 2026, vendor-based home decor retailer Painted Tree Boutiques shuttered its 35,000-square-foot store at River Ridge after less than a year in operation, part of the chain's nationwide liquidation of more than 60 stores, according to Bham Now. Painted Tree had been operating at the complex for only a few months.
That vacated footprint isn't sitting empty for long. The former Painted Tree space is scheduled to reopen on October 24, 2026, as The Collective Boutiques, a booth-rental retail concept leasing space to more than 100 local vendors, Bham Now reported. The Business Journals preview said it would open in October. Collective Boutiques has taken over 13 former Painted Tree locations nationwide as it builds out its footprint. The two announcements were published 18 days apart, from September 24 to October 12, 2026—about two and a half weeks.
Years of Anchor Turnover Give Way to New Ownership
The retail churn at River Ridge isn't new. In 2024, national retailers Marshalls and Academy Sports + Outdoors moved into the center, filling large-format storefronts previously occupied by Nordstrom Rack and Staples, Bham Now reports. That same year, Houston-based Gulf Coast Commercial acquired the 349,666-square-foot shopping center from Nuveen Real Estate for $27 million, when the property was 75% leased, according to JLL Capital Markets. Nuveen had owned River Ridge since 2007 before the sale.
Why the Corridor Keeps Attracting Tenants
Despite the turnover, the underlying numbers along Highway 280 point to strong demand. Real estate services firm CBRE found that as of December 2025, the Highway 280 and Shelby County retail submarket held a tight vacancy rate of 3.5% with annual rent growth of 4.1%, Hoodline previously reported. Overall Birmingham metro retail vacancy has stayed under 5% for more than a decade. Highway 280 handles more than 90,000 vehicles per day, underscoring why the arterial route between Jefferson and Shelby counties remains attractive to incoming tenants.
Leasing marketing materials point to the center's renovated Super Target as a shadow anchor pulling retail shoppers from as far as 50 miles away, bolstered by nearby daytime traffic drivers like Grandview Medical Center. Yummy Bowl will also have company in the area's growing Asian dining scene. Nami Sushi announced plans in October to open in a vacant former Beef 'O' Brady's space at 5279 US Highway 280 in nearby Brook Highland Plaza, a space that had sat empty since March following a lease dispute, as Hoodline reported.
