There Goes the Neighborhood will be a new bar for locals in downtown St. Pete
There Goes the Neighborhood, a local neighborhood bar, will be located at 129 1st Avenue North in downtown St. Pete | St Pete Rising
A team of local restauranteurs wants to honor downtown St. Petersburg's humble beginnings by opening a new bar focused on serving locals.
There Goes The Neighborhood, a sarcastic and playful jab referring to the recent influx of high-rise luxury towers, is opening by the end of the year at 129 1st Avenue North. The space was formerly home to Diagnostic Imaging at BayWalk.
"It will be a service industry-focused bar for locals to hang out at," owner Michael Jennings said to St. Pete Rising while touring the 2,000-square-foot space.
The concept is the brainchild of Jennings and his team at The Drink St. Pete Group, the ownership group behind a handful of other popular bars in downtown St. Pete, such as One Night Stand, Tequila Daisy, Whiskey Exchange, and Pour Judgement.
The local hospitality company encourages former employees that have been loyal to the Drink St. Pete family to open and own bars under the Drink St. Pete brand. Former bartenders that will own There Goes The Neighborhood include Jeff Williams, Bill Arundel, Benny Hatfield, and Monique Grespan.
The new bar will feature artwork from prolific local muralists The Vitale Bros.
"You'll have these 20-foot ceilings and giant murals paying homage to the history of St. Pete starting in 1892. The murals will then wrap around and portray this new age and today's skyline," Jennings said.
He can still recall when he and his partners opened One Night Stand, a country and rock bar that debuted in 2011 just a few doors down at 149 1st Avenue North. It was one of a few bars in the area that’s now lined with trendy restaurants and bars.
There Goes The Neighborhood will feature four dartboards, two pool tables, a Golden Tee Golf arcade machine, and more.
The bar will have a one-time $20 membership fee, where members will receive 15-25% discounts on drinks and can rack up loyalty points.
While memberships will be promoted, non-members are still welcome at the bar.
“Tourists will pay full price,” laughed Jennings.
Jennings expects to open before the end of the year.