March 04, 2024

New seafood market, boat-up restaurant McMullen Fish House coming to old Mastry's Bait and Tackle shop

March 04, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Brothers James and Josh McMullen have filled the shelves of the former Mastry's Bait and Tackle shop in Old Southeast with fresh wild-caught fish - breathing new life into the shuttered St. Pete staple.

"As kids, my brother and I would walk 12 blocks from our home to get to the bait shop," said James referring to the 1945 storefront at 1700 4th Street South that now sports the name McMullen Fish House.

James, a military veteran, and Josh, who has a background in construction, inked a lease for the 1,658-square-foot space late last year.

March 01, 2024

Done Deals: 25-story tower advances, Art House hits construction milestone, Clearwater estate lists for $37.5 million

March 01, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Done Deals is a weekly column by St. Pete Rising spotlighting recent real estate market insight and significant deals happening in the Sunshine City and beyond. The following information is sourced from public records and trusted intel.

Have real estate news to share? Send us an email at hello@stpeterising.com.

February 29, 2024

Philly native to open Little Philly, serving authentic cheesesteaks in the Grand Central District

February 29, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Philadelphia-born-and-raised chef and restaurant operator Sean Ford, alongside prominent local business owner Renaud Cowez, is bringing the taste of Philly to downtown St. Petersburg.

The partners are planning to open a new Philly cheesesteak restaurant - Little Philly - in the Grand Central District at 2063 Central Avenue, which formerly housed The Job Site Burgers.

"Growing up in Philly, I always felt safe and welcomed in the small sandwich shops,” Ford said. “They knew your name and treated you like family. I want to replicate that kind of feeling here in St. Pete.”

"This whole Grand Central neighborhood is buzzing and reminds me of when we opened Tryst on Beach Drive in 2011," said Ford, who moved to St. Pete over a decade ago to launch the high-end restaurant and lounge with Cowez.

February 28, 2024

Construction begins on The Central, formerly Orange Station, in St. Pete’s EDGE District

February 28, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Shovels have officially hit the ground on a long-awaited mixed-use development planned for downtown St. Petersburg’s EDGE District.

On Wednesday, Ellison Construction began construction on The Central, previously named Orange Station, at 1301 Central Avenue.

The Central will feature an upscale Marriott hotel and the city's first new Class A office space in decades. Also included will be workforce apartments, retail space, and a parking garage.

The 2.1-acre project is a joint venture of J Square Developers, DDA Development, Ellison Development, and Backstreets Capital, LLC, who have collectively worked on several other St. Petersburg developments including The Salvador, St. James Townhomes, and The Nolen.

February 28, 2024

Massive expansion of Sirata Beach Resort approved, will bring two new hotels to St. Pete Beach

February 28, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

After months of deliberation and testimony from the public and parties involved, the St. Pete Beach commissioners approved the plans for the controversial Sirata Beach Resort expansion.

In a 3-2 vote Tuesday evening, February 27th, commissioners greenlighted the conditional use permit (CUP) for the construction of a 290-key luxury JW Marriott hotel, a limited-service 130-key Hampton Inn, and a massive revamp of the existing 382-key resort at 5300 Gulf Boulevard.

The narrowly passed vote is a continuation of the nearly 11-hour public hearing last week when the newly appointed commissioners made a motion to defer the decision.

February 27, 2024

First look at St. Pete's Whole Foods Market ahead of tomorrow's grand opening

February 27, 2024/ Brian Hartz

Three years after it was first announced, St. Petersburg’s first and only Whole Foods Market, and the company’s 537th store, is set to open at 9 a.m. on February 28th at 201 38th Avenue North, and the Austin, Texas-based specialty grocery store chain provided St. Pete Rising a sneak peek prior to the 41,100-square-foot store’s grand opening.

Local touches can be found in the store’s product assortment, which features more than 800 locally sourced products from the Southeast, curated with the help of Dustin Kennedy, Whole Foods Market’s local forager.

Some of the local and regional suppliers include Mother Kombucha, Greg Abrams Seafood, Wild Seafood Co., Keys Fisheries, Lady Moon Farms, Sunny Culture, Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co., Adam’s Ranch, Green Bench Brewing Co., Escape Brewing Co., 3 Sons Brewing Co., Gelato Fino, Momma’s Baked Goods, Chef Cristy’s, Glasers Organic Farms, Norman Love Confections, Mozzarita, Wood’s Fisheries, and Hardee Fresh.

February 27, 2024

Home of the Week: 1920-built home on a brick street lists in Historic Old Northeast

February 27, 2024/ Anthony Close

A historic home in St. Petersburg’s Old Northeast neighborhood is St. Pete Rising’s Home of the Week.

Located at 445 17th Avenue Northeast, the two-story home has four bedrooms and four bathrooms with 2,978 square feet of living space. Situated on one of Old Northeast’s premier brick streets, the house flanked by 20th century homes that are full of history.

Built in 1920, the home features a tiled porch with lounging swing. The home has been tastefully renovated and includes hardwood flooring throughout, spacious living areas, a fireplace, separate dining area featuring a built-in dry bar, and a family room.

February 27, 2024

Investor scoops up Dairy Inn site for luxury townhome development

February 27, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

St. Pete's iconic Dairy Inn ice cream shop, which closed its doors in November after operating for 76 years in Crescent Lake, will be razed for a new residential development.

Local real estate investor Everett Vance, owner of The Vance Group and broker at Premier Properties, plans to build six modern luxury townhomes on the corner lot at 1201 Martin Luther King Jr. Street North.

He purchased the site in December for $740,000.

"For me, this will be my first multi-family project. I typically work on single-family homes," Vance said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

February 26, 2024

Historically St. Pete: The Snell Arcade nears 100 years of prominence in downtown

February 26, 2024/ Rui Farias

Long before C. Perry Snell’s crown jewel reached into the Sunshine City’s blue skies, the northwest corner of 4th Street and Central Avenue was known as the “The Hub of St. Petersburg’s Commercial Activities.”

The city’s original business district was located near 9th Street and Baum Avenue, but when Charles Durant opened a bakery on Central and 4th, the Durant Block was born. In 1897, as downtown continued to lure businesses from 9th Street, Arthur Norwood opened his second store on the Durant Block, connecting it to his 9th Street Store with the town’s first telephone line.

It was saltwater taffy magnate, Noel A. Mitchell, who made the corner the center of St. Pete’s universe. Soon after opening his real estate office in “Mitchell’s Corner” in 1907, the “Sandman” placed his first set of benches on the sidewalk for weary travelers to sit and learn about the property deals to be had in St. Pete. Although the original benches were not green, they soon would be.

February 23, 2024

Done Deals: Affordable housing nears completion, John's Pass density increase passes, Biotech hub to open

February 23, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Done Deals is a weekly column by St. Pete Rising spotlighting recent real estate market insight and significant deals happening in the Sunshine City and beyond. The following information is sourced from public records and trusted intel.

Have real estate news to share? Send us an email at hello@stpeterising.com.