St. Petersburg’s booming Grand Central District has enticed The Oyster Bar, a staple of the downtown dining scene since 1999, to pull up stakes and leave its longtime home at 249 Central Avenue.

The eatery, known for its seafood menu and happy hour specials, closed its doors on Sunday, August 20th, but will reopen this October at 2245 Central Avenue, a 3,200-square-foot space formerly home to Zoie’s, an LGBTQ-owned restaurant that opened in 2022.

The business sale is currently under contract and expected to close later this week. Jenna Malowany of KW Commercial is representing the previous tenant and Joe Esposito of KW Commercial is representing The Oyster Bar in the business sale transaction.

“I’m super stoked to head down to the Grand Central District,” said Oyster Bar proprietor Josh Cameron in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “Every time I’ve been down that way for a sneaky night or day its been a fun time. From all the talk I’ve had with our existing regulars at The Oyster Bar, they couldn’t be happier to see us getting into that area because they love it. So it’s a win win for everyone!”

The space formerly occupied by The Oyster Bar won’t be vacant for long, though: A themed pop-up bar concept designed by Frank Clemente, creative marketing director at FrankLynn Visual Marketing, will open there on September 1st. According to a news release, the pop-up bar’s theme will change with the seasons.

“Our goal is to relocate the Oyster Bar to better serve our diners, but the pop-up concept will be a lot of fun in that space,” Cameron stated in the release. “We’ve loved every minute of our tenure on the block. We really appreciate all the love over the years.”

Clemente said the look and feel of the pop-up bar will change every month. At the end of each month, the establishment will close for 48 hours to completely transform the space with a brand-new theme featuring different interior decor, cocktail and dining menus, social media photo props, and more.

“This has been a huge dream of mine since high school,” Clemente said. “I have always wanted to have a restaurant where I can redesign the space to create a new experience for guests each time they visit. I am excited to work in a space where I can consistently blow people away and showcase the many sides of Frank!”

September’s theme will be “end of summer.” That will transition into a fall landscape, which Clemente said “will remind guests of a northern U.S. fall with the leaves changing and cool air settling in. The color scheme for September is going to contain wood tones with burnt orange and purples filling the space, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere that invites you to unwind and enjoy.”

Rhonda Woida, operations director at Crafty Hospitality — the company that owns The Oyster Bar, as well as Where’s Jubes and The Crafty Squirrel — said employees will be taken care of while the restaurant relocates and retools.

“We love our Oyster Bar staff and want them to stay within the Crafty Hospitality family,” Woida said. “While we get the new space outfitted, we’ve extended employment at our sister properties.”

The Oyster Bar is expected to open in its new location at the beginning of October. For updates, follow the restaurant on Instagram.