Owner Shawntavia Turner opened the morning pour in November | St. Pete Rising

A small, community-oriented coffee shop has quietly opened along 18th Avenue South, offering a new gathering place for residents in south St. Pete.

The Morning Pour is located at 1701 18th Avenue South, next to handful of neighborhood businesses that includes a take-out seafood restaurant, a hair salon, and a candle shop, and just steps from The Grove, a Habitat for Humanity-built residential development.

The building was purchased last fall by Shawntavia Turner, a local real estate broker, mortgage firm owner, and affordable housing developer, who rebranded the property as The Gateway at Turnkey.

While evaluating the site, Turner decided one of the spaces would be best suited as a coffee shop designed to function as a communal gathering place for the surrounding neighborhood.

The Morning Pour shares a building with seafood restaurant Blendz Traphouze | The Morning Pour

“I’m a native to the city, born and raised in St. Pete, and I wanted to redevelop something in the community,” Turner told St. Pete Rising. “My dad actually has a lot of nostalgia associated with this building because it has housed several Black-owned businesses throughout the years.”

“I want this space to have that community feel, where you can come in and have a conversation and network with others,” she continues.

The Morning Pour offers a selection of organic coffee blends that can be made into lattes, americanos and cappuccinos, along with non-espresso drinks like iced tea and lemonade refreshers.

According to Turner, the shop’s most popular drinks are the strawberries and cream latte, vanilla macchiato, and honey-caramel latte.

The menu also features small bites like muffins, croissants and “Greg’s Toast,” an homage to Turner’s brother who used to make her toasted white bread topped with cinnamon, sugar, and butter when they were kids.