Businesses are beginning to open at a new 15,000 square foot retail strip at 4th Street North and 24th Avenue that was recently constructed following the demolition of the former Holiday Motel. As of today, seven of the nine retail spaces are leased.

The Holiday Motel was built back in the 1940’s when Fourth Street was home to 95 roadside motels and known as “the longest motel street in the world.” At the time, before the construction of I-275, 4th Street was seen as the primary tourist route into downtown St. Pete.

However, as the motel owners dealt with the difficulty of operating the motels and battling crime the motels attracted, many owners decided to cash out and sell to developers. By 1985, about half of the motels were gone. Only a few still remain today with many catering to longtime residents instead of tourists.

As a result of redevelopment, Fourth Street has slowly welcomed new restaurants, retailers, banks, and medical offices hoping to be close to St. Pete’s bustling downtown.

In October 2019, the Holiday Motel was sold for $3.25M to Pennsylvania-based Armstrong Development Properties. When the development company proposed razing the motel to build a retail strip, local preservationist organization, Preserve the ‘Burg, filed a third-party local landmark designation application. The owners of the Holiday Motel were opposed to the application.

Site surveys, inspections, and photographs indicated widespread damage and deferred maintenance at the Holiday Motel. Life safety issues, such as damaged electric wiring, lead paint, and asbestos led council members to question whether the motel should even be open, let alone preserved.

And so, the third-party local landmark designation was denied and the Holiday Motel, along with its vibrant and colorful front doors, was demolished in December 2019.

Construction on the retail center began shortly thereafter. And now, the first businesses have started to open.

Here’s a list of the seven businesses that are moving in.

Buddy Brew Coffee
2424 4th Street North

A few weeks ago, St Pete Rising broke the news on Buddy Brew Coffee’s new St. Pete location. This Tampa coffee café will serve every kind of espresso-based beverage you can think of -- americanos, cortados, cappuccinos, lattes, flat whites and red eyes. A food menu of toasts, sandwiches, and salads will also be available. This will be the 8th location for Buddy Brew Coffee and the first in Pinellas County. An opening date is TBD.

For more information, visit their website.

Nothing Bundt Cakes
2458 4th Street North

Bring on the bundt cakes! Nothing Bundt Cakes opened earlier this month, debuting bundt cakes of all sizes, from bite-sized (called Buntinis) to tiered, to St. Petersburg.  A bundt cake is a cake that is baked in a Bundt pan, shaping it into a distinctive shape which allows more of the cake to be in contact with the edges of the pan. The cakes at Nothing Bundt Cakes come in nine different flavors, such as confetti, chocolate chocolate chip, red velvet, marble, and of course classic vanilla. The company has over 300 bakeries in the United States, but this is the first in Pinellas County.

For more information, visit their website.

Grain and Berry
2446 4th Street North

Founded three years ago in Palm Harbor, FL, this superfood café has been on an absolute tear lately. This will be the company’s 13th location, with others located in Tampa, Orlando, Key West, and Nashville. Grain & Berry specializes in acai bowls, smoothies, fresh pressed juices, hearty avocado toasts, and international coffees. The café was awarded Best Bowl of 2018 and 2019 by the Tampa Bay Times and Best Acai Bowl in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay Awards. Grain and Berry St Pete hopes to open in February 2020.

For more information, visit their website.

YogaSix
2464 4th Street North

St. Pete’s newest yoga studio opens this Friday! The studio will introduce people of all ages and abilities to the various health and wellness benefits of the brand’s unique take on yoga, in a welcoming, modern and calming environment. A variety of yoga classes will be offered at YogaSix to encompass everything from deep stretching to stress relief to high intensity training. In addition to free classes available throughout the studio’s opening weeks, YogaSix is also offering the first 100 Founding Members a 25 percent lifetime discount prior to the opening.

YogaSix is based in Irvine, CA with over 400 locations nationwide.

For more information, visit their website.

Amazing Lash
2418 4th Street North

Amazing Lash is the nation’s largest and fastest growing eyelash extension franchise beauty brand. The studio provides clients semi-permanent eyelash extensions in private lash application suites. Amazing Lash recently debuted two new products – Featherweight Lashes and Lash Lift. Featherweight Lashes are an innovative eyelash extension product that offers women a lighter-weight option that is full of beauty, and the Lash Lift treatment lifts and elongates the natural lash as an alternative to applying extensions.

Amazing Lash has 258 locations across the country. Amazing Lash St Pete will be the 5th location in Pinellas County.

For more information, visit their website.

Zoom Tan
2412 4th Street North

Zoom Tan is America's fastest growing UV and spray tanning salon chain. Zoom Tan only offers stand-up tanning booths. According to their website, “Not only do you get a better, all round tan, but hygiene is also a primary reason for eliminating tanning beds and exclusively using standup tanning booths.”

Pricing varies depending on the level -- Level 1 (dark) is $20, level 2 (darker) is $25 and level 3 (darkest) is $30. UV beds are level 5 and cost $1 per minute (up to 12 minutes). Monthly and yearly memberships are also available.

For more information, visit their website.

IVX Health
2452 4th Street North

IVX Health will open on January 4th, providing biologic injections and infusions in a private and comfortable setting for patients with a range of conditions, including Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and more. All IVX locations contain private suites, leather recliners, flat screen TV’s and free WiFi.

IVX Health currently has 25 centers operating across 10 metros in the United States. For more information, visit their website.