Local roaster opens first cafe inside Sans Market in St. Pete's EDGE District

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Local roaster opens first cafe inside Sans Market in St. Pete's EDGE District

After four years of micro-roasting out of a small garage in St. Pete, Sun Bear Specialty Coffee Roasters has opened its first cafe in the EDGE District.

Sun Bear has set up shop in the back of Sans Market, a zero-waste retail store located at 1037 Central Avenue, serving their farmer-forward single-origin coffee and espresso drinks.

The quaint cafe is outfitted with a wooden bar stacked on top of concrete blocks and a shelf stocked with retail bags of Sun Bear coffee beans sourced from international producers.

“I'm big on the farmers who produce the coffee and the process it goes through,” owner Kenny Beers said to St. Pete Rising.

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Indoor golf lounge The Irons Club swings into downtown St. Pete

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Indoor golf lounge The Irons Club swings into downtown St. Pete

An urban indoor golf experience is opening in the Grand Central District of downtown St. Pete.

The Irons Club plans to debut early next year at 2140 Central Avenue.

The 4,000-square-foot facility, which was previously home to Euphoria Salon and Day Spa, will feature four state-of-the-art Trackman simulators each holding up to eight players and a putting green fronting Central Avenue.

There will also be a 9-seat bar with hightop tables serving beer and wine and a food menu serving American bar fare.

The Irons Club's private golfing simulation bays will be equipped with lounge seating, golf clubs, and the latest golfing simulation technology from tech company Trackman, which was created in 2003 by brothers Klaus and Morten Eldrup-Jørgensen and radar engineer Fredrik Tuxen.

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It's official: St. Pete's Mirror Lake is now a historic district

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It's official: St. Pete's Mirror Lake is now a historic district

The quaint Mirror Lake neighborhood in the heart of St. Pete's bustling downtown will now limit future development and changes to existing buildings.

After years of discussions and a long-winded debate during Thursday’s City Council meeting, councilmembers cast a 5-2 vote approving a local historic district designation for properties located within 200 feet of Mirror Lake, which has the largest collection of intact historic structures in St. Pete.

The approval was met with applause from a crowd of Mirror Lake residents who largely supported the citizen-initiated application, which was spearheaded by local preservation advocacy group Preserve the Burg, aimed at preserving the community's pedestrian-friendly low-rise character.

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400 Central developer Red Apple Group acquires Mirror Lake tower site in downtown St. Pete

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400 Central developer Red Apple Group acquires Mirror Lake tower site in downtown St. Pete

New York-based developer Red Apple Real Estate has closed on the purchase of a 0.94-acre parcel in downtown St. Petersburg.

The acquisition comes weeks after the company told St. Pete Rising it was under contract to purchase the site at 233 5th Street North. The purchase closed on December 13th for $13 million — $200,000 lower than the previously announced price of $13.2 million.

The sellers acquired the property in December 2021 for $15.5 million.

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Done Deals: City approves funding for Trop roof repairs, TV personality sells Snell Isle home, Sweetgreen opens in downtown

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Done Deals: City approves funding for Trop roof repairs, TV personality sells Snell Isle home, Sweetgreen opens in downtown

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.

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TikTok famous coffee company to open cafe in downtown St. Pete

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TikTok famous coffee company to open cafe in downtown St. Pete

A local mobile coffee truck that has garnered a large following through viral TikTok videos will open a new cafe in downtown St. Pete.

Next month, Bean Wandering will bring its popular canned-to-order iced coffee, in addition to a small food menu from The Crumb Factory, to the ground floor of the 12-story City Center office building.

City Center, located at 100 2nd Avenue South, was previously home to restaurant chain Nature's Table. Bean Wandering will replace Nature’s Table in a reconfigured space in the building’s lobby.

“This started as a hobby in June 2023 when we did our first pop-up event in front of my mom’s house in Tampa. I never thought I'd have a physical coffee shop and could afford a space in downtown St. Pete,” owner Hanna Rewerts said to St. Pete Rising.

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New 85-unit affordable housing community for seniors opens in West St. Pete

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New 85-unit affordable housing community for seniors opens in West St. Pete

More than 85 seniors earning low-income wages have a new modern apartment in St. Pete to call home.

Earlier today, developer Blue Sky Communities and Park & Eleazer Construction cut the ribbon on the new 85-unit Bear Creek Commons affordable housing complex at 635 64th Street South in west St. Pete, adjacent to Bear Creek, a 2.7-mile stream that flows to Boca Ciega Bay. 

The property was previously home to Grace Connection Church before construction commenced in 2023.

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Savage Coffees to debut trendy cafe in downtown St. Pete

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Savage Coffees to debut trendy cafe in downtown St. Pete

A new boutique coffee shop is set to open in downtown St. Petersburg at the base of The Nolen condominium building, located at 126 4th Avenue Northeast.

The building’s developer, DDA Development, has announced an agreement to sell its ground-level retail space to Savage Coffees, a renowned family-operated coffee producer and roastery from the Republic of Panama. The company operates a roastery at 2756 25th Street North in St. Pete.

This café will mark Savage Coffees’ first retail location in the United States and is scheduled to open in 2025.

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Upscale rooftop bar and restaurant Sparrow sets opening date in the EDGE District

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Upscale rooftop bar and restaurant Sparrow sets opening date in the EDGE District

An expansive new rooftop bar and Asian-fusion restaurant with a 1960s retro vibe is making its debut at the newly opened Moxy Hotel by Marriott in St. Pete's EDGE District.

The 4,000-square-foot Sparrow is nestled on the top of the boutique hotel at 1234 Central Avenue, will open to the public on Friday December 20th.

Jake Wurzak, president of Wurzak Hotel Group, which manages the 163-key Moxy Hotel, describes Sparrow as an upscale bar “but not a velvet-rope kind of vibe,” adding, “we are bringing it to St. Pete because it has been so successful in Fort Lauderdale. And we think a lot of what we did in Fort Lauderdale will do fantastic in St. Pete. We're making some additional enhancements, as well.”

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City receives three proposals to bring affordable housing to prime lot on 22nd Street South

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City receives three proposals to bring affordable housing to prime lot on 22nd Street South

Three development groups are vying to redevelop a South St. Pete property, once home to a historic cultural landmark, into a mixed-use destination with affordable housing and retail.

The new proposals were received after the City of St. Petersburg issued a request for proposals (RFP) for developers interested in redeveloping the three vacant parcels at 951 22nd Street South, a site that once housed the historic Merriwether Building, which supported and housed African American and Jewish entrepreneurs when racial and social restrictions were in place.

The developers that submitted proposals include South Florida-based Green Mills Group, Fort Lauderdale-based real estate and development firm Alexander Goshen and partner Goode Van Slyke Architecture, and not-for-profit group Making Opportunities Materialize Inc. (MOM).

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