Choosing between a savory pizza and dessert is not really a problem at Quintal Brasil Pizza.

The new Pinellas Park restaurant serves both as part of its all-you-can-eat Brazilian-style pizza experience.

Quintal Brasil Pizza opened last month at 6119 Park Boulevard, in the plaza shared with Quan Ngon Bistro, Fat Cat Pizza & Dogs, and beangood coffee.

The restaurant is owned by Ray and Kaline Barreto, who also operate Brazilian pub Boteco Bossa Nova and Wildlife Acaí & Café in the same plaza.

Brazilian pizza is known for its thin crust, light layer of sauce, and toppings that may be less familiar to American pizza diners.

Quintal’s menu includes familiar pizzas like a Margherita with mozzarella, basil, and tomato, alongside Brazilian-style options such as the Portuguesa, topped with ham, hard-boiled eggs, onions, bell peppers, and olives.

There is also Sertaneja pizza with onions, coalho cheese, and cured beef, as well as a pie topped with hearts of palm and Catupiry, a creamy, spreadable Brazilian cheese.

Every pie is made with dough that uses beef tallow instead of vegetable oil, which gives the crust a richer, more savory flavor. Gluten-free dough is also available.

And yes, there is dessert pizza. Guests can order pies topped with banana, cinnamon, and Nutella, or the Romeu e Julieta, a sweet-and-savory combination of shredded mozzarella and guava paste.

Quintal Brasil Pizza offers an all-you-can-eat option, where guests pay one fixed price and can try as many savory and sweet flavors as they’d like. The service, known in Brazil as rodízio, is more commonly associated locally with Brazilian steakhouses.

Diners can also order full or half pizzas à la carte, with takeout and delivery available.

The all-you-can-eat experience is $34.90 or $39.90 per person, depending on the day. Kids ages 4 to 6 eat for $15.90, while kids ages 7 to 12 eat for $21.90.

Quintal Brasil Pizza is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It is closed Monday and Tuesday.

Follow the restaurant on Instagram and Facebook for updates.

A train is about to pull into downtown St. Petersburg, and it’s taking passengers somewhere unexpected.

Zubrick Magic Theatre is launching Moonlight Express, an immersive new magic show that will transform its theatre at 1211 1st Avenue North into “Zubrick Station.” The 18-and-over experience begins September 10th and will seat just 20 guests at a time.

Operated by award-winning Illusionists Chris and Ryan Zubrick, the 97-seat theater opened in 2021 in the EDGE District. It brought a family-friendly, 70-minute magic show featuring comedy, sleight-of-hand, and large-scale illusions to downtown St. Pete.

Moonlight Express will be held on select nights, while the theater’s main show will continue on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

For Moonlight Express, the theater’s lobby will remain familiar, but once guests enter the auditorium, the Zubricks promise to transport them into an entirely different world.

The regular seats will disappear behind printed backdrops, while a 22-foot façade of a luxury 1940’s train carriage will stretch across the stage. Theatrical lighting, immersive soundscape, a station clock, and other details will complete the setting.

“Returning patrons to the theatre won’t even recognize the space,” co-owner Ryan Zubrick said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “We’ve transformed the whole place, creating the illusion of the Zubrick Station.”

Guests will arrive at 7 p.m. for a complimentary glass of champagne and a sweet confection before the conductor calls for boarding. They will then take their seats inside the train-carriage façade for a 70-minute sleight-of-hand magic performance.

“There’s a lot of themes of travel and time and journey that are woven into the scripting and the experience,” Zubrick said. “It’s super immersive, very experiential, with a lot of sights, sounds, and theatrical elements.”

Although created and produced by Chris & Ryan Zubrick, the Moonlight Express show will be performed by magician Neil Fama, who recently moved to St. Petersburg from Alaska after leaving the military.

Fama, a native of Saipan, had known Ryan and Chris Zubrick for years before moving to the area. He has already become familiar to theatre guests through his pre-show close-up magic performances.

Before moving to St. Petersburg, Chris and Ryan spent 13 years performing in Saipan and Guam, where they staged more than 7,500 shows for over 2 million people.

The theater’s growing base of repeat guests helped inspire the Zubricks to develop a new offering.

“People want miracles that happen in their hands, right in front of their face,” Zubrick said. “We wanted to create something elevated for an audience of adults only, where maybe the kids get a babysitter and stay home.”

The idea for Moonlight Express came together as the couple reflected on train-themed experiences they encountered while traveling and considered what Fama’s close-up magic could bring to the theatre.

For the Zubricks, who said the theatre’s success has surpassed their original expectations, the new show is another way to keep things interesting for themselves and for the locals who return with each new visiting friend or family member.

The theater recently celebrated its fifth anniversary.

“I remember very vividly five years ago staying up at night going, ‘Is anyone going to buy a ticket?’” Zubrick said. “But the local community has supported us in ways beyond imagination.”

Initial Moonlight Express performances are scheduled on select Thursdays through early November, with additional dates expected to be announced at a later date.

Tickets are available through the Moonlight Express website.

The Beach Company

The Beach Company

The Beach Company

The Beach Company

The Beach Company

A 16-story apartment tower has been proposed across from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus, replacing a larger project approved for the same property last year.

The proposed development would rise at 446 4th Street South, at the northeast corner of 5th Avenue South and 4th Street South.

The 0.7-acre property is currently home to a 105-year-old commercial building previously occupied by Fresenius Kidney Care American Dialysis Center and an adjacent surface parking lot.

The project, which would be developed by Charleston, South Carolina-based The Beach Company, will contain 165 apartments, approximately 3,200 square feet of ground-floor retail space, a 176-space parking garage, and 178 bicycle spaces.

It’s a significant change from the development St. Petersburg City Council approved for the site in February 2025.

That earlier plan, led by St. Pete-based Stadler Development, called for a 21-story, 245-foot tower with 213 apartments, 2,250 square feet of commercial space, and a 230-space parking garage.

The Beach Company’s proposal would reduce the building’s height by 50 feet, eliminate 48 apartments, and provide 54 fewer parking spaces.

It would also increase the amount of retail space by roughly 950 square feet.

The 195-foot tower would have a floor area ratio (FAR) of 6.0, making it less dense than Stadler’s proposal, which had an FAR of 7.0—the maximum allowed under the site’s DC-2 (Downtown Center-2) zoning.

The new plans show retail fronting both 4th Street South and 5th Avenue South, with a residential lobby along 5th Avenue South.

The garage’s primary entrance would be on 5th Avenue South and an additional alley entrance from Delmar Terrace South.

The Beach Company

The Beach Company

Renderings show a multi-story parking podium wrapped in architectural screening. Above it, the apartment tower steps back from the street, creating an elevated amenity deck with a pool and landscaped courtyard.

Designed by Charlotte, North Carolina-based Housing Studio, the concept draws from Art Moderne and historic warehouse architecture, according to the application.

The proposed material palette includes masonry at the base, stucco on the upper floors, metal-panel accents, large windows, balconies, and screened garage openings.

The application estimates the project’s construction value at $54 million.

The Beach Company

The Beach Company

The Beach Company

The Beach Company

The Beach Company is a fifth-generation, family-owned real estate firm founded in 1945 by J.C. Long. The company develops, acquires, owns, leases, and manages multifamily, mixed-use, office, retail, industrial, resort, and master-planned residential properties across the Southeast.

It also operates related construction, commercial brokerage, residential brokerage, and investment-fund businesses.

In 2022, an affiliate of The Beach Company acquired a 260-unit apartment community in Orlando called Marina Landing.

The new site plan will go before St. Petersburg’s Development Review Commission on September 2nd.

No construction timeline was included in the application.

The first of two vessels that will launch the new Tampa Bay Ferry service arrived in Pinellas County on Monday, bringing the return of ferry service between downtown St. Pete and Tampa another step closer to reality.

The arrival comes as the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) has secured a $16.5 million federal grant to build a new 249-passenger vessel for the service, which is expected to launch later this year.

The 250-passenger Bay Breeze arrived at Tarpon Marine Services in Tarpon Springs on Monday and will now undergo inspections and refurbishment for passenger service.

A second vessel, the 149-passenger Bay Clipper, formerly known as the San Juan Clipper, is expected to arrive in Pinellas County within the next few weeks and will be refurbished at the same facility.

Both vessels will initially operate between the Vinoy Yacht Basin in downtown St. Pete and the Tampa Convention Center in downtown Tampa.

The trip is expected to take approximately 45 to 50 minutes, with one-way fares targeted at $10, compared to $12 during the Cross Bay Ferry’s final season. Discounts are also planned for seniors and riders with disabilities.

Service is expected to launch later this year following several months of refurbishment and inspections. PSTA plans to operate the ferry seven days a week, although the operating schedule and frequency of trips will be finalized at a later date.

“Having the Bay Breeze arrive here in Pinellas County is a major milestone and brings us one step closer to launching a reliable, sustainable, and long-term ferry service across the Bay,” PSTA CEO Brad Miller said in a statement.

PSTA used a $4.8 million Federal Transit Administration grant, originally awarded in 2021, to purchase and refurbish the Bay Breeze and Bay Clipper. The vessels will undergo refurbishment, painting, and other upgrades before entering passenger service.

The Bay Breeze was purchased from San Francisco, while the Bay Clipper previously operated as the San Juan Clipper, a whale-watching vessel in Seattle.

Meanwhile, PSTA is already making a significant investment in the long-term future of the ferry service.

On Monday, the agency received a $16.5 million federal grant to design and build a new ferry capable of carrying up to 249 passengers. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced the funding during an event at Port Tampa Bay.

The new vessel is expected to take several years to design and build and will be in addition to the two used vessels PSTA has already acquired, Bay Breeze and Bay Clipper.

The investment is part of an effort to establish a more permanent ferry service between St. Pete and Tampa.

The Cross Bay Ferry launched in 2016 using a single leased vessel and historically operated on a seasonal basis before expanding to year-round service in its final season.

“When we restarted this Tampa Bay Ferry service with PSTA, one of the talking points was, ‘We’re building this for 70 years, not seven,’” Tara Hubbard of Hubbard’s Ferry said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “We really want this to be a solid foundation.”

PSTA selected Hubbard’s Ferry last year to operate the new service after the Cross Bay Ferry ended in 2025 when Hillsborough County commissioners voted to terminate its agreement with former operator HMS Ferries.

Unlike its predecessor, the Tampa Bay Ferry will launch with two PSTA-owned vessels, providing greater reliability and allowing the service to operate seven days a week.

The new ferry is also part of a broader effort to expand waterborne transportation throughout the Tampa Bay region.

The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce formed a Waterborne Transit Subcommittee earlier this year to explore opportunities for additional routes and connections.

“We have a huge vision for waterborne transit in Tampa Bay,” Hubbard, who serves on the subcommittee, said. “We definitely want to see this grow. We want to see expanded routes. We want to see opportunities to connect to South Hillsborough and the beaches.”

Hubbard said multiple municipalities are now interested in connecting to ferry service, a shift from previous efforts to expand waterborne transportation in the region.

“The ferry has just been something that seems to catalyze everyone, from the business community to the transit community to regular folks who just want to get across the Bay,” Hubbard said.

St. Petersburg is also exploring plans for a permanent ferry dock on the St. Pete Pier near the St. Petersburg Museum of History. Early engineering estimates have placed the project cost between $2.64 million and just over $3 million.

Until the permanent dock is built, the Tampa Bay Ferry will operate from the Vinoy Yacht Basin in downtown St. Pete.

Popular West Coast coffee chain Dutch Bros Coffee is planning its first St. Petersburg location at the Tyrone Gardens shopping center in west St. Pete.

Plans have been submitted to the City of St. Petersburg for a new 986-square-foot Dutch Bros at 1050 58th Street North, fronting Tyrone Boulevard on the southwest side of the shopping center.

Like most Dutch Bros locations, the new coffee shop will be built around the drive-thru experience. Plans call for two drive-thru lanes and no indoor dining area.

An opening date has not been announced.

The new Dutch Bros will rise on the site of a 25,041-square-foot building that was recently demolished, making way for the coffee shop and two additional outparcel development pads along Tyrone Boulevard.

The St. Pete location is the latest piece of Dutch Bros’ growing presence in Pinellas County.

The county’s first Dutch Bros opened late last year at 2250 East Bay Drive in Largo, and another location has been proposed at the corner of Seminole Boulevard and Park Boulevard in Seminole.

Founded by brothers Dane and Travis Boersma in 1992, Dutch Bros has come a long way from its beginnings as a pushcart in Grants Pass, Oregon.

The brothers started the business after leaving their family’s dairy operation and have since grown it into a drive-thru beverage chain with more than 1,200 locations across the country, including dozens in Florida.

Dutch Bros offers a menu of coffee and espresso drinks, cold brew, teas, lemonades, smoothies, and its Rebel energy drinks.

Among its most popular coffee drinks are the Golden Eagle, a breve made with vanilla and caramel, and the Caramelizer, which is espresso, caramel, and chocolate milk.

Best-selling energy drinks include the Shark Attack, made with blue raspberry, coconut, and lime, topped with a pomegranate float, and the Aftershock, which combines strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, and lime.

The new location will also mark another round of investment at Tyrone Gardens, a 16.3-acre shopping center that has been part of west St. Pete since 1957 and currently contains approximately 175,000 square feet of retail space.

Today, the center is anchored by Winn-Dixie, Chuck E. Cheese, and Crunch Fitness, which opened in July 2023.

The owners of Tyrone Gardens, Brixmor Property Group, purchased the shopping center for $19 million in 2006.

The owners of Sola Bistro & Wine Bar are preparing to open a new Spanish tapas concept next door to their longtime St. Pete Beach restaurant.

Bararam, a 1,100-square-foot Spanish-inspired restaurant and bar, is expected to open this fall at 6702 Gulf Boulevard, adjacent to Sola Bistro + Wine Bar.

The concept is the latest venture from Tigran “Tig” Khachaturyan and Chef Artem “Art” Kucherenko, who have owned and operated Sola since 2015.

Bararam’s food menu will feature traditional Spanish tapas, including ceviche, pan con tomate, rabbit croquetas, Spanish omelets, and gildas, which are small skewers typically made with peppers, olives, and anchovies.

The drink menu will focus on Spanish wines, beers, ciders, and sangria, along with vermouth and sherry.

“At Bararam, we will try to stick to classic Spanish food and drinks, like what you would expect to get if you were traveling in Spain,” Khachaturyan said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “But we’ll include little twists here and there that are going to be fun.”

“We really like to include Armenian flavors when we can,” added Khachaturyan, who is originally from Armenia.

While Bararam will center around small plates and shareable snacks, Khachaturyan said customers looking for larger entrees will still be able to head next door to Sola, whose menu features heartier dishes influenced by Italian and French cuisine.

The idea for Bararam began taking shape after the former real estate office next to Sola became available earlier this year.

Rather than expanding Sola into the neighboring space, Khachaturyan and Kucherenko decided to create an entirely separate concept.

“The two businesses will technically be connected, but they’ll be two completely different concepts,” Khachaturyan said, explaining that Sola and Bararam will be linked by a saloon-style door. “Sola already has its identity as a small bistro where everybody knows each other. We didn’t want to lose that by expanding the dining room.”

Like Sola, Bararam's name has a personal connection to Khachaturyan's family. Bararam is named after his son, Aram, while Sola combines the names of his twin daughters.

In addition to food and drinks, Bararam will include a small retail market selling wine, olive oil, tinned seafood, and other specialty products.

Khachaturyan said the new concept will have a darker aesthetic than Sola, with a casual, communal atmosphere.

The bar will be standing room only, while the small dining area will have a handful of high-top and two-top tables.

The owners may eventually acquire a liquor license that would allow Bararam to add cocktails to its drink menu.

In the meantime, Khachaturyan and Kucherenko plan to begin introducing Spanish dishes at Sola ahead of Bararam's opening, allowing them to test recipes and get feedback from their regulars.

“The tourists always find us, but we really built this for the locals,” Kucherenko said of Sola's loyal customer base.

Unlike Sola, Bararam will be open for lunch, with expected hours from 11 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m.

Bararam is expected to open this fall.

Follow the restaurant on Facebook and Instagram for updates on its opening.

Pre-leasing is set to begin Saturday, August 15th, with move-ins scheduled after the new year at the first apartment community in Sky Town, an $800 million mixed-use development underway in St. Petersburg’s Skyway Marina District.

The 401-unit iMMiX Apartments, located at 3201 34th Street South, are part of the first phase of the 34.3-acre development being built on the former Ceridian office campus.

Once complete, Sky Town will include 2,084 apartments, 69,000 square feet of retail anchored by a 23,000-square-foot Sprouts Farmers Market, and 120,000 square feet of self-storage across six phases.

Coral Gables-based Altis Cardinal, led by developer Frank Guerra, broke ground on the iMMiX Apartments in September 2025, with Jacksonville-based Summit Contracting Group serving as general contractor.

Altis Cardinal

Altis Cardinal

Altis Cardinal

Of the 401 apartments in the first phase, 121 will be income-restricted workforce housing units with rents starting at $1,600 for studios, $1,700 for one-bedrooms, and $2,050 for two-bedrooms.

The remaining 280 apartments will be rented at market rates.

iMMiX Apartments will offer studios and one-, two-, and three-bedroom residences ranging from 562 to 1,370 square feet.

Apartment interiors feature Arctic White quartz countertops, upgraded fixtures and faucets, tiled showers, faux wood flooring, framed mirrors, nine-foot ceilings, Whirlpool black stainless-steel appliances, and full-size front-load washers and dryers.

Resident amenities include a fitness center, coworking center, clubroom, game room, rooftop lounge, and a 2,500-square-foot resort-style pool with private cabanas and lounge seating, and outdoor pizza and grilling kitchens.

The community will also feature garage parking, bicycle storage, a dog park, and a pet spa.

Within walking distance will be a new retail outparcel building fronting Sprouts to bring several new businesses to Sky Town, including Foxtail Coffee Co., 3Natives Acai, and Solis Mammography.

Pre-leasing begins Saturday, August 15th, with the first move-ins scheduled for after the new year. Prospective residents can contact the leasing office online or by phone at 727-606-9097.

South Carolina-based multifamily developer Greystar Real Estate Partners, in partnership with St. Pete-based Blake Investment Partners, has topped out The Henry at Whitney Village, a five-story, 325-unit apartment complex under construction in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District.

The building is located on 3.37 acres on the east side of the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA at 3200 1st Avenue South. Greystar purchased the property from the YMCA in January 2025 for $12 million.

“We are proud to have reached this important milestone and look forward to welcoming residents to the Henry at Whitney Village in Spring 2027,” David King, managing director for development at Greystar, said in a statement to St. Pete Rising.

The apartment complex is part of the first phase of Whitney Village, a five-acre mixed-use development on a portion of the YMCA property that will include apartments, retail, and a renovated YMCA facility.

The first phase also included an extensive renovation of the 25-year-old, 54,000-square-foot YMCA facility on the west side of the property, funded by proceeds from the property sale.

The second phase of Whitney Village, which is being led by Blake Investment Partners, will bring a 24,000-square-foot pedestrian-only retail village to the property.

A 60-unit apartment building will also be constructed on the corner of 1st Avenue South and 31st Street during the second phase.

“Whitney Village has been a thoughtful collaboration between Greystar, YMCA of St. Petersburg, and Blake Investment Partners and we are excited to see this development come to fruition after years of planning,” King said.

The Henry at Whitney Village will offer a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, complete with indoor and outdoor amenities.

At the heart of the community will be a courtyard featuring a pool with private cabanas, shuffleboard courts, ping pong tables, grill stations, fire pits, and lounge areas. Indoor amenities will include a pet spa with grooming stations, a sauna, a fitness center, coworking spaces, private offices, and bike storage.

Residents will also receive memberships to the adjacent YMCA.

The project will include a 600-space parking garage for residents, YMCA members, and retail shoppers.

The apartment building is expected to begin welcoming residents in spring 2027, with pre-leasing scheduled for December.

The Henry at Whitney Village is one of several projects Greystar is involved with in Pinellas County.

Greystar developed the 36-story Ascent St. Pete luxury apartment tower and 172-key AC Hotel by Marriott in downtown St. Pete, both of which opened in 2023, as well as the 412-unit Marlowe Gateway apartment community in north St. Pete, which opened in 2024. The company is also planning a new 376-unit apartment community in Largo.

Greystar is also redeveloping the former Home Shopping Network (HSN) campus in north St. Pete, with plans for a new industrial complex and an apartment community that will include affordable housing.

About two miles from the HSN site, Greystar recently completed a 61-acre, 622,270-square-foot industrial park at 2690 Gateway Centre Parkway, which is the largest industrial development delivered in Pinellas County in more than two decades.

Greystar is also a partner on the Burg Bid, the Blake Investment Partners-led proposal selected by Mayor Ken Welch to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District in downtown St. Pete.

A chain-link fence went up last week around the site of a planned 20-story mixed-use apartment tower expected to begin construction soon in the EDGE District of downtown St. Pete.

In a conversation with St. Pete Rising, PTM Partners said it is preparing the site for demolition to make way for EDGE Collective II, which will be located at the northwest corner of 11th Street South and 1st Avenue South.

The new tower will replace the former Dr. BBQ restaurant and the buildings that previously housed Pin on Cafe, EMOTO Electric Motorbikes, and Chai Mixology.

Pin on Cafe has since relocated to 2458 Central Avenue and rebranded as Pin on Grand.

After the site has been cleared, production pile installation is expected to begin in September or early October, pending final coordination with Duke Energy on utility relocations, followed by vertical construction.

The first phase of EDGE Collective was completed in 2024 and included the 163-key Moxy hotel and renovation of the three-story building at 1246 Central Avenue, now home to Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine and Amorino Gelato.

The second phase, which was initially announced in November 2023, will include around 330 apartments, 17,000 to 18,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and roughly 280 to 290 parking spaces.

Earlier plans included a second, smaller apartment building on the surface parking lot along Central Avenue between Sweetgreen and The Candle Pour.

However, PTM Partners has removed that building from the current phase and will now use the property as a construction staging and laydown area.

Although the second phase will include fewer apartments than initially planned, its central feature remains: a series of mid-block paseos and arcades connecting Central Avenue and 1st Avenue South.

“We want it to be a found street,” Nicholas Pantuliano, managing principal of PTM Partners, said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “The whole point is discovery.”

The interior corridors will connect smaller storefronts along Central Avenue and 11th Street South with larger retail spaces facing 1st Avenue South.

PTM Partners expects the retail space to include a mix of national and local businesses, with opportunities for restaurants, art galleries, and other smaller operators.

“The intention is to create corridors off Central where residents, pedestrians, and visitors can find different experiences,” said Michael Tillman, CEO of PTM Partners.

Tillman added that they believe 1st Avenue South will become increasingly important as development moves forward across the street at the Historic Gas Plant District.

“Central Avenue is amazing, but so is 1st Avenue South,” Tillman said. “Whatever ends up happening on the Gas Plant site will only make that 1st Avenue South corridor more pedestrianized and more active.”

Residents of the new apartment tower will have access to a seventh-floor amenity deck featuring a pool, spa, fitness center, coworking and meeting spaces, and a media room.

The community will also have a huge health and wellness focus, with regularly scheduled classes and events for residents.

“There’s no other apartment community in this market with a year-round, community-based approach to health and wellness,” said Tillman. “We’re looking at it as a holistic urban wellness retreat.”

“We want to create a real sense of community within the building. You could build the nicest building in the city, but if people don’t form relationships within it, residents won’t feel compelled to stay,” he added.

St. Pete-based Storyn Studio designed EDGE Collective II, and Balfour Beatty will serve as general contractor.

Construction is expected to take more than two years with an estimated completion in late 2028.

A new wine bar and bottle shop specializing in Old World wines is getting ready to open in South Pasadena.

Owners Michael De Salvia and Peter Celli are opening Dolcetto & Co. - Wine Merchant and Wine Bar at 6800 Gulfport Boulevard South, Suite 113, within a large shopping plaza that's also home to Walmart, CVS, Anytime Fitness, and Ace Hardware.

Dolcetto & Co. is expected to open this fall following renovations to the 2,100-square-foot space, which was formerly occupied by Books at Park Place.

The space will be divided roughly in half, with a four-foot barrier separating the retail bottle shop from the wine bar.

De Salvia says Dolcetto & Co. will specialize in traditional Old World wines from France, Italy, and Spain, with selections ranging from moderately priced bottles to premium offerings.

The shop will open with around 750 different products, with plans to expand its inventory over time. Sparkling wines, including Champagne and Prosecco, will also be available, along with a smaller selection of California wines.

“We’ll still offer wine at economy prices, but we're also going to slant a little more toward luxury and premium-type selections,” De Salvia says in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “We’re striving to be a boutique style, higher end kind of a shop. We won’t carry the same products as the big box stores in the area.”

Every bottle sold in Dolcetto & Co.'s retail shop will also be available to drink at the bar for an additional corkage fee. Guests can also choose from more than 40 wines offered by the glass.

The bar will feature customizable wine flights alongside a small food menu that is still being developed. A selection of cheeses and charcuterie may be offered, although De Salvia says Dolcetto's food program will be “somewhat unconventional” for a wine bar.

Dolcetto & Co. is expected to seat up to 45 guests across its L-shaped bar, lounge, and high-top tables, with plans to eventually add outdoor seating.

“The name Dolcetto is a kind of a play on an Italian grape, as well as a common term in their language, so there will be a little bit of an old-world, Italian kind of theme in here,” De Salvia says, describing a low-lit atmosphere with a warm color palette.

He also plans to host a variety of wine-focused events after Dolcetto & Co. opens, including tastings, live music, and interactive pairings.

Both De Salvia and Celli have extensive experience in the local wine industry. De Salvia spent years as a sales representative for Southern Glazer’s, while Celli served as the wine consultant for Pasadena Liquors & Fine Wines for more than 20 years.

Pasadena Liquors, a family-run business that operated in South Pasadena for five decades, closed last year. Its closure helped inspire De Salvia and Celli to join forces and bring another specialty bottle shop to the neighborhood, just around the corner from the former community staple.

“After that closure, I just felt that there was a hole in the market. I think this area really needs and deserves something like this,” De Salvia says. “With our location in this high-traffic plaza, we expect to get out of the gate pretty fast.”

Dolcetto & Co. will join a growing number of wine-focused concepts opening around St. Petersburg, including Nightwatch, Bouquet & Bordeaux, Velvet Coupe, and Volta Wine + Market. Most of those concepts, however, are concentrated closer to downtown St. Pete.

“I love seeing the advancement of wine culture in downtown St. Pete, I just feel like it may get a little oversaturated,” De Salvia says. “I wanted to bring a little bit of that scene out here; I almost feel like I have this whole corner of town to myself.”

Dolcetto & Co.'s retail shop will be open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The wine bar will operate Wednesday through Saturday, opening at 11 a.m. and offering later service on Fridays and Saturdays.

The next phase of the Rainbow Village redevelopment in Largo is taking shape, with four new apartment buildings planned as part of a long-term effort expected to deliver approximately 400 affordable homes to the community.

Newstar Development, in partnership with the Pinellas County Housing Authority, recently filed construction permits for Grand Oaks, the third phase of the four-phase redevelopment at 13224 Washington Drive in Largo’s Greater Ridgecrest neighborhood.

Grand Oaks will replace 62 older public housing units with four three-story apartment buildings containing 120 affordable apartments for families earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income (AMI).

The $48.7 million development will include 33 one-bedroom apartments measuring 741 square feet, 60 two-bedroom apartments measuring 1,066 square feet, and 27 three-bedroom apartments measuring 1,341 square feet.

Residents will have access to a clubhouse and community building with a fitness center, sports courts, green space, and an attached wellness center, along with a playground and youth recreation center.

According to the development team, Newstar recently received a competitive 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit award from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. The credits will generate equity for the project through Raymond James Affordable Housing Investments.

Grand Oaks’ financing package also includes a construction loan from SouthState Bank, a permanent loan from Capital One, a Local Government Area of Opportunity loan from Pinellas County and funding from the Pinellas County Housing Authority.

The project is now undergoing credit underwriting, permitting, and plan review with Pinellas County.

Construction is expected to begin in January 2027, with completion projected for the third quarter of 2028.

The redevelopment’s first phase began with Heritage Oaks, an 80-unit affordable senior apartment community that opened last year at 13060 Washington Drive.

The $31 million project replaced 48 aging duplex and triplex public housing units with a three-story building containing 74 one-bedroom apartments and six two-bedroom apartments. Amenities include a fitness center, computer lab, shuffleboard court and small dog park.

Construction is also progressing on Ridgecrest Oaks, the second phase of the redevelopment, located to the east of Heritage Oaks.

The 80-unit affordable senior community was approximately 68% complete as of June 30th, according to Newstar Development.

Construction is expected to wrap up in November, with lease-up and resident move-ins beginning in December.

Plans also call for a fourth and final phase, Grand Oaks II, which would replace the remaining 63 older public housing units to the north of the first three phases with another 120 affordable apartments.

In addition to housing, Grand Oaks II is planned to include green space, a sports court, and commercial space for a Head Start early childhood education facility.

Residents displaced during construction will receive Tenant Protection Vouchers to cover rent during relocation, along with additional relocation assistance provided under the Uniform Relocation Act.

The multi-phase redevelopment is part of the Greater Ridgecrest Master Plan, a long-term partnership between residents and Pinellas County focused on improved housing, safer pedestrian infrastructure, new parks, and neighborhood amenities.

The project also aligns with the Advantage Pinellas Housing Compact, a countywide initiative to expand affordable-housing access.

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) is shelving its terminal expansion plans in favor of a renovation project to modernize the existing facility.

Located in north St. Pete at 14700 Terminal Boulevard, PIE serves more than 2 million travelers annually and offers nonstop routes to more than 60 cities, primarily through Allegiant Air.

Since 2023, the airport has been preparing for an expansion that would add gates for existing and future airlines, consolidate Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints, and improve passenger boarding.

However, as engineers and architects developed schematic designs, the cost of the terminal expansion climbed from a projected $110 million to more than $200 million.

After meetings with airport staff, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the TSA, a new priority emerged: modernizing the current terminal and addressing aging infrastructure.

“Rather than continue to move forward, we exercised due diligence and took the opportunity to stop and reassess the program,” Airport Director Mark Sprague said during a Pinellas County Commission workshop last week.

The terminal renovation plan includes 13 components, such as sewer and roof work, restroom upgrades, replacing two existing jet bridges, a fire-control-panel upgrade, updated signage and columns, a new wall along the terminal’s south side, and renovations to the rental-car counters, baggage area and ticketing space.

The project would also add four jet bridges and a second level for baggage claim.

The new plan would cost $145 million and would be funded through airport revenues, the FAA, and FDOT, allowing PIE to remain debt-free.

“We are not abandoning future expansion. We are just sequencing our investments differently,” the PIE team explained in a report.

“Our immediate priority is modernizing the existing terminal and improving operational efficiency. The revised program still includes approximately 40,000 square feet of strategic expansion while preserving flexibility for future growth as passenger demand warrants.”

A future terminal expansion could add four to five passenger boarding bridges and nearly double the airport’s gate count from 12 to 22, supporting up to 4.5 million travelers annually.

Currently, one gate door is used to board three aircraft, a setup Sprague said creates significant operational inefficiencies.

“An ultra-low-cost carrier aircraft should be able to come in, offload, and reload in 40 minutes,” Sprague said. “Because of our inefficiencies, it takes 60 to 120 minutes to turn that aircraft around.”

While Allegiant remains the airport’s leading airline, BermudAir will begin offering seasonal nonstop flights to Turks and Caicos, Belize, and Anguilla in December.

Sun Country, which is owned by Allegiant Air, also offers direct service to Minneapolis.

“In order to bring a new airline that can sustain growth, we need to modernize the terminal first,” Sprague said, responding to commissioners’ comments regarding efforts to attract additional airlines. “We need to fix all our inefficiencies in order for the current terminal to be much more easily accessible and customer-friendly.”

Pending approvals, construction on the terminal renovation project is anticipated to begin in late 2028 and be completed by 2032.

With the rescoped plan, the airport is seeking to amend two previously approved agreements with Manhattan Construction Group, serving as the construction manager, and C&S Companies, the architectural and engineering firm for the terminal improvements.

PIE also plans to enter a new five-year operating agreement with Allegiant that would increase fees and result in an additional $1.2 million in revenue in 2027.

Pinellas County commissioners will vote on the terminal renovation contracts and Allegiant agreement at a September board meeting.

Separate from the modernization plan and amended contracts, PIE is also preparing to begin construction on a new four-story parking garage.

The garage, budgeted at $60 million and funded through airport revenues, is expected to break ground in January 2027 and replace the current Strawberry PIE economy lot.

Tampa-founded coffee roaster Buddy Brew Coffee is crossing the bridge with its first Pinellas County cafe, opening inside the Sprouts Farmers Market at 7263 Seminole Boulevard in Seminole Plaza.

The new in-store cafe will celebrate its grand opening Friday, August 14th, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Buddy Brew will offer $3 drinks throughout the day, and the first 25 guests will receive gift bags with exclusive merchandise, gift cards and other goodies. One guest will also win free coffee for a year.

The Seminole outpost is part of a new partnership between Buddy Brew and Sprouts that will bring 10 coffee bars to select Sprouts stores across Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida this year. Planned locations include Palm Harbor, South Tampa, Riverview, New Tampa, Trinity, Carrollwood, Valrico and South Sarasota.

The first Sprouts x Buddy Brew cafe opened June 17th at the Sprouts in Westchase.

The Seminole cafe will serve Buddy Brew’s handcrafted espresso drinks, cold brew, smoothies and specialty beverages, along with breakfast items and pastries.

Menu highlights include the Honey Lavender Flat White, Strawberry Matcha and Carrot Cake Latte, as well as the Berry Beach Smoothie, made with strawberries, mango, blueberries and pineapple.

Food options include a Pistachio Chili Fig Toast with whipped feta and ricotta, crushed pistachios, chili fig jam and honey.

“At Sprouts, we’re always looking for thoughtful ways to enhance the in-store experience while supporting local partners that share our values,” Sprouts COO and President Nick Konat said in an announcement.

“Partnering with Buddy Brew Coffee brings a locally loved, quality-driven cafe experience into our stores,” he added.

Buddy Brew was officially founded in 2009, though co-founders Dave and Susan Ward began roasting beans in their South Tampa garage in 2002. The company was named for the couple’s Labrador retriever, Buddy, and has since grown into a full-time roasting operation with eight standalone cafes across Tampa Bay.

The partnership builds on an existing relationship between the companies, as Sprouts already carries Buddy Brew whole-bean coffee in its stores. It also follows the specialty grocer’s model of working with regional coffee roasters for in-store cafes in other markets, including Klatch Coffee in Southern California and Press Coffee in Arizona.

The Seminole Sprouts is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

A new spot for açaí bowls, poke, and coffee is coming to Treasure Island this fall.

Kaia Bowls will open in October at 111 107th Avenue, Unit A, in the same plaza as Gigi’s Italian Restaurant and Lana’s Lounge. The space was previously occupied by Vine and Grind, which relocated to 7230 Central Avenue and rebranded as Brick Road Olive Oil Company.

The 1,300-square-foot café will be Kaia Bowls’ seventh Tampa Bay location, joining existing shops in downtown St. Pete, Clearwater, Clearwater Beach, Madeira Beach, Safety Harbor and Ybor City. The company also operates one location in Illinois, with additional outposts planned for Gainesville and Miami.

Kaia Bowls offers sweet and savory bowls made with health-conscious ingredients. Its savory menu includes poke bowls with tuna, salmon, shrimp, chicken, or tofu, along with toppings such as avocado, rice, edamame, cucumbers, and seaweed salad.

Sweet selections include açaí, pitaya, chia pudding, coconut, and oatmeal bowls topped with fruit, granola, almonds, honey, peanut butter, coconut flakes, hemp seeds, and raw cacao nibs.

The menu also includes avocado toast, juices, and smoothies.

Because each Kaia Bowls location is independently operated by a franchisee, the Treasure Island café will have a few features not found at every location.

“We’re excited to share our vision for creating a place where neighbors, visitors, and families can gather over fresh, healthy food and exceptional coffee,” franchisee Allison James wrote in an email to St. Pete Rising.

James’ location will be the franchise’s first to feature an espresso machine and dedicated coffee program.

She also plans to host community events centered around art and fundraising.

“I’ve lived in Treasure Island for the last four years, and the one thing that I really felt was missing was a local coffee shop,” James said. “My goal is to ultimately build a community around it. It wasn’t so much about wanting to open a franchise, but wanting to open a business in the community that I live in.”

Clearwater residents Marc and Cristinela Ancuta took over Kaia Bowls in 2022 and began offering franchise opportunities in 2024.

Inspired by their global travels, the couple sought to create a health-focused restaurant brand that combines international flavors with nutritious ingredients.

Once open, Kaia Bowls in Treasure Island is expected to operate daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Follow the location on Facebook and Instagram for the latest offerings and grand opening updates.

Pinellas Ale Works is expanding with a second location in Lealman.

The St. Pete brewery will open PAW Taps & Tails this fall at 5518 Haines Road North, taking over the former Dissent Craft Brewing Company taproom following its closure last summer.

The 2,400-square-foot taproom will serve as an extension of Pinellas Ale Works’ flagship brewery in the Grand Central District, which opened in 2016.

PAW Taps & Tails will feature up to 38 taps, communal seating, and retail space with dog-related merchandise, including toys, collars and treats. A food truck is also planned for the future, according to Brewery Liaison and General Manager Jeromy J. Dana.

The new taproom will also have a large parking lot, an amenity the flagship location lacks.

No major renovations are planned, but cosmetic updates will allow the taproom to offer significantly more seating than Dissent did.

Pinellas Ale Works acquired much of Dissent’s brewing equipment following the brewery’s closure and Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing. Some of that equipment has since been sold and removed, opening up more room for tables and guests.

The new location will also give PAW more production capacity. The brewery plans to brew beer at the Haines Road taproom and could eventually add cider to the mix.

Its current lineup includes the Milk Bone stout, Puppy Love hazy IPA, Schwarzhound dark German lager, and the award-winning 1888 Russian Imperial Stout.

Dana, who served as Dissent’s head brewer for several years, said the new taproom will include subtle nods to its predecessor and the customers who supported it.

“We’re trying to pay homage to Dissent, in some ways,” Dana said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “We want to leave some nuances that will remind previous patrons of what it was, while doing our best to pay it forward.”

Like the Grand Central location, PAW Taps & Tails is expected to host live music, trivia nights, and monthly Yappy Hour events benefiting local animal shelters.

Along with beer, customers will find nonalcoholic options including kombucha, seltzers and sodas.

Dana credited owner Dennis Decker’s traditional brewing approach for helping Pinellas Ale Works build a loyal following over the past decade.

“Dennis has a really traditional approach to brewing. He never cuts corners with the process,” Dana said. “If it wasn’t a great product, I don’t think people would be showing up like they have been for the past 10 years.”

PAW Taps & Tails is expected to be open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Follow Pinellas Ale Works on Instagram and Facebook for the latest updates on its second location in St. Pete.

Red Mesa Mercado’s west St. Pete location is permanently closing less than a year after opening.

The Red Mesa team announced on social media earlier today that its Cali-Mex restaurant at 6001 Central Avenue will close August 16th.

Red Mesa Mercado’s original location in the EDGE District at 1100 1st Avenue North, along with Red Mesa Restaurant at 4912 4th Street North, will remain open.

The 150-seat restaurant opened in October 2025 in the former Two Graces and Reading Room space.

It was Red Mesa Mercado’s second location and featured a full-liquor bar, table service, and a more sit-down-focused experience than the original Mercado’s window-service model.

Red Mesa first announced plans for the west St. Pete location in late 2022, and the restaurant took about three years to open.

“We worked hard to adapt the concept, but after months of trying, it was no longer sustainable,” the Red Mesa team wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday morning.

“While economic challenges certainly played a role, we recognize that those challenges and our own economic risks are part of being business owners. We gave it everything we had, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough,” the post continued.

The team said many Mercado employees are in the process of transferring to other Red Mesa restaurants where positions are available.

The announcement comes two months after Red Mesa Cantina permanently closed after 16 years at 128 3rd Street South in downtown St. Pete.

Veytia Ventures LLC, the company that owns and operates the Red Mesa concepts, recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which is a process that allows a business to reorganize its finances and debts.

Red Mesa Mercado’s west St. Pete location will remain open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. through August 16th.

Pinellas County will soon get its first Shake Shack.

The popular burger chain plans to open at 1165 Park Boulevard in Seminole City Center, a 37-acre, open-air retail and restaurant plaza in Seminole.

The restaurant will take over the former Pieology Pizzeria space, according to a recently issued building permit for a partial demolition and interior buildout.

Pieology closed in June 2025, after eight years in business. Its parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy that December.

Shake Shack currently has more than 690 locations worldwide, including more than 445 in the U.S. and more than 245 internationally, according to its June 2026 company update.

Shake Shack’s existing Tampa Bay area locations include International Plaza and Midtown Tampa, as well as a Wesley Chapel restaurant that opened in 2024 with the area’s first Shake Shack drive-thru.

The chain began in 2001 as a hot dog cart in New York City’s Madison Square Park, launched to raise money for a public art project.

It has since grown into a national brand known for its made-to-order Angus beef burgers, crinkle-cut fries and frozen-custard shakes.

The menu includes the signature ShackBurger, chicken sandwiches, flat-top hot dogs, and the vegetarian Shroom Burger, which features a fried portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheeses.

Guests can also order fries with cheese sauce and hand-spun shakes made with frozen custard.

At Seminole City Center, Shake Shack will join nearby tenants CAVA and Verizon.

Elsewhere in the shopping center, Beach Pizza recently opened at 7724 113th Street North, while Pepe’s Cantina is preparing to open at 7756 113th Street North in the former Maple Street Biscuit Company space, as first reported by St. Pete Rising.

A Japanese mini truck is being transformed into a mobile café that will soon serve specialty coffee around St. Pete.

Evangeline’s Cafe is expected to debut later this summer, serving espresso drinks, matcha, chai, and more from the bed of a converted kei truck.

Owner Evangeline Fox plans to take the mobile café to local markets, concerts, art shows, and other events throughout St. Pete.

Fox, 25, moved from Maryland in 2019 to attend Eckerd College. While studying there, she became immersed in the local hospitality scene and developed an appreciation for the city’s independent coffee shops.

That sense of community is what eventually pushed her to start a café of her own.

“My friends and I would go to local coffee shops all the time, and I just saw how naturally a community could form around something as simple as a cup of coffee,” Fox said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “For me, it’s all about how coffee can connect people.”

Over the past few years, Fox has worked at a number of local coffee shops and said the experience has helped her realize she wanted to build something more personal.

“I think a part of me started this company as a kind of a rebellion to the cookie-cutter, corporate-type cafés,” Fox said. “What I love about St. Pete is everybody here is very local, and I really, really want to hone in on that kind of energy.”

Fox is now wrapping up the truck’s buildout. The setup will include countertops, storage, water tanks and a colorful awning over the bed.

A VV Flat Izzo espresso machine will sit in the bed of the kei truck.

Three stools will face the espresso machine from the other side, giving Fox a chance to chat with customers while she makes their drinks.

She may also add a few tables and chairs next to the truck to give each pop-up more of an outdoor café feel.

Fox is still deciding which local roaster will supply her coffee beans, but the menu will include espresso-based drinks, matcha, chai and homemade lemonade.

Specialty lattes made with housemade syrups will be named after friends and family members.

The kei truck is also a nod to Fox’s childhood. She describes herself as a military kid who lived in several different cities growing up, including Japan.

“The coolest place I ever got to live was Japan,” Fox said. “The converted truck kind of pays homage to my experience there and the nomadic lifestyle I had as a kid.”

In addition to drinks, Fox hopes to team up with other St. Pete small businesses to offer pastries and other treats.

“The fun part about working in St. Pete is that I’ve met so many different characters and possible collaborators,” Fox said. “When I start selling food, I’d like to work with a local baker to showcase their pastries.”

Once it opens, Evangeline’s Cafe will be available for catering in addition to its regular pop-ups around St. Pete.

Follow Evangeline’s Cafe on Instagram for opening updates and upcoming pop-up locations.

A former church property in St. Pete’s Lake Euclid neighborhood could soon become an affordable homeownership community.

Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside plans to build 14 affordable single-family homes at 2500 16th Street North, the former home of St. Bede Episcopal Church.

The church, constructed in 1952, was demolished in 2023.

Last July, Habitat purchased the vacant two-acre property from the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida for $1.4 million.

The local Habitat chapter initially considered building up to 39 townhomes on the site. However, following community meetings and further financial analysis, the organization shifted to a smaller single-family home development.

“After numerous community meetings with the Lake Euclid neighborhood, and looking at multiple pro forma scenarios, we decided single-family homes were the best route for us,” Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside CEO Mike Sutton said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

The development, named St. Bede’s, will honor the former church and its legacy. Habitat also plans to recruit prospective homeowners through local Episcopal churches.

The homes will average about 1,500 square feet and will primarily include three-bedroom, two-bathroom floor plans with one- and two-car garages.

“This site was interesting to us due to our relationship with the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida,” Sutton said. “They are involved with the project from a collaboration standpoint.”

Habitat expects to receive site plan approval from the City of St. Petersburg by the end of the year. Construction is expected to begin sometime in 2027.

As with all Habitat projects, prospective buyers must earn between 30% and 80% of the area median income (AMI), demonstrate a need for safe and stable housing, show they can repay a mortgage, and commit to Habitat’s homeownership program.

Before closing on their new home, they must complete 38 homebuyer education classes covering budgeting, financial literacy and home maintenance, along with 350 to 450 hours of sweat equity.

Participants can earn those hours by volunteering at construction sites and build homes for other families in the program.

In return, buyers receive a fixed-rate, zero-interest mortgage.

Mortgage payments are then reinvested through a revolving fund that helps Habitat build additional homes throughout the region.

Since 1985, Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside has built more than 1,000 homes.

The St. Bede’s project is part of a broader effort by Habitat to partner with churches that own aging or underutilized properties.

As attendance declines and maintenance costs rise, some congregations are selling properties, merging with other churches, or reinvesting proceeds into new facilities.

Habitat is also planning a 100-townhome community at the former First Assembly of God church property on Wyatt Street in Largo, adjacent to its 54-unit Longlake Preserve townhome development.

The Wyatt Street site was recently rezoned for residential development. Sutton said Habitat is fundraising for infrastructure and negotiating potential subsidies with Pinellas County and the City of Largo, with construction anticipated to begin in 2027.

In Seminole, Habitat plans to demolish Lake Seminole Presbyterian Church at 8505 113th Street and replace it with 18 affordable villas for residents 55 and older. Habitat would work with the congregation to construct a new sanctuary as part of the project.

Notably, none of the church-property projects are using the state’s new Yes In God’s Backyard or YIGBY, framework, which allows qualifying religious institutions to pursue affordable housing development on land they own regardless of underlying zoning.

Sutton said the YIGBY legislation offers limited value for Habitat’s equity-building homeownership model, as the program is primarily geared toward rental housing rather than ownership opportunities.

Belleair Coffee Company will replace The Blend’s former flagship cafe in the Old Northeast this fall.

The local coffee company, which has operated in Belleair Bluffs for ten years, is opening its third location at 1211 4th Street North, where it will serve house-roasted specialty coffee, baked goods, breakfast and lunch items, beer, and wine.

“I couldn't be more excited for this because that neighborhood is amazing,” co-owner Chris Whalen said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “I feel like they’re going to appreciate the kind of thing we're trying to do, which is an elevated coffee experience in a really comfortable atmosphere.”

Whalen said his team took over the 2,500-square-foot cafe this past Saturday and is targeting an early October opening after some cosmetic upgrades.

The Blend announced the closure of its 4th Street North location last week after six years in business, citing an effort to consolidate operations amid its ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.

“I have to give props to The Blend because they did a very nice buildout on this location,” Whalen said.

Belleair Coffee Company roasts its own specialty coffee in-house at their Belleair Bluffs location.

The company sources single-origin beans from countries including Colombia, Ethiopia and Nicaragua, with an emphasis on medium roasts designed to produce a smooth, balanced cup.

“If you're roasting the beans correctly, you're not going to need a lot of sugar and artificial sweeteners to sweeten it up,” Whalen said. “But we also like to be creative and run specials like our Lucky Charms latte. Those can be a lot of fun as well.”

Seasonal drinks rotate throughout the year. Current offerings include a Peach Cobbler Latte with peach syrup, white mocha, vanilla and cinnamon.

The food menu will feature baked goods such as donuts, cookies, muffins and croissants, plus breakfast sandwiches, quiche and salads.

The new cafe will host weekend live music, open mic nights, trivia and coffee education events.

Whalen and his wife, Cammie, opened their first cafe in 2016 at 100 Indian Rocks Road North in Belleair Bluffs.

Last year, they purchased Largo’s former Olde Florida Brewing building at 1158 7th Street Northwest for their second location. The larger cafe added beer, wine, live music and a slightly more social tap-house atmosphere.

The couple is also exploring future expansion in Tampa, but Whalen said they are focused on growing thoughtfully.

“We love being able to represent our Belleair community,” Whalen said. “Having these strong regional ties is a part of what makes our company authentic. It's hard to grow at scale, but we've been trying to do it by not biting off more than we can chew.”

The Old Northeast cafe is expected to be open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. once it debuts in October.

Be sure to follow Belleair Coffee Company on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on the latest offerings and grand opening plans.