April 14, 2025

The Book Lounge to bring blind date books and board games to the 600 block this summer

April 14, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

In an era dominated by screens and digital content, the surprising resurgence of brick-and-mortar bookstores is resonating with readers everywhere.

Big names like Barnes & Noble opened over 60 new locations in 2024 alone, but it’s the smaller, independent shops that are telling the most compelling story. Across the country, new bookstores are opening with unique identities—many centered around genre, community, and cause.

Some indie shops focus on specific genres like horror, mystery, or the ever-popular romance, while others take a stand on social issues like diversity or resisting book bans.

Now, St. Pete is getting its own new chapter in the indie bookstore movement: The Book Lounge, opening June 15th at 631 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete.

April 08, 2025

Inside The Nolen, a 23-story luxury condo tower, as it nears completion in downtown St. Pete

April 08, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Soaring 23 stories above downtown St. Pete, The Nolen is putting the final polish on its exclusive collection of 31 high-end condominiums.

The development team is preparing to welcome its first wave of residents by the end of May.

The Nolen, located at 126 4th Avenue Northeast, is being developed by Tampa-based DDA Development—led by Bowen Arnold and John Schilling—and St. Pete-based Backstreets Capital, led by Will Conroy.

“We’re working through our punch list with the crew, architects, and engineers. Once that’s complete, we’ll issue buyers a 10-day closing notice and conduct walk-throughs with them. We expect to close on about three units per day,” said Bowen Arnold, principal at DDA Development, in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

March 31, 2025

Downtown favorite Paradeco Coffee Roasters opens stunning new waterfront location in south St. Pete

March 31, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Downtown St. Petersburg’s beloved Paradeco Coffee Roasters is bringing its signature blend of specialty coffee and Art Deco charm to the waterfront with a second location in the Skyway Marina District.

The specialty coffee shop and cafe, which currently operates in the Plaza Tower & Courtyard Shops in downtown St. Pete, has quietly debuted at the newly revamped SkyBeach Resort, located at 6800 Sunshine Skyway Lane South.

The new poolside coffee spot, which features an impressive 3D-printed bar made from renewable and recyclable materials, is one of the latest additions to the 18-acre property, formerly known as the Magnuson Hotel Marina Cove, which recently underwent a significant rebrand and renovation after being purchased.

Impressed by the waterfront setting and extensive renovations at SkyBeach, husband-and-wife duo Thomas Maloney and Sonya Sarkar hope to replicate their downtown success in the resort’s more relaxed, coastal environment.

March 11, 2025

Corner Kitchen and Coffee House to take over Sweet Brewnette in Madeira Beach

March 11, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

The quaint Sweet Brewnette Cafe in Madeira Beach was one of many businesses that fell victim to Hurricanes Milton and Helene that hit Florida last year. However, a new cafe will rise in its place.

Similar to the beloved Sweet Brewnette Cafe, which is relocating to Panama City Beach, Corner Kitchen and Coffee House will serve made-from-scratch breakfast and lunch items, pastries, and coffee inside the corner building at 13999 Gulf Boulevard when it opens later this month.

“What Sweet Brewnette did was remarkable, and when I saw the space was available, I jumped on it,” said Corner Kitchen and Coffee House owner Jonathan Olejnik, who will run the new cafe with his fiancé, Victoria Helton.

March 06, 2025

Seymour’s is now open, serving up scratch-made NY-style eats in downtown St. Pete

March 06, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

The team behind Pete’s Bagels has opened their latest venture—a warm and welcoming Jewish-inspired cafe and coffee shop in downtown St. Pete.

Seymour’s quietly debuted last week at 407 Central Avenue, inside the historic 99-year-old Snell Arcade and directly across from the Residences at 400 Central, which will be the largest residential tower on Florida’s Gulf Coast once complete. The space was previously home to Samurai Cat Japanese Café and Bakery, and before that Beans and Barlour .

Seymour’s—named in honor of owner Steven Peterman’s grandfather—offers a menu of New York deli-style cuisine for breakfast and lunch and coffee courtesy of local roaster Look Alive Coffee.

“My grandfather was a typical guy from New Jersey with an upbeat attitude,” Peterman said in a recent interview with St. Pete Rising. “He was born in 1928 in Newark, NJ. He liked his bagels scooped, ate his pickles on the side, and loved a good rye bread sandwich.”