It was another busy month in Downtown St Pete! On top of what we’ve highlighted below, an Israeli burger chain will be coming soon to the ONE St Pete condo tower, a tea lounge opened up in the Grand Central District, a barbershop from Portland announced plans to open on the 600 block, pre-sales began for downtown’s next condo tower, and the historic McCrory building was sold.

As many of you are aware, we write a column every month called Downtown Developments for Green Bench Monthly, a local community magazine. In the column, we highlight everything coming soon to Downtown St. Pete, including new restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. We also reveal new tower renderings, announce townhome projects, and much more. A few months ago, we started publishing that column right here on St. Pete Rising, in addition to Green Bench Monthly!

Want the news first? Be sure to follow us! Most of what we discuss in Downtown Developments has already been posted to either our website, newsletter, Facebook, or Instagram. With Downtown Developments, you’ll never miss the latest Downtown St. Pete news.

Matter of Fact, a men’s shop, opened last month at 1029 Central Avenue in the EDGE District. For years, men’s clothing has been hard to come by in Downtown St Pete, but not anymore! Matter of Fact carries shirts, shorts, swimsuits, backpacks, hats, wallets and more by popular brands such as Herschel, Billabong, Vissla, Kenny Flowers, and RVCA. The shop is a joint venture between Matthew Baker and Amanda Henderson, owner of Ashe Couture Boutique. “The style of Matter of Fact will be for the everyday St. Pete gentleman, whether you're grabbing a drink at Intermezzo Coffee & Cocktails or having dinner on Beach Drive” says Matt. Give them a visit soon!

A new residence and dining hall is coming soon to USF St. Petersburg. Last month the university held an official ground-breaking ceremony to commemorate the start of construction. Once complete, the 125,000 square foot building will be six-stories and have 375 beds -- increasing the campus’ housing population by nearly 70%. The new complex will be located at the northwestern corner of campus on 6th Avenue South between 3rd and 4th Street South, across the street from the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Research and Education Building, which opened last year.

The Dali Museum is expanding! The $39M addition will include a new permanent exhibit, more event and education space, and a new public parking garage. The new exhibit is being dubbed "Digital Dalí” and will immerse visitors in a multi-sensory, highly engaging, and interactive world of Dalí. The largest part of the expansion will be used for parking, which will increase the number of spaces from 130 to 410 spaces. While the garage would primarily cater to the museum, it will also be open 24/7 to the public. The museum has submitted a request to the county’s Tourist Development Council in hopes of receiving $17.5 million in county bed taxes to construct the expansion. The remainder of the cost will come from private donations.

Pete's General opened last month at 495 7th Avenue North in Historic Uptown. The owners only have one rule -- keep everything local. If you love NYC-style bagels made fresh every morning, get to Pete’s ASAP (and preferably early — they sell out!). Bagels are available in seven styles — everything, sesame, poppy seed, onion, garlic, salt and plain. Pete’s General also offers organic produce, cookies and hand pies, a flower bar, and much more. We would love to see more walkable community markets like this nestled within St. Pete's many beautiful neighborhoods!

Also new to Historic Uptown is The Bier Boutique, which just opened at 465 7th Avenue North. After five years in Key West, the Bier Boutique is moving to the Sunshine City and bringing with them draft beer, smoked meats, and their famous bison burgers. The Bier Boutique joins an already impressive lineup of retail offerings in Historic Uptown, such as Flatbread & Butter, Pete's General and The Studieaux. The Bier Boutique opened to the public on May 20th.