Churned Ice Cream opens new St. Pete shop with grab-and-go treats

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Churned Ice Cream opens new St. Pete shop with grab-and-go treats

Churned Ice Cream, the small-batch ice cream company known for serving handcrafted frozen treats out of a retro 1970s Volkswagen van, now has a permanent home in St. Pete.

The local favorite has quietly opened a production facility and grab-and-go storefront at 5504 Haines Road North in a space previously occupied by The Shop & Coffee House.

The 1,200-square-foot location houses Churned’s main production operations and a freezer-stocked retail section where customers can pick up pre-packaged goodies Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“This isn't your traditional ice cream shop where you can order at the counter and dine in,” said managing partner Steve Tishman in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “But we do plan to add counter service with over 20 flavors later this year.”

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Multi-tenant retail building planned for the west end of Grand Central District

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Multi-tenant retail building planned for the west end of Grand Central District

A 6,079-square-foot retail building has been proposed for the west end of the Grand Central District.

The property is located at 2730 Central Avenue, just steps from the corner of Central Avenue and 27th Street, an area known for popular neighborhood restaurants like Wild Child, Baba, Casita Taqueria, and Bandit Coffee.

The site, which is owned by local real estate investor Rossi Bonugli, was previously occupied by two single-family homes that had been converted for retail use. They were demolished a few months ago to make way for the new development.

Bonugli had rented out the spaces for years but envisioned a greater use for the property.

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First look inside the 42-story Art House condo tower set to open this fall in downtown St. Pete

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First look inside the 42-story Art House condo tower set to open this fall in downtown St. Pete

Three years after breaking ground, downtown St. Pete’s skyline is about to welcome its newest addition: Art House, a 42-story luxury condominium tower set to begin move-ins this October.

Located at 235 1st Avenue South, adjacent to 200 Central, the city’s tallest office tower, Art House is being developed by Kolter Urban, the South Florida-based firm behind ONE St. Petersburg and Saltaire.

The general contractor is Coastal Construction, with design contributions from SB Architects, ID & Design International, and Kimley-Horn. Smith & Associates is serving as the exclusive broker for the condo tower.

During a hard hat tour this week, St. Pete Rising got an exclusive look inside the tower, which has been under construction since mid-2022.

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Capybara Cafe opening next month in St. Pete will let you cuddle capybaras, wallabies, and lemurs

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Capybara Cafe opening next month in St. Pete will let you cuddle capybaras, wallabies, and lemurs

St. Pete is about to welcome a truly one-of-a-kind experience.

The Capybara Café, a wildly popular animal encounter café originally launched in St. Augustine, is opening a second location in the Sunshine City on July 11th.

Located at 4703 Park Street North, the café promises cozy coffeehouse vibes mixed with up-close moments with exotic animals, from cuddly capybaras to energetic lemurs.

Spanning 6,490 square feet, the industrial-chic café will be divided into private encounter spaces, animal lounging zones, and a relaxed café area serving coffee, muffins, cookies, and other light snacks.

But the real draw is the opportunity to get face-to-face with a rotating cast of animals from all over the globe, including wallabies, raccoons, skunks, armadillos, and more.

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Vintage clothing store Wendy’s Closet relocates to new Central Avenue spot this summer

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Vintage clothing store Wendy’s Closet relocates to new Central Avenue spot this summer

Wendy’s Closet, a beloved vintage clothing shop celebrating 30 years in business, is relocating this summer from 2107 Central Avenue to a new space just a few blocks down in St. Pete’s Grand Central District.

Owner Wendy Barrett has purchased a 3,300-square-foot building at 1912 Central Avenue, formerly home to Goodyear Rubber Products, securing her presence in the neighborhood for years to come.

“This store will have a better layout, a working AC, and it’s right across from the Imagine Museum. It’s perfect, it will be bigger and better,” Barrett told St. Pete Rising.

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29-story condo tower planned for 4th Street South in downtown St. Pete, replacing earlier condotel proposal

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29-story condo tower planned for 4th Street South in downtown St. Pete, replacing earlier condotel proposal

A Clearwater-based developer is moving forward with revised plans for a high-rise residential tower in downtown St. Pete, significantly altering a previously approved design.

Valor Capital is seeking city approval to amend its original proposal for the Roche Bobois Residences, a project initially envisioned as a 25-story, 152-unit condotel tower.

The development is slated for the northeast corner of 4th Street South and 4th Avenue South, just two block from the Publix-anchored University Village retail plaza.

The revised plan reimagines the project as a 29-story condominium tower with 165 residential units, 4,103 square feet of commercial space, and 103 parking spaces (83 in a parking garage and 20 surface spaces to the west of the tower).

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Sanctum Apothecary debuts coffee, tea, and herbal elixir bar in St. Pete

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Sanctum Apothecary debuts coffee, tea, and herbal elixir bar in St. Pete

The sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee and tea now fills the sacred space of Sanctum Apothecary, a family-owned herbal wellness shop in St. Pete’s Euclid-St. Paul neighborhood that focuses on healing the mind, body, and spirit.

Since opening in 2022 at 1903 12th Street North, Sanctum Apothecary has become known for its herbal remedies and handcrafted products. The shop has now quietly added a tea, coffee, and herbal elixir bar to complement its existing offerings.

“It can be intimidating to walk into our shop without knowledge of herbal benefits,” said co-owner and energy herbalist Adam Hubbard in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “This new bar invites people to grab a seat and let us prepare the right blend for them, whether it’s to help cool or warm their body or calm their mind.”

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Beatles museum with one of the world’s largest collections is moving to downtown St Pete

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Beatles museum with one of the world’s largest collections is moving to downtown St Pete

One of the world’s largest permanent Beatles collections is moving to downtown St. Pete.

Penny Lane, a not-for-profit museum dedicated to the legacy of the Beatles, will open in 2026 at 146 2nd Street North on the first floor of the Palais Royale office building.

The new space will be more than four times the size of the current location and offer a more immersive experience for visitors.

Founded in January 2017 by Dr. Robert Entel, a local radiologist, the museum began in a 500-square-foot storefront at 730 Broadway in Dunedin.

Over the past eight years, it has welcomed more than 10,000 visitors per year from around the world.

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Hermitage Apartments in downtown St. Pete sells for $104.5 Million

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Hermitage Apartments in downtown St. Pete sells for $104.5 Million

A 348-unit apartment complex in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg has a new owner and a new name.

Boston-based real estate management firm General Investment & Development (GID) has purchased The Hermitage Apartment Homes at 151 7th Street South.

The sales price and transaction details have not been published. The Brass Enterprises, a private Toronto real estate investment firm, has owned the eight-story luxury apartment community since 2019, purchasing it for $107,625,000.

Under the new ownership, The Hermitage, named after an art museum in St. Petersburg, is now rebranded as Windsor Central Arts.

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New PGA Tour Superstore to replace Bealls in west St. Pete

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New PGA Tour Superstore to replace Bealls in west St. Pete

A national golf store chain is teeing up a sprawling new 29,000-square-foot location in St. Pete’s Tyrone area.

PGA Tour Superstore is opening at 2020 66th Street North in the Crosswinds Shopping Center, taking over the former Bealls location that closed a few weeks ago.

While an official opening date has not been announced, the store is expected to bring a state-of-the-art golf retail experience to the area.

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