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New offerings in St. Petersburg: gourmet food to grilled cheese, Boho chic to high-end bongs

 
A new business, Central Melt, will occupy the old Fountain and Restaurant space at 685 Central Ave. The restaurant will sell several kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches.
A new business, Central Melt, will occupy the old Fountain and Restaurant space at 685 Central Ave. The restaurant will sell several kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches.
Published April 16, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG — More than a dozen new businesses are open, or in the works, along four blocks of Central Avenue on the edge of downtown.

Many of the new retailers are the result of turnover caused by rent increases along the avenue's 600 block, known as the "arts block." Five years ago, when the block was rundown and saw little retail traffic, artists were enticed with rents as low as $5 a square foot.

Those contracts expired at the end of last year and new rates in the range of $20 a square foot have meant new tenants. Here's a look at some of the newer faces in the 500 through 900 blocks of Central Avenue:

A pizza joint is opening soon in the space St. Pete Brasserie vacated 18 months ago at 533 Central Ave. Tony's Pizza, which also has stores in Dunedin and downtown Clearwater, promises "real" New York-style pizza by the slice and late weekend hours.

Brick & Mortar Kitchen & Wine Bar is opening soon at 539 Central Ave. Husband-and-wife team Jason and Hope Ruhe have run In Bloom Catering & Event Planning in Tampa for almost 10 years.

The restaurant's logo with a fork sprouting roots is a nod to the local, seasonal produce it will feature. The decor includes a wall and bar built out of reclaimed pallet wood.

In Bloom's catering menu offers a hint of things to come at Brick & Mortar. It includes truffled chicken liver pate with roasted grapes, paella, marinated black cod with coconut milk broth, and blackened gulf shrimp on small sweet corn pancakes known as blinis.

The Cider Press Cafe is slated to open in July in the former Sunspot Cafe space at 601 Central Ave. It's an expansion of a raw vegan restaurant by the same name in Naples that serves plant-based, gluten-free food with no animal products.

Menu items include an avocado BLT with vegetable bacon, tomato pesto flat bread with cashew ricotta, garden lasagna, enchiladas and sushi made of watermelon, mango, rice and avocado. It also offers dairy-free key lime pie.

At 611 Central Ave., Fourward Glass is opening this month. The sleek-looking, 1,200-square-foot store will sell decorative glass and glass devices used for smoking.

According to spokeswoman Brook Boyd, the glass is artistic, colorful and unlike typical glass smoking devices. Prices on the Fourward Glass website are $200 to $250 per piece.

A few doors down, the building at 661 Central has undergone a major renovation by Boyd Construction that will be completed within weeks. The 6,300-square-foot building was built in 1922. Boyd has completely restored the decaying property, which now has a shell for a potential restaurant on the first floor and office space on the second. No leases are signed yet.

Central Melt is going in at 685 Central Ave. on the east side of the State Theater in the space formerly occupied by Schoolyard Skateshop and, many years before that, a soda fountain. Owner Ed Allen plans to keep the Sealtest logo painted across the outside of the shop. He won't sell ice cream, but something almost as decadent: grilled cheese sandwiches.

"I'll probably have about seven or eight on the menu, then have one special sandwich each month," said Allen, who now works at Bodega a few blocks away. He's not committing to any variations yet, but picture mozzarella and tomato, cheddar and bacon or brie and pear.

Central Melt will have seats at a bar and a "stand-and-eat" shelf along the wall.

On the west side of the State Theater, a juice store is in the works at 689 Central Ave. Niryasa, which is the Sanskrit word for juice, will make fresh, pressed juice from vegetables and fruit for the health craze of cleanses and clean living.

Cider Press Cafe will also serve juices at the other end of the block. But Niryasa owner Chris Moser of Naples said St. Petersburg will have enough demand for the growing juice supply.

More new retailers on the 600 block include El's Menswear along with White Owl Market, which sells vintage and re-purposed furniture and accessories. Illume sells all-organic apparel made in the United States or endorsed by fair trade proponents. Suzette's on Central is now at 649 Central Ave. after moving from 2109 Central Ave. It carries a variety of casual, soft, comfortable clothing and hand-crafted jewelry and accessories.

The popular Banyan Cafe at 689 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. just opened a second location at 701 Central Ave. in the Morean Arts Center, offering breakfast and lunch.

"It's still the same concept but just a little different menu," said Erica Allums, the owner and chef. She describes her concept as comfort food that's locally sourced with all fresh ingredients. But Allums adds special touches to her comfort food to make it a little more interesting, like the dollop of homemade cinnamon ice cream on steel cut oatmeal or the caramelized onions on her pork sandwich.

The 900 block of Central Avenue has a new Bohemian chic vibe with the addition of Ashe Couture clothier. Before opening, owner Amanda Henderson spent months surveying the area and building a following online and at the St. Pete Indie Market in Central Avenue's Edge District.

"I made sure there were enough people here who would support an actual store. The response has been great," said Henderson. "My very first customer the day I opened was 66 years old, and then I have tons of 14- and 15-year-olds."

The store has rustic decor with rough wood counters and shelving combined with modern touches. Racks are filled with dresses, blouses, shorts and jewelry in a variety of prices. T-shirts are adorned with phrases such as "She believed she could so she did" and "I speak fluent sarcasm."

Next door, Kings Street Food Counter is scheduled to open at 937 Central Ave. in May in the former home of Everything Dolce. Its website promises a casual joint to grab a beer or Vienna all-beef hot dog. Owner Stephen Schrutt is also a partner in the Avenue at 330 First Ave. S.

Contact Katherine Snow Smith at kssmith@tampabay.com. Follow @snowsmith on Twitter.