Offers flying in on ‘little moneymaker’ in downtown Ocean Springs. Here’s why

Ample parking is a rarity for businesses in downtown Ocean Springs — a big reason offers are pouring in for a quarter-acre property now on the market.

The other reason follows that tried and true real estate maxim: location, location, location. Five Seasons Whole Foods Market sits on a double corner lot at the busy downtown intersection of Washington and Porter avenues. Real estate broker Deborah Lynch of Ocean Springs, in business for 35 years, has the listing.

‘It’s a popular area,” Lynch said. “I think it’s a little moneymaker with the parking.” Lynch started fielding calls about the property the day it went on the market in early March. She currently has four offers. The property is listed for $1.9 million.

Owner Jan Walker of Ocean Springs, who is in her 80s, has closed the business. Wilson opened her shop in 1972. Previously, the property, which is zoned for commercial use, was home to two pharmacies, the first of which burned down. It also briefly housed a restaurant, Lynch said.

Ocean Springs draws tourists, traffic

The concrete block building with a brick facade and large windows in front “is pretty open, so it could be used for just about anything,” Lynch said.

The building takes up only a quarter of the lot, which has a large gravel parking lot. Wilson was constantly shooing interlopers from the lot, as parking is at a premium downtown.

Lynch’s listing says the property could be used for a combined commercial and residential development.

Ocean Springs’ popularity as a tourist destination has been growing since Hurricane Katrina left the oak-lined main street of Washington Avenue and intersecting Government Street with far less damage than most other cities saw.

Tourists love the restaurants and unique shops, along with all the festivals the city hosts. Lynch commended the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce for doing so much to promote festivals and downtown.

Boutique hotels and short-term rentals have sprung up to meet demand.

Lynch said she gets calls from investors in other South Mississippi cities and more farflung locations about downtown property.

“It just keeps drawing more and more people, which I think really raises the value and the prices,” she said. “People want to have their businesses down there.”

This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 11:56 AM.

Anita Lee

Sun Herald

601-909-0638

Anita, a Mississippi native, graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and previously worked at the Jackson Daily News and Virginian-Pilot, joining the Sun Herald in 1987. She specializes in in-depth coverage of government, public corruption, transparency and courts. She has won state, regional and national journalism awards, most notably contributing to Hurricane Katrina coverage awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service. Support my work with a digital subscription