November 08, 2023

Specialty coffee shop Brothers Thomas coming to north St. Pete next month

November 08, 2023/ Brian Zucker

People who live or work in northern St. Petersburg’s Carillon neighborhood will be able to enjoy a locally owned breakfast and lunch spot when The Brothers Thomas Bespoke Café opens in December on the ground floor of the WaterView Echelon City Center apartment building at 100 Main Street North.

The owners are — you guessed it — brothers Luke and Matt Thomas, who hail from Zephyrhills. Luke, 33, is a Principal at Third Lake Partners, a Tampa-based investment advisory firm, while the 35-year-old Matt, who returned to the United States in January after a few years living abroad, will be the café’s primary operator.

The Brothers Thomas Bespoke Café will offer traditional-style coffee beverages — such as espresso, lattes, and flat whites — in portions more in line with how coffee is served in other cultures.

November 07, 2023

Plans revealed for 25-story condo-hotel on 4th Street in downtown St. Petersburg

November 07, 2023/ Anthony Close

Six months after announcing plans for a new development in downtown St. Petersburg, Clearwater-based Valor Capital is revealing new details for their mixed-use project planned for 344 4th Street South.

The 25-story building will reach a height of 325-feet and will contain 152 dwelling units or hotel units along with 4,893 square feet of commercial space and a 130-space parking garage.

The base of the tower will include retail space and a residential lobby along with a 4,000 square foot open space plaza. A sky bar is proposed for the rooftop.

November 06, 2023

New Mediterranean-style restaurant Branzini coming soon to St. Pete Beach

November 06, 2023/ Brian Hartz

The owner of German Knodle, an authentic German-cuisine eatery at 951 Central Avenue, is trying his hand at Mediterranean food with Branzini, a new restaurant slated to open by mid-November at 6800 Gulf Boulevard, in St. Pete Beach.

According to Muntaz "Tazo" Musabegovic, Branzini is going through final inspections and an official opening date should be announced soon.

“We are ready to open,” he told St. Pete Rising. “Everything is ready.”

Musabegovic is still finalizing the menu but said the restaurant’s cuisine will be “pure Mediterranean with a lot of garlic, parsley, olive oil, kalamata olives, and a lot of fish — maybe six, seven, eight different fishes. There will be steaks, burgers, lamb chops, ribs, filet mignon, pork filet mignon. There will be some pastas, a lot of different salads — 10 to 15 different styles, plus calamari, mussels, carpaccio, beef carpaccio, and a lot of other stuff.”

November 03, 2023

Indie Flea returns to St. Pete on Sunday with over 200 vendors

November 03, 2023/ Brian Hartz

The arrival of cooler autumn weather heralds the return of Indie Flea, a series of festive indoor/outdoor flea markets, now in its 11th year, to St. Petersburg.

Indie Flea will set up shop at The Factory, 2606 Fairfield Avenue South, on Sunday, November 5th, from noon to 4 p.m., for the first market of its 2023-24 season.

According to Jamie O’Berry, Indie Flea’s brand and marketing manager, the market will include more than 200 vendors, making it the largest Indie Flea to date, and will once again feature plentiful food and live music to keep shoppers well fed and entertained.

November 01, 2023

Aerial St. Pete: Downtown St. Petersburg’s skyline rises to new heights with new development

November 01, 2023/ Anthony Close

This month’s edition of Aerial St. Pete shows the progress on several real estate developments throughout St. Petersburg, FL. Aerial St. Pete is a column by St. Pete Rising which features exclusive aerial photography of projects under construction in St. Pete.

To accomplish this, we have teamed up with AB3 Visuals.

In this article we are taking a look at Art House, The EDGE Collective, Modera St. Petersburg, The Nolen, Reflection, The Residences at 400 Central, and Viv Apartments.

October 31, 2023

46-story 400 Central continues to rise, eclipses $250 million in condo sales

October 31, 2023/ Brian Zucker

On a construction tour held over the weekend, developer Red Apple Real Estate announced that its upcoming 46-story condominium tower, The Residences at 400 Central, has eclipsed $250 million in sales with $50 million coming in the past six weeks.

“The word is out about this iconic project,” said John Catsimatidis Sr., founder of Red Apple Real Estate. “Our sales have come from across Florida, the Northeast, the Midwest, and the West. This project is especially meaningful to me, as St. Petersburg is so close to my heart and my family’s heart.”

The 515-foot-tall building, which is being constructed on a full city block in downtown St. Pete, will feature 301 luxury condo units, 60,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurants, 45,000 square feet of Class A office space, and 900 parking spaces. Once complete, 400 Central will be the tallest residential tower on Florida’s west coast.

October 30, 2023

St. Pete Housing Authority opens 60-unit senior housing building and renovated family units in Jordan Park

October 30, 2023/ Anthony Close

The St. Petersburg Housing Authority has announced the completion of The Legacy at Jordan Park, a new construction 60-unit affordable senior housing building, along with the completion of renovations to the Jordan Park affordable family housing complex. Completion of the new senior housing building and of renovations to the family units returns much needed affordable housing units to south St. Pete.

Built between 1939 and 1941, Jordan Park is the oldest federal public housing project in Florida and was named after African American developer Elder Jordan Sr. Jordan was a prominent African American businessman and civic activist. He built the Jordan dance hall, now named the Manhattan Casino, and donated the land used to build the original Jordan Park housing development.

October 27, 2023

Pour & Decor brings coffee and home decor together this winter in the Grand Central District

October 27, 2023/ Brian Hartz

St. Petersburg has no shortage of coffee shops, but a new one opening at 2210 Central Avenue, in the heart of the Grand Central District, offers java with a twist.

Pour and Decor, owned by Gabrielle Cuccaro, is one part coffee shop and one part home decor boutique, with a small art and furniture gallery located in the back. She hopes to have the store open within the next couple of months, “preferably by the end of the year,” she said.

Cuccaro is a St. Pete native born and raised, whose parents own the popular Mazzaro’s Italian Market at 2909 22nd Avenue North. As a teenager, she worked at Mazzaros as well as three local retail boutiques but developed a desire to start her own business.

October 24, 2023

COhatch co-working space opens in historic building in downtown St. Pete

October 24, 2023/ Brian Zucker

More than two years after acquiring the former Harlan Hotel property at 15 8th Street North, in downtown St. Petersburg, COhatch has opened its doors to customers.

The Ohio-based co-working company bought the four-story, 14,000-square-foot building in April 2021 for $2.25 million. King State, a Tampa-based coffee roaster and brewery, will be opening soon at the same location, giving COhatch members and the public a convenient option for fueling up with locally made food and beverages.

The Harlan Hotel was originally built in 1925 during a time of extraordinary growth for St. Pete. The building was added to the city’s Register of Historic Places in 1997.

October 18, 2023

Construction begins on new Second District Court of Appeal Courthouse in downtown St. Pete

October 18, 2023/ Anthony Close

Construction has begun on the Second District Court of Appeal in downtown St. Petersburg.

The $59 million courthouse is being built at 525 Mirror Lake Drive near the Pinellas County Clerk of Court, St. Petersburg City Hall, and various other government buildings.

The courthouse will be named the Bernie McCabe Second District Court of Appeal Courthouse after the late State Attorney for Florida’s Sixth Judicial Circuit which represents Pinellas and Pasco County.

Previously the site was home to the Sebring Building, built in 1968, which was demolished in 2022 in preparation for the new facility, and housed state government offices.