Nathan Stuart and Margo Klar, the married couple behind The Boathouse in Ponte Vedra Beach, plan to open a sushi-focused restaurant in Jacksonville's Avondale neighborhood around Thanksgiving.

Boathouse Avondale will occupy 4,300 square feet at 3951 St. Johns Ave. with 135 seats, including covered outdoor seating, theJax Daily Recordfirst reported. The site sits about a half-mile from the core of Avondale's shopping district.

"We're really going to push hard to make it the best sushi in Jacksonville," Stuart told the Jax Daily Record.

Sang Won Kim, the group's director of sushi and executive sushi chef, will lead the kitchen. The menu will lean heavily on sushi, locally sourced fish, freshly made soy sauce, cocktails and premium sake. Hot dishes will play a smaller role because the kitchen sits upstairs while the sushi bar is downstairs.

The restaurant plans to serve dinner only, operating Wednesdays through Sundays during its opening stretch. A firm opening date beyond the Thanksgiving target has not been set.

A century-old building, renovated

The building at 3951 St. Johns Ave. was the first commercial property Stuart and Klar purchased. Ale Pie House had occupied the space until its lease ended in March 2026. The structure served as a grocery store about 100 years ago and had to be renovated to meet the neighborhood's preservation standards.

After a "heavy investment" in remodeling, the couple considered re-leasing the property but chose to open their own restaurant instead. Stuart said the remodel aims to blend the building's existing architecture with an "elevated coastal ambiance."

A growing restaurant group

Stuart and Klar opened their first restaurant, Orange Park Fish House & Oyster Co., in 2018 for about $125,000, funding it with $25,000 in savings and four credit cards, according to a March 2026 Jax Daily Record profile. Stuart is CEO of the Intracoastal Fisheries Hospitality restaurant group, which reported $31 million in revenue in 2025.

The couple now own eight restaurants, including Boathouse locations in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach and Julington Creek, Grouper Shack locations in St. Augustine and Jacksonville Beach, and New Berlin Fish House & Oyster Co. in Jacksonville.

Stuart's family has deep roots in the local seafood industry. His grandfather opened one of the area's first fish markets, Intracoastal Fisheries. His father, Russell, has owned Seafood Kitchen in Atlantic Beach since 1984, according to St. Johns Citizen.