A New York-style bagel shop is coming this summer to St. Pete Beach

A New York-style bagel shop is coming this summer to St. Pete Beach

In mid-June, St. Pete Beach residents and visitors will be able to enjoy authentic, Brooklyn-made bagels with a tropical twist.

Opening at 455 75th Avenue — formerly the home of Sunrise Tacos, and before that, the venerable Gayle’s Diner — Tiki Bagel will serve bagels made by Noshman’s Bagel of New York City, a wholesaler that ships partially baked bagels to restaurants, delis, and bakeries around the country.

According to the Noshman’s Bagel website, the company uses a recipe pioneered by Jewish immigrants that dates to the 1890s.

Read More

Popular Asian-fusion food truck Shiso Crispy opening restaurant this weekend on Central Avenue

Popular Asian-fusion food truck Shiso Crispy opening restaurant this weekend on Central Avenue

Shiso Crispy, a food-truck-based Asian fusion eatery, is moving from Pinellas Park to St. Petersburg’s EDGE District while simultaneously launching franchises in other cities and states.

Owner and Head Chef Ronicca Whaley, in an interview with St. Pete Rising, said she will open this weekend at 1431 Central Avenue. There will be a soft opening on Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with a full opening on Saturday.

“I’ve made this a really cool, vibey spot to go hang out and eat Shiso Crispy food,” Whaley said.

The space was previously occupied by a cheese shop operated by Brooklyn South and, before that, Gracie Pasta and Provisions.

Read More

The 1888 Hotel breathes new life into historic downtown St. Pete property

The 1888 Hotel breathes new life into historic downtown St. Pete property

As downtown St. Petersburg’s skyline becomes increasingly taller and more modern, it’s particularly refreshing to see some of the Sunshine City’s historic properties revived and repurposed.

The 1888 Hotel, at 220 5th Avenue North, is a recent example of St. Pete’s history blending with contemporary styles and trends. In its heyday, the property, which was built in 1923, was known as The Hillcrest Hotel. Managing Partners Frederick Dela Cruz and Jeffrey Pippin have renamed it The 1888 Hotel as a homage to the year the first passenger train arrived in St. Pete.

“We acquired the property in 2020, and it was a little bit of a crazy situation,” Dela Cruz said in an interview with St. Pete Rising. “A developer wanted to demolish the building and build a parking garage.”

Read More

COPA cocktail lounge and tapas bar to expand in the EDGE District

COPA cocktail lounge and tapas bar to expand in the EDGE District

The owners of COPA, a cocktail, wine, and tapas bar that opened in fall 2019 at 1047 Central Avenue in the EDGE District, are taking over the adjoining property at 1045 Central Avenue — formerly home to Italy Bottega, an Italian restaurant — and plan to open a daytime café in the space.

“We have some really exciting plans and cannot wait to debut it to everyone,” co-owner Sébastien Thurière said in an interview with St. Pete Rising. He owns and operates COPA along with his brother, Maxim Thurière.

“We want to not only grow our current concept in the evenings,” Sébastien added, “but we’ll be using that space to introduce a new concept in the morning that we're calling Café COPA.”

Read More

Look Alive Coffee begins roasting specialty coffee in the Grand Central District

Look Alive Coffee begins roasting specialty coffee in the Grand Central District

A new coffee roaster that focuses on specialty coffees is up and running at 1920 ½ 1st Avenue South, behind Spitfire Comedy House, in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District.

Look Alive Coffee is owned and operated by Kelly Packard, who was born in Clearwater but then moved to Dallas, Texas with her family when she was still in elementary school.

“It’s really nice to be back here,” Packard said in an interview with St. Pete Rising. “I’ve always felt at home here. My parents are back here too, so it feels very ‘full circle’ being back at home.”

Look Alive Coffee is primarily a wholesale business, but anyone is welcome to order bags of coffee or sign up for a coffee subscription via the company’s website.

Read More

95-unit affordable housing building proposed near 34th Street in St. Pete

95-unit affordable housing building proposed near 34th Street in St. Pete

The St. Petersburg Housing Authority and Tampa Bay Area-based affordable housing developer Blue Sky Communities are moving forward with an affordable housing project that will bring a 95-unit apartment complex to a 1.35-acre site at the intersection of 32nd Avenue North and Hartford Street in north St. Petersburg.

When it was first announced in February 2023, the Hartford project was expected to consist of 47 affordable units for seniors and families whose incomes are below the 60% area median income (AMI) threshold.

However, on February 15th the St. Pete City Council approved a zoning change that will allow higher-density housing to be built on the parcel.

Read More

First look at St. Pete's Whole Foods Market ahead of tomorrow's grand opening

First look at St. Pete's Whole Foods Market ahead of tomorrow's grand opening

Three years after it was first announced, St. Petersburg’s first and only Whole Foods Market, and the company’s 537th store, is set to open at 9 a.m. on February 28th at 201 38th Avenue North, and the Austin, Texas-based specialty grocery store chain provided St. Pete Rising a sneak peek prior to the 41,100-square-foot store’s grand opening.

Local touches can be found in the store’s product assortment, which features more than 800 locally sourced products from the Southeast, curated with the help of Dustin Kennedy, Whole Foods Market’s local forager.

Some of the local and regional suppliers include Mother Kombucha, Greg Abrams Seafood, Wild Seafood Co., Keys Fisheries, Lady Moon Farms, Sunny Culture, Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co., Adam’s Ranch, Green Bench Brewing Co., Escape Brewing Co., 3 Sons Brewing Co., Gelato Fino, Momma’s Baked Goods, Chef Cristy’s, Glasers Organic Farms, Norman Love Confections, Mozzarita, Wood’s Fisheries, and Hardee Fresh. 

Read More

Club Pilates to open north St. Pete fitness studio on 4th Street

Club Pilates to open north St. Pete fitness studio on 4th Street

The building that formerly housed Wave Pool & Grill, at 347 62nd Avenue North, finally has a new tenant: Club Pilates, a Pilates studio franchise based in Irvine, California.

Club Pilates has several existing locations in Pinellas County including one at 120 Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg, 6800 Gulfport Boulevard South in South Pasadena, 40956 U.S. Highway 19 North in Tarpon Springs, and 10125 Ulmerton Road, Suite 3, in Largo, as well as several more in Hillsborough County.  

The opening date of the north St. Pete location is not yet known but signs are up and exterior and interior renovation work is under way. 

Read More

Crepeway Caffe to bring freshly-made crepes to St. Pete's EDGE District

Crepeway Caffe to bring freshly-made crepes to St. Pete's EDGE District

Crepeway Caffe, a new venture from Konstantinos Chilias, also known as Chef Dinos, will open by the end of February at 1572 Central Avenue, where it will be part of the EDGE Eatery food hall.

The restaurant was originally going to occupy 907 Central Avenue, a space that was formerly the home of Now and Then, a vintage furniture shop.

Chef Dinos has owned and operated La Creperia Café in Ybor City for nearly 20 years. In an interview with St. Pete Rising, he said Crepeway Caffe’s menu will be similar to that of La Creperia Café.

Read More

J.Crew to open store in Northeast Shopping Plaza in St. Pete

J.Crew to open store in Northeast Shopping Plaza in St. Pete

One of the biggest names in clothing is opening a new location at Northeast Shopping Plaza, a Publix-anchored cluster of retail and service businesses at 226 37th Avenue North.

J. Crew will occupy a 4,982-square-foot space at the busy shopping center, according to documents filed with the City of St. Petersburg. The space was most recently a Play It Again Sports.

The New York-based clothing retailer, whose brands include J. Crew, Madewell, and J. Crew Factory, opened its first brick-and-mortar store in 1989 and now has more than 480 locations throughout the United States.

Read More