Celina wants to sell its own brand.

City officials plan to open a Celina-themed retail store inside the new Downtown Center, offering clothing, toys, home goods and a hat bar in a roughly 1,200-square-foot space that doubles as a visitor information hub for the fast-growing city.

Anthony Satarino, executive director of the Celina Economic Development Corporation, pitched the concept at the Tuesday, Aug. 11 City Council meeting. The store is targeting a Feb. 1, 2027 grand opening, timed to coincide with the Downtown Center's public debut.

"We don't want this to serve as competition. We want this to complement downtown," Satarino said at the meeting.

How it would work

Rather than staffing the store itself, the city plans to hire a private operator who would cover the initial inventory investment and day-to-day operating costs. In return, the city would collect 10–20% of the store's revenue, according to Community Impact.

Satarino said the store is meant to encourage visitors to spend more time downtown, not pull traffic from existing merchants. Officials plan to work with local vendors when selecting inventory, and possible features include book signings and custom embroidery alongside the hat bar and visitor kiosk.

The EDC board first discussed the private-operator model at a July 2026 work session, where Satarino asked for direction on issuing a request for proposals to identify an operator, The Celina Record reported. The RFP was targeted to go out July 31, though it is unclear whether it has been issued.

The bigger picture

The Downtown Center is a $59 million project under construction in downtown Celina. Once complete, it will house city administrative offices and a 26,209-square-foot public library spanning multiple floors, plus a rooftop community space. An adjacent four-story parking garage with nearly 400 free spaces was completed in December 2025 at a cost of $19.3 million.

City Manager Robert Ranc said in July that the center is expected to open in February 2027, according to Community Impact. Council approved a $1.7 million furnishing contract at its May 12 meeting.

Once city services relocate, the current City Hall on Ohio Drive is slated for demolition to make way for an expanded downtown square, according to Assistant City Manager Kimberly Brawner.

What's next

The city still needs to select a private operator before the Feb. 1 target date. The full Aug. 11 council presentation is available on the city's Swagit video archive.