Melt n Dip dessert lounge coming to former Rollbotto space in downtown St. Pete

/
Melt n Dip dessert lounge coming to former Rollbotto space in downtown St. Pete

A new dessert café is on its way to downtown St. Pete.

Melt n Dip, a dessert chain known for waffles, crepes, and gelato, plans to open at 221 1st Street North at Plaza Tower near Sundial and Beach Drive.

The new shop will occupy a 2,300-square-foot space that previously housed Rollbotto, a sushi restaurant that opened in 2012, closed in May 2024 after more than a decade in business.

Harrison Gault and Jay Billings of Commercial Partners Realty represented the tenant, while Kevin Yeager, also of Commercial Partners Realty, represented the landlord.

Read More

Upscale seafood restaurant Sea Salt to close after nearly a decade in downtown St. Pete

/
Upscale seafood restaurant Sea Salt to close after nearly a decade in downtown St. Pete

Downtown St. Pete staple Sea Salt, an upscale Venetian-inspired seafood restaurant, will permanently close by the end of the year after nearly a decade in business.

Located at 183 2nd Avenue North in the Sundial shopping plaza, the restaurant will serve its last meal on December 31st, according to an announcement from the owners and husband-and-wife Ingrid Aielli and Chef Fabrizio Aielli.

The owners of Sundial are not wasting any time filling the soon-to-be empty space. In a conversation with St. Pete Rising, a representative from Paradise Ventures hinted that discussions are ongoing with a replacement tenant for the Sea Salt space and stated, “good things are in the works.”

As for Sea Salt, the owners sent out an email to their customers stating, “The past 10 years have been nothing short of amazing.”

Read More

Done Deals: Big Lots to close St. Pete stores, Dispensary replaces art gallery, Sundial signs another lease

/
Done Deals: Big Lots to close St. Pete stores, Dispensary replaces art gallery, Sundial signs another lease

Done Deals is a weekly column by St. Pete Rising spotlighting recent real estate market insight and significant deals happening in the Sunshine City and beyond. The following information is sourced from public records and trusted intel.

Have real estate news to share? Send us an email at hello@stpeterising.com.

Read More

Done Deals: Sundial adds new tenant, Mirror Lake site sells to developer, Foot Locker approved for city incentives

/
Done Deals: Sundial adds new tenant, Mirror Lake site sells to developer, Foot Locker approved for city incentives

Done Deals is a weekly column by St. Pete Rising spotlighting recent real estate market insight and significant deals happening in the Sunshine City and beyond. The following information is sourced from public records and trusted intel.

Have real estate news to share? Send us an email at hello@stpeterising.com.

Read More

Done Deals: St. Pete to sell prime downtown property, Sundial renovation continues, New bar opens in Gulfport

/
Done Deals: St. Pete to sell prime downtown property, Sundial renovation continues, New bar opens in Gulfport

Done Deals is a weekly column by St. Pete Rising spotlighting recent real estate market insight and significant deals happening in the Sunshine City and beyond. The following information is sourced from public records and trusted intel.

Have real estate news to share? Send us an email at hello@stpeterising.com.

Read More

Sundial to undergo major renovations in downtown St. Pete

/
Sundial to undergo major renovations in downtown St. Pete

Nearly a year after purchasing the Sundial retail and dining center at 153 2nd Avenue North in downtown St. Pete for $21.13 million, St. Petersburg-based Paradise Ventures and Tampa-based Ally Capital Group have unveiled a plan to renovate a portion of the 85,357-square-foot plaza.

Designed by Behar and Peteranecz, a St. Petersburg-based architecture firm, the reimagined Sundial will feature multimillion dollars in improvements intended to revitalize the once upscale retail destination into a modern mixed-use urban destination.

The most significant change will be a complete overhaul and activation of the plaza’s courtyard. Plans call for an updated courtyard with a large outdoor bar and plenty of communal green space for engaging programming and for guests to sit and enjoy food and drink.

Read More

Sundial Releases Tenant Lineup

/
Sundial Releases Tenant Lineup

Last week Sundial released its tenant lineup and announced it was 90% leased.   I've given the store lineup a few days to sink in and I must say that while I'm not taken aback by the stores, I am impressed. In today's retail market it takes a lot for a brand to risk opening a store, let alone in a previously failed downtown retail center. 

While there isn't a famed J.Crew or an Apple store, what we got is a very diverse mix of national and local retailers, which I think is great.

Read More

Sundial St.Pete Releases Few Details

/

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Sundial St.Pete is whether or not its tenant lineup will create a shopping and dining destination. In its heyday, Baywalk was a booming shopping center with bustling shops and restaurants but controversy sunk the retail complex and brought vacancy rates close to 90%. Sundial St.Pete hopes revive the shopping center and give it new glory. I'm confident that Bill Edwards will bring a strong tenant list to- once again- make the complex a top destination. Recently the Tampa Bay Times revealed that a Marilyn Monroe spa and possibly a Ruth's Chris Steak House will be among the tenants in Sundial. Joining these two tenants are the return of Chico's and White House Black Market. 

Read More