He Finally Did It

A note before we get into it: we missed Thursday's issue last week. No emergency — I was heads-down studying for the Mississippi real estate salesperson exam. I passed. Starting this week, both Tuesday and Thursday are built ahead of schedule. Won't happen again. Now, on to what's actually happening on the Coast.

Good Tuesday morning from The Seawall. Robert St. John finally did it.

His 27th restaurant opened last week at 2429 14th Street in Gulfport — the old Triplett Day Pharmacy building, sixty-five years of Gulfport history in the walls — and Ed Hilton was first in line. Ed ate the sweet potato pancakes without the toppings and declared them satisfactory. That's the review that matters.

Also this week: Claw Daddy's — the family that's been boiling seafood on Russell Boulevard for three decades — just announced it's buying the old Blow Fly Bar & Grill on Bayou Bernard. The Biloxi Shuckers open a home stand tonight at Keesler Federal Park, rain and all. On Poplar Point in Pass Christian, a waterfront house with a private dock, an inground pool, and an elevator just dropped 21% off its original ask. And at HSSM in Gulfport, a four-year-old mixed breed named Fidough is slowly learning to eat his dinner while people are still in the room.

There's also a Flood Watch through Friday. ⚠️ Carry your umbrella. Full guide below.

The Triplett Day Pharmacy served Gulfport for sixty-five years. Prescriptions, coffee counter, the particular smell of a building that had been essential for a long time. It closed. The building sat. People drove past it on 14th Street and tried not to notice.

Last week, Robert St. John opened The Downtowner in that space.

St. John is the Hattiesburg restaurateur behind Crescent City Grill, Purple Parrot, Mahogany Bar, and twenty-four other places. He grew up coming to the Gulf Coast for summers. This is his 27th restaurant, his first on the Coast, and by his own description, "the cuisine my grandmother made." Heritage food. Sweet potato pancakes. The kind of thing you go back for.

"We spent our summers on the Gulf Coast. The coast has always had this romantic feeling for me."

Ed Hilton was first in line. He said he'd been hoping someone would do something with that building. "This is the first time I've tried sweet potato pancakes and I'm satisfied with them even without the toppings."

The Downtowner is at 2429 14th Street, Gulfport. Open for breakfast and lunch.

⚠️ Flood Watch in effect through Friday, June 19, 7:00 AM CDT. Excessive rainfall — 5 to 10 inches possible this week.

Bottom line: This is a wet week, not a heat wave. Shuckers home opener tonight is covered seating — go anyway. Check radar before any outdoor plans. The Flood Watch is real — low-spot residents, pay attention.

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If last week was about introducing ourselves, this week is more about getting into rhythm.

And the rhythm right now looks pretty Coast-like: a little activity, a little local color, and a few reasons to leave the house before the weekend gets away from you.

🔑 NOW OPEN — The Downtowner · 2429 14th St, Gulfport

Robert St. John's 27th restaurant. First on the Coast. Former Triplett Day Pharmacy building (65 yrs). Heritage cuisine. Breakfast + lunch.

🔜 COMING SOON — Claw Daddy's at the Bayou · 1201 Washington Ave, Gulfport (Bayou Bernard)

Camerons Cuevas family purchasing the old Blow Fly Bar & Grill. 30+ year family recipe history. Menu: boiled seafood, smash burgers, fried gator, po'boys, cold beer, live bands. Soft opening TBD. July 4 celebration planned. Follow on Facebook.

🔜 Chandeleur Brew Pub at the Depot · Railroad Ave, Pascagoula (Jackson County)

Pascagoula's 120-year-old Amtrak depot being converted into Chandeleur Brewing's second coastal location. On-site brewing, elevated bar food, game room, family courtyard. Menu by Chef Austin Sumrall (White Pillars, Siren Social Club). No open date yet — renovation underway. Mayor Jay Willis calls it the downtown Pascagoula revitalization anchor.

🔜 Anthony's Ristorante · Bay St. Louis (Hancock County)

Classic Italian, upscale-casual. Announced for late summer 2026. Would join Butcher Block and fill out BSL's fast-building dinner corridor.

🔜 Hammered Harry's · East Biloxi (Harrison County)

Old Margaritaville waterfront location. Still "this summer." No update this week.

⚾ Biloxi Shuckers — HOME SERIES opens TONIGHT

📍 Keesler Federal Park · biloxishuckers.com

🎸 Ground Zero Blues Club · 814 Howard Ave, Biloxi

🏝️ Ship Island Excursions — Open Daily

Ferry departs 1040 23rd Ave, Gulfport at 9 AM and noon daily. Adult $30 · Child $20 · Senior/Military $28. Twelve miles offshore: white sand, Fort Massachusetts, clear Gulf water. Dolphin watching cruise Wed–Fri at 4:30 PM. July crowds are still weeks out — early window. Advance tickets: msshipisland.com.

🎵 Juneteenth Celebration at 100 Men Hall · 303 Union St, Bay St. Louis

This Friday, June 19 · 7 PM · FREE · Twurt Chamberlain

The 100 Men Hall has been standing at 303 Union Street in Bay St. Louis since 1894. Before it was a concert venue, it was a mutual aid society for Black men in a town where that mattered enormously — a legal structure that let the members own property, pool resources, and build community wealth during a period when most other doors were closed. The building survived Katrina. It is now a National Historic Landmark and a working music venue, and the concerts it hosts carry that history lightly but unmistakably. If you haven't been inside, Juneteenth Friday is as good a reason as any. Full Juneteenth + Father's Day weekend guide runs Thursday.

✝️ Harry C. Tartt Ecumenical Juneteenth Service · Wed June 17 · 6–7 PM · FREE

Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, Ocean Springs

🌴 Ocean Springs '99 Days of Summer' — Summer campaign underway. visitoceansprings.com

🍺 Government Street Grocery · 1407 Government St, Ocean SpringsIf you’ve got something happening in Jackson, Harrison, or Hancock that should be on the radar next week, send it over. The goal is to make this sharper every issue.

Freddie Mac PMMS — week ending June 12, 2026:

Rates reversed last week's modest decline. Hurricane season is two weeks old — buyers under contract on coastal property: bind wind and hail coverage now, before any named storm appears in the Gulf.

Reader Q: Does The Downtowner opening affect nearby property values?

A (short): Not directly on comps — but it signals investability that compounds. Watch 14th Street over 18–24 months. Same dynamic as the Saenger reopening on Reynoir St.

$749,000 · 3 bed / 3 bath · 2,792 sqft · MLS #4150537 · Harrison County

Active ✅ confirmed Zillow June 13 · ⚠️ Verify status day-of

Was $949,000 (listed Nov 2024). Now $749,000. That's a $200,000 reduction — 21% — over seven months. Private dock + 6,000 lb boat lift. Inground pool. Elevator. Entire 2nd floor primary suite. HOA $325/yr (Timber Ridge Shore) — community pool, tennis courts, playground, boat launch.

Got a Coast real-estate question? Reply to this email — we'll answer one a week.

PET ADOPTION OF THE WEEK

This week's pet is Fidough.

His family moved away and left him alone in their apartment. That's how Fidough arrived at HSSM.

He's four years old. Medium-sized mixed breed. Male. Neutered, vaccinated, microchipped. When he got to the shelter, he wouldn't come out of his kennel — tucked behind his dog bed, waiting for the day to pass. HSSM moved him to a quieter office setting and started working with him one day at a time. He wanders the office now. He inches toward people. He won't eat while people are watching — waits until the afternoon, after everyone's gone. But outside is different. Outside, Fidough runs. He sniffs. He explores. Outside, you can see the dog he was before all of this happened.

Quiet house, a yard, and some patience — he's worth meeting.

🐾 Humane Society of South Mississippi · 2615 25th Ave, Gulfport

📞 (228) 822-3831 · Tue–Fri 10 AM–5 PM · Sat 10 AM–4 PM · hssm.org

LOW TIDE LAUGHS

A Coast newsletter should probably make room for at least one thing that doesn’t ask anything from you except a smirk.

So we are.

A new breakfast spot opens on 14th Street in Gulfport. The Gulf Coast, characteristically, shows up early, forms a line, and takes it personally. This week's Low Tide Laughs has done the reading

SPONSOR

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A FEW LOCAL LINKS WORTH KEEPING HANDY

If you want to go deeper by county, keep these local sites handy:

Jackson County MS
https://www.jacksoncountyms.com

Harrison County MS
https://www.harrisoncountyms.com

Hancock County MS
https://www.hancockcountyms.com

That’s part of the larger idea here too. The Seawall shouldn’t just point at itself. It should help connect people to the broader local web that already exists across the Coast.

SPONSOR

Cornerstone Numismatics works with collectors and buyers looking for coins, currency, bullion, and real numismatic expertise. If you want trusted guidance in the coin world, this is a name worth knowing.

There's a new restaurant at 2429 14th Street that is serving heritage cuisine in a building where the pharmacist knew everyone's name. Ed Hilton ate the sweet potato pancakes and didn't even need the toppings. The Shuckers open a home stand tonight — rain and all. Fidough is waiting at 2615 25th Avenue, patient as ever, for someone to slow down and give him a reason to eat while they're still in the room.

Go find something good this week.

— Rob
The Seawall