October 06, 2023

The Sourdough Co. bakery and cafe to open in the EDGE District next month

October 06, 2023/ Brian Zucker

A bakery and café that specializes in sourdough breads, cookies, sandwiches, and soups has leased space at 1113 Central Avenue, formerly the home of Karma Juice Bar & Eatery.

The Sourdough Co. has been selling its baked goods online via an e-commerce site but owner Ariana Duksa said she’ll be setting up shop in the prime EDGE District space in November. She’s hiring bakers, kitchen staff, and counter help and encourages job seekers to email their resumes to Jobs@thesourdough.co.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, every baked good sold at The Sourdough Co. will be made with sourdough, including round loaves, sandwich loaves, and baguettes, in addition to cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, and scones.

October 05, 2023

2,084-unit mixed-use development Skyway Village approved by St. Pete’s Development Review Commission

October 05, 2023/ Anthony Close

After hours of deliberation, St. Petersburg’s Development Review Commission approved a massive mixed-use development planned for the Skyway Marina District on Wednesday night. The mixed-use project was proposed earlier this year for a long-underutilized office park that previously housed Ceridian, a Minneapolis-based company that provides human resources software and services.

The 34.3-acre development, named Skyway Village, is a phased, master-planned project that will include demolishing most of the existing 380,000 square foot office park at 3102 34th Street South and constructing a series of new mid-rise buildings that include a mix of apartments and walkable community retail, most notably a Sprouts Farmers Market.

Skyway Village is being developed by Altis Cardinal Skyline 2, LLC, an entity controlled by Coral Gables-based Altis Cardinal, and will include 2,084 apartments, 80,920 square feet of retail space, 22,500 square feet of office space, and 119,160 square feet of accessory self-storage space, and 4,000 parking spaces.

October 03, 2023

Construction begins on 19-story condo tower The Julia in downtown St. Pete

October 03, 2023/ Anthony Close

Construction is set to begin on the latest condominium tower to join downtown St. Petersburg’s growing skyline.

Last week, the developers of The Julia, a 19-story condominium tower planned for 100 4th Avenue North, kicked off site preparations and construction activity with a groundbreaking ceremony.

The Julia is being co-developed by the Francis Family, which is led by seasoned real estate developer Peter Francis, and Robert Sherman from MBA development. The condominium tower is named after Francis’ 13-year-old daughter Julia, one of his four children.

September 29, 2023

The Hippie Shack to open in former Sea Hags spot on St. Pete Beach

September 29, 2023/ Brian Hartz

Sea Hags Bar & Grill, a popular waterfront establishment located at 9555 Blind Pass Road in St. Pete Beach — just across the bridge from Treasure Island — closed its doors in June, much to the dismay of the pub’s extremely loyal customer base.

But in a few short weeks, the space will reopen under new ownership as the Hippie Shack, which bills itself as “an eatin’, drinkin’, and dancin’ kind of joint.”

According to General Manager Mallory Chernesky, who landed a bartending job at Sea Hags after moving to St. Petersburg in autumn 2022, the Hippie Shack, true to its name, will have a 1960s/1970s vibe.

September 29, 2023

Women’s fashion shop The Campus Colors Boutique opens in downtown St. Pete

September 29, 2023/ Brian Hartz

Hot on the heels of the opening of St. Pete Bakery, the 600 block of 1st Avenue North continues to diversify with the arrival of The Campus Colors Boutique, a women’s fashion shop owned by Karen Sleszynski.

Located at 600 1st Avenue North, Suite 100, The Campus Colors Boutique offers a wide variety of dresses, tops, sweaters, pants, rompers, skirts, shorts, jackets, and accessories such as hats and sunglasses. Sleszynski, who taught herself to sew and make clothes when she was just 11 years old, said her goal is to offer simple, competitively priced clothing for women of all ages.

Despite the name of the store, customers will be able to find clothing with subdued floral patterns, but most items are bright and colorful.

September 28, 2023

Golf simulator lounge and upscale restaurant to bring country club vibes to former Hofbrauhaus building in downtown St. Pete

September 28, 2023/ Brian Zucker

One of downtown St. Petersburg’s most iconic and historically significant buildings will soon be home to an upscale indoor golf lounge and high-end restaurant featuring seating for over 300 guests.

GolfSuites, Inc., based in Brandon, Florida, has signed a lease to bring the first and flagship GolfSuites City Club to the 17,000-square-foot historic Tramor Cafeteria building at 123 4th Street South in downtown St. Pete.

“With GolfSuites City Club, we are bringing the country club into the city,” said Jerry Ellenburg, Chairman and CEO of GolfSuites, Inc., in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “Not only will we have hyper-realistic, state-of-the-art golf simulators, but we will have a high-end dining experience with a menu featuring scallops, short rib, prime rib, and more.”

September 26, 2023

22 blocks of Central Avenue to close for 3rd annual Halloween on Central

September 26, 2023/ Anthony Close

Halloween on Central’s first two years were a massive success with over 100,000 in attendance last year, quickly becoming one of the largest annual events in St. Pete. The open-air festival is set to return for its third year on Sunday, October 29th!

This year, Halloween on Central is being put on by Grow Financial Federal Credit Union and in partnership with the Grand Central District, EDGE District, the City of St. Pete, LocalShops1, and St. Pete Pride.

Like last year, the free event will span nearly two miles of Central Avenue, from Dr. MLK Jr. Street (9th Street) to 31st Street, through the EDGE District and Grand Central District of downtown St. Pete. Halloween on Central will run from noon to 5PM.

September 26, 2023

Local coffee shop and cafe, Sugar Baby, to open in Seminole

September 26, 2023/ Brian Zucker

Seminole residents will soon be able to enjoy another locally owned option for their caffeine fix when Sugar Baby opens later this month at 9191 Park Boulevard.

The coffee shop, whose website claims that “sandy feet and dogs are always welcome,” will serve Buddy Brew coffee in a variety of hot and cold beverage options, including espresso, latte, americano, cappuccino, flat white, and cortado. Matcha and chai lattes will be available for tea drinkers.

The food menu features an all-day breakfast, with dishes such as avocado toast, breakfast sandwiches, salmon toast, a granola bowl, and Sugar Baby toast, which is a soft-boiled egg, salmon spread, avocado, pickled red onion, and micro cilantro on a slice of sourdough.

September 22, 2023

Dessert bar from owners of Mullet’s Fish Camp coming soon to south St. Pete

September 22, 2023/ Brian Hartz

The owners of Mullet’s Fish Camp & Market, located at 3901 6th Street South, are opening a dessert bar at 3910 6th Street South, formerly the home of Coquina Meat Market, directly across the street from their seafood restaurant.

In an interview with St. Pete Rising, Brian Rose and Nick Brown said they wanted to expand their business because it’s in an underserved part of the city where families need more options for doing things together.

“We have a very kid-friendly restaurant,” Rose said. “We have families coming in constantly. ‘Let’s go get ice cream’ — that’s one of the most straightforward family functions.”

September 21, 2023

Florida-based coffee shop Qargo Coffee to expand to downtown St. Pete

September 21, 2023/ Brian Hartz

Qargo Coffee, a small but quickly growing coffee company that’s headquartered in Miami, is coming to the EDGE District of downtown St. Petersburg, with plans to open a café at 924 Central Avenue, inside the 930 Central Flats apartment building, by the end of the year. The space is currently home to My Choice Marketplace.

It will be Qargo’s second location in the Tampa Bay region — the other is a kiosk-style café at the International Plaza and Bay Street mall in Tampa.

The St. Pete location, according to Qargo Coffee Marketing Director Sebastian Garcia, will be about 1,200 square feet in size and will offer around 20 seats inside and additional seating outside. Its menu will feature espresso-based beverages, drip coffee, cold brew coffee, and tea in addition to specialty beverages that are unique to St. Pete.