Capybara Cafe opening next month in St. Pete will let you cuddle capybaras, wallabies, and lemurs

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Capybara Cafe opening next month in St. Pete will let you cuddle capybaras, wallabies, and lemurs

St. Pete is about to welcome a truly one-of-a-kind experience.

The Capybara Café, a wildly popular animal encounter café originally launched in St. Augustine, is opening a second location in the Sunshine City on July 11th.

Located at 4703 Park Street North, the café promises cozy coffeehouse vibes mixed with up-close moments with exotic animals, from cuddly capybaras to energetic lemurs.

Spanning 6,490 square feet, the industrial-chic café will be divided into private encounter spaces, animal lounging zones, and a relaxed café area serving coffee, muffins, cookies, and other light snacks.

But the real draw is the opportunity to get face-to-face with a rotating cast of animals from all over the globe, including wallabies, raccoons, skunks, armadillos, and more.

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New 540-space parking garage brings relief to EDGE District drivers

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New 540-space parking garage brings relief to EDGE District drivers

It’s official—parking in St. Pete’s EDGE District just got easier with the opening of a new public garage on Central Avenue.

A new 540-space parking garage has debuted at 1301 Central Avenue, directly across from Ferg’s Sports Bar and Grill, as part of the long-awaited mixed-use development The Central, currently under construction in the heart of the EDGE District.

On Tuesday morning, representatives from Ellison Development and the City of St. Pete gathered to celebrate the opening, marking a major milestone as the first completed component of The Central. The garage addresses one of the district’s greatest needs: accessibility and parking.

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Lucid Coffee & Kava debuts a new spot for coffee, kava, and community in north St. Pete

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Lucid Coffee & Kava debuts a new spot for coffee, kava, and community in north St. Pete

A new café blending coffee culture with botanical brews has opened in north St. Pete’s Gateway neighborhood.

Lucid Coffee & Kava quietly debuted on Saturday at 10328 Roosevelt Boulevard North, near the intersection of Gandy Boulevard and Roosevelt Boulevard, in the Ibis Walk shopping center.

The 1,700-square-foot space that was previously home to Freshii, a health-focused restaurant and juice bar.

Lucid’s menu features a variety of beverages, including coffee, kava, kratom, herbal teas, kombucha, and ginger beer.

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Vintage clothing store Wendy’s Closet relocates to new Central Avenue spot this summer

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Vintage clothing store Wendy’s Closet relocates to new Central Avenue spot this summer

Wendy’s Closet, a beloved vintage clothing shop celebrating 30 years in business, is relocating this summer from 2107 Central Avenue to a new space just a few blocks down in St. Pete’s Grand Central District.

Owner Wendy Barrett has purchased a 3,300-square-foot building at 1912 Central Avenue, formerly home to Goodyear Rubber Products, securing her presence in the neighborhood for years to come.

“This store will have a better layout, a working AC, and it’s right across from the Imagine Museum. It’s perfect, it will be bigger and better,” Barrett told St. Pete Rising.

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Bojangles to open first Tampa Bay location in Pinellas Park

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Bojangles to open first Tampa Bay location in Pinellas Park

Bojangles, the beloved Southern fast-food chain known for its fried chicken, biscuits, and sweet tea, is making its Tampa Bay debut since it last operated in the area decades ago.

The brand plans to open a new restaurant at 7930 US Highway 19 North in Pinellas Park, taking over a 2,414-square-foot space that previously housed a Burger King. Bojangles previously had several locations in Pinellas County in the 80s.

The upcoming Bojangles will feature a single-lane drive-thru located across from Walmart Supercenter on an outparcel of a retail plaza anchored by Ashley Furniture.

Other tenants in the shopping center include Bright Now Dental & Orthodontics, Fresenius Dialysis, Interior Fusion, and a nail lounge.

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Florida's largest LGBTQ+ pride celebration returns to St. Pete this month

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Florida's largest LGBTQ+ pride celebration returns to St. Pete this month

The Sunshine City, home to the largest Pride celebration in Florida, will once again celebrate its vibrant LGBTQIA+ community during the 23rd annual St. Pete Pride.

The month-long celebration culminates with the signature Pride Parade along the downtown waterfront, drawing more than 300,000 attendees. This year’s parade day festivities kick off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 28th at North and South Straub Parks, featuring live music, local entertainers and artists, over 100 booths and vendors, and a wide variety of food and drink.

The Pride Parade will begin at 6 p.m., starting at Albert Whitted Park and continuing along Bayshore Drive to Vinoy Park. The Trans March will precede the main parade at 5 p.m.

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Poblanos Mexican Grill and Bar to replace Village Inn in Largo

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Poblanos Mexican Grill and Bar to replace Village Inn in Largo

The family-owned and operated Poblanos Mexican Grill and Bar is expanding with a new location in Largo.

The restaurant recently secured a ten-year lease at 2659 Roosevelt Boulevard in the newly constructed, 11,500-square-foot Roosevelt Crossing retail strip, located at the southeast corner of Roosevelt Boulevard and US 19, nestled between Wawa and Walmart.

Poblanos, named after the Poblano pepper native to Puebla, Mexico, will occupy a 4,600-square-foot space previously home to the Village Inn breakfast chain, which closed earlier this year.

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St. Pete-Clearwater Airport to build 1,800-space parking garage amid record-breaking passenger activity

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St. Pete-Clearwater Airport to build 1,800-space parking garage amid record-breaking passenger activity

St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport (PIE), now serving nearly 2.5 million passengers a year and offering nonstop flights to over 60 cities, is expanding its parking capacity to meet growing demand.

The airport, located at 14700 Terminal Boulevard in north St. Pete, recently began designing a terminal expansion project expected to exceed $110 million. As part of the plan, PIE will also build its first parking garage, adding to its current surface-level parking.

Last month was the busiest May in the airport’s history, with 242,162 passengers, 13% more than May of last year. Additionally, passenger activity is currently up 11% year over year.

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Aerial St. Pete: A bird’s-eye view of St. Pete’s development boom

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Aerial St. Pete: A bird’s-eye view of St. Pete’s development boom

The latest edition of Aerial St. Pete highlights the progress of six major real estate projects currently under construction in St. Petersburg.

Aerial St. Pete is a recurring column by St. Pete Rising that features exclusive aerial photography documenting the city’s rapid development. To capture these images, we’ve partnered with AB3 Visuals.

This month’s update showcases construction progress at the Residences at 400 Central, Art House, 3rd & 3rd, Echelon Site 7 & 8, Sky Town, and Viv Apartments.

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St. Pete's smallest wine bar launches new coffee concept in downtown St. Pete

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St. Pete's smallest wine bar launches new coffee concept in downtown St. Pete

The smallest wine bar in St. Pete is now also the tiniest coffee shop in town.

The 18-seat Bar Chinchilla recently expanded with the launch of Cafe ‘Chilla, a morning coffee bar tucked inside its intimate space at 439 1st Avenue North.

Cafe ‘Chilla offers a menu of espresso drinks, cold brew, matcha, and specialty lattes from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

Bar Manager Lynsey Carlson shared with St. Pete Rising that the idea stemmed from a desire to create a separate cafe-like experience during the morning when the wine bar is typically closed.

“We wanted to offer something for the morning crowd, especially those attending farmers markets and local events,” Carlson said.

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