St. Petersburg residents are known for being religiously committed to buying local. We take pride in the homegrown businesses that make our neighborhoods such incredible places to live, work and play. However, one of the byproducts of Downtown St Pete’s meteoric growth over the past 5-10 years has been a sharp rise in commercial rents.

Some are concerned that local shops will be priced out of downtown and what has made St. Pete special will fade away. While the city is doing its best to keep St. Pete local, with initiatives such as the Storefront Conservation Corridor Plan, they cannot legally force downtown landowners to rent exclusively to locals.

In the end, the residents and visitors decide who goes and who stays. In essence, we vote with our wallets. And although rising rents have put pressure on local businesses, some have continued to thrive, and others have even expanded.

One of my favorite local success stories is that of Pete Boland and Ian Taylor, both born and raised in the ‘Burg. In 2016, the duo opened The Galley, a nautical-themed St. Pete tavern, at 27 Fourth Street North.

After much success, they expanded upon The Galley with the debut of their event space and rum bar, The Ship’s Hold, which opened back in March.

Now Boland, along with Taylor, is teaming up with Roger Zeghibe to transform what was most recently Sea Dog Pub DTSP into their newest venture — Mary Margaret’s Olde Irish Tavern. The new traditional-style Irish restaurant and bar will be located at 29 3rd Street North on the historic “First Block”, just one block east of The Galley.

“If you ever go to Charlotte, New York, Chicago or Boston, there are these great traditional Irish pubs,” says Boland. “Mary Margaret’s is going to be a love letter to the old country and to the great tradition of Irish pubs across the globe.”

The Mary Margaret’s space has seen a number of tenants over the years, however the most interesting former tenant, which inspired the name for the new Irish bar, is Boland’s late grandmother, Mary Margaret Prescott, who owned and operated her beauty salon at this exact location on the 200 block with her husband Rex through the 1970’s.

“We honestly were struggling with the name at first, then the light bulb went off when I was talking about family over Thanksgiving”, says Boland. “It just made all the sense in the world to name it after her. My family is really excited, too.”

Mary Margaret’s will feature traditional Irish classics with some American tavern fare. The menu is slated to include classic items like the Proper Shepherd’s Pie with lamb, Kennedy’s Corned Beef and Cabbage, and The Reuben Sandwich.

Another menu item sure to be a hit is Crowley’s Reuben Egg Rolls with Thousand Island Sauce, which was one of the most popular dishes at Crowley’s, an Irish pub that closed on the block in 2016. “We liked the idea of paying homage to them,” says Boland.

In true St. Pete style, there will be real options for vegans too. Mary Margaret’s will serve a vegan shepherd’s pie with Beyond meat, in addition to offering a vegan cheeseburger. For those with a sweet tooth, Boland says they will be partnering with local bakery Swah-rey for an Irish-themed dessert program.

As for the drink selection, Mary Margaret’s plans to have the largest selection of Irish whiskey in the area, including high-end offerings like Green Spot, Middleton Very Rare, and Red Breast. Irish whiskey flights will also be available if you’re hoping to sample a few!

The cocktail menu contains around seven cocktails, including an Irish Whiskey old-fashioned with Jameson Caskmates and a dash of Guinness. “I’m also excited to offer the proper traditional Irish Coffee, like you would get at Cafe Buena Vista in San Francisco,” says Boland.

And of course, Mary Margaret’s will have the best pull of Guinness on this side of the Bay, along with other Irish beer classics like Smithwick’s, Harp, Murphy’s and Magners. Macros like Budweiser and some local crafts will also be available.

Despite being located on one of Downtown St. Pete’s most popular block’s for nightlife, Mary Margaret’s won’t break the bank. “This is going to be a nice place that doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg,” says Boland. Prices will be affordable with sandwiches ranging from $8-12, entrees from $10-20, and drinks from $5-7.

The interior will be adorned with pictures of Boland’s grandparents, great-grandparents, and plenty of symbols of the old country. A stage will be built in the front corner next to a pair of roll-up garage doors, where live music will be performed several nights a week.

The new Irish tavern is being brought to life by a very experienced, local team which was put together by Chris DiNeno of Main Street & Main. As such, DiNeno will retain an ownership stake in the tavern and has brought in local restauranteur Jack Caramello to assist Boland with day-to-day duties.

The build out and interior redesign will be led by co-owner Ian Taylor, with longtime cohort Kyle Habershon of Wood & Bar. Aaron Van Dora, a long-time staple of Gratzzi Italian Grille, is also among the ownership team, and will manage Mary’s bar program.

Rebranding is already underway and Mary Margaret’s Olde Irish Tavern is expecting to soft open in early February. A grand opening is planned for the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day, March 14th-15th, and of course on the big day March 17th, as well.

The hours of operation will be Monday through Thursday from 12PM to 2AM, Fridays and Saturdays from 12PM to 3AM and Sundays from 10AM to 10PM.

The Tavern will have a slew of daily specials beginning in March including a Trivia Night, a Hospitality Night, and Every Saturday is “St. Paddy’s Saturdays”, a St. Patrick’s Day style celebration with live music from 8PM to 12AM with Jameson and Guinness drink specials.

Sunday Brunch will feature $3 Bloody Mary’s (naturally!) and $3 Mimosas with a menu of Irish Brekky staples corned beef hash, the hearty traditional Irish Breakfast and more.

“My father was a full-blooded Irishman and it has always been a dream of mine to open an Irish pub,” says Boland. “ We are going to take serious pride in our food and make Mary Margaret’s a proper Irish pub that you’ll be able to bring grandma and grandpa to, or sit back and relax with friends and make memories for years to come.”

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