Local herbal school to serve teas, tonics, and coffee at half-acre garden oasis in west St. Pete

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Local herbal school to serve teas, tonics, and coffee at half-acre garden oasis in west St. Pete

A once dusty, fenced-in daycare yard in west St. Pete has been transformed into an herbal garden oasis, now featuring a unique coffee and tea cart that serves drinks with a healing twist.

The half-acre garden, which features a walking path winding through hundreds of medicinal and edible plants, sits behind the Traditions School of Herbal Studies and its sister company Acupuncture & Herbal Therapies at 6340 Central Avenue.

“I want the outdoor teaching garden to be a place where people can gather to sip tea, meditate, converse, and relax,” said founder Bob Linde in a discussion with St. Pete Rising.

Founded by Linde in 2005, Traditions offers acupuncture treatments and education on plant medicine, and houses the largest apothecary in the Southeast with over 2,000 Western and Chinese herbs used to treat everything from simple headaches to more serious ailments, including cancer.

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Mediterranean cafe and wine bar Ruya to open in the Grand Central District this summer

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Mediterranean cafe and wine bar Ruya to open in the Grand Central District this summer

A new café and wine bar designed to evoke the laid-back spirit of Morocco, where people sip beverages and socialize throughout the day, is coming to downtown St. Petersburg.

The café, called Ruya (from the Arabic word ru’yah, meaning “vision” or “dream”), will serve coffee, tea, beer, wine, and Moroccan pastries when it opens this summer at 2200 1st Avenue South in the Grand Central District.

The space previously housed If I Brewed the World, a microbrewery that closed on March 8.

“It’ll feel like you’re leaving St. Pete for the Mediterranean, but you’re never really leaving,” owner Sarah Aitcadi told St. Pete Rising.

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Qargo Coffee to open next month, bringing Italian coffee and pastries to the EDGE District

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Qargo Coffee to open next month, bringing Italian coffee and pastries to the EDGE District

Qargo Coffee, a small but rapidly growing coffee company headquartered in Miami, is bringing its Italian coffee and pastries to downtown St. Pete.

The company will open a new 1,200-square-foot café at 924 Central Avenue, located at the base of the 930 Central Flats apartment building. The space was previously home to Indian restaurant Spice Culture Express.

While no opening date has been set, the interior buildout of the café is complete, and employee training has begun.

The concept was first announced on St. Pete Rising in September 2023.

This will be Qargo’s second location in the Tampa Bay region. The company currently operates a kiosk-style café in Tampa's International Plaza and Bay Street mall.

Qargo Coffee uses beans from Lavazza, Italy’s most popular coffee roaster, for its drip coffee, cold brew, and espresso-based drinks.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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