With the sale of Fishermen’s Village due to be completed in the summer, Smugglers Enterprises Inc. restaurants Harpoon Harry’s Restaurant & Sports Bar and The Captain’s Table will be leaving the Punta Gorda waterfront shopping and dining destination.
Officials with SVN Commercial Partners, brokers of the real estate transaction, confirmed the restaurants’ departures. However, SVN officials said there is an approved letter of intent for a lease of the restaurant spaces at the end of the wharf where Harpoon Harry’s and Captain’s Table have been for decades.
“After an extended period of exclusive negotiations with the Smugglers team, we were unable to come to a long-term commitment between the parties,” SVN Senior Adviser Corrie Gates said.
Smugglers Enterprises management posted on Facebook, “We are heartbroken to inform you that our lease with Fishermen’s Village will not be renewed, despite our best efforts to stay. Harpoon Harry’s Dockside Dining and Captain’s Table will be closing in two weeks. Our last day open to the public will be Memorial Day, May 26.”
Captain’s Table is located on the second level above Harpoon Harry’s.
Their Facebook site was flooded with comments from fans of the establishments who expressed regrets over the closings along with well-wishes.
Principals at Smugglers Enterprises could not be reached for comment.
Gates said the new tenant of the space, who has yet to be announced, is a local operator with a significant presence in the region.
“We are grateful for the decades of dining that the Smugglers group provided to Fishermen’s Village and wish them the best in their future endeavors.,” Gates said.
Several years ago, Smugglers Enterprises partners Ron Evans, Kelly Evans Liscum, Bruce and Barbara Laishley and the late Rick Treworgy bought land for the future home of Harpoon Harry’s after their first rent dispute with Fishermen’s Village and when former owner Jonathan Larmore announced plans to build condos and a hotel on the restaurants’ site.
Larmore later filed for bankruptcy protection and Fishermen’s Village was put in receivership.
In 2023, Smugglers Enterprises sought approval from Charlotte County Commissioners to build their new Harpoon Harry’s restaurant on 16.27 acres at 22801 Bayshore Road along Charlotte Harbor and west of Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor.
Commissioners granted the final site plan in May 2023, including development for a 33,355-square-foot restaurant and 24,589 square feet of retail space.
But the rent dispute was settled, the land was put on the market for $12.5 million and Harpoon Harry’s and Captain’s Table continued to operate at Fishermen’s Village.
There will be other dining changes coming to Fishermen’s Village this year.
Local restaurateur Lee Richardson, co-owner of Leroy’s Southern Kitchen in downtown Punta Gorda, was in the process of bringing Leroy’s Fish Shack to the space formerly occupied by Village Fish Market when hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged Fishermen’s Village while construction and renovations were underway.
Gates said permitting and construction at Leroy’s Fish Shack will begin this summer, but an opening date has not been announced.
Concepts for the former Pier restaurant space are currently being considered, Gates said.
Fishermen’s Village spans nearly 7 acres along Charlotte Harbor and includes restaurants, boutique retail, marina access and hotel rentals. The property was brought to market with a call for offers in July 2024 and received around a dozen offers. SVN Commercial Partners was retained to guide the sale process along with management and leasing responsibilities.
“This has been an extremely challenging process that our team has undertaken,” said Ashley Bloom, SVN’s managing director. “The ownership structure, the different asset types, and the hurricanes has all added layers of complexity to the process, which all take time to navigate.”
