Bicycle and beer spot to open in downtown St. Pete

A unique bicycle shop and called Sharkie’s Bicycles & Brews is set to open in downtown St. Petersburg, combining high-end Italian bicycles with local coffee and craft beer.

Owner David Shreffler, a competitive cyclist, is currently renovating the 1,450-square-foot space at 25 Dr. M.L.K. Jr. St. S., which previously housed wholesale bakery Baked in the Burg. The shop will feature premium Italian bicycle brands such as Cipollini, Pinarello, Colnago and Wilier, along with accessories. Sharkie’s plans to serve coffee and light fare in the mornings, transitioning to Pinellas County microbrews in the afternoons.

“We’re going to do our best to feature Florida lines, so that way we keep everything local as much as possible and support local businesses,” Shreffler explained.

The name Sharkie’s Bicycles & Brews has a personal connection to the owner. During a 500-mile bicycle ride in the 2022 RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa), Shreffler and his buddies found a shark towel with a shark toy. To avoid writing “virgin” or “newbie” on his calves, as is tradition for first-time riders, Shreffler opted to wear the shark toy on top of his helmet for the entire week-long event, resulting in his nickname – Sharkie.

With its prime location just a block off Central Ave. and along the Pinellas Trail, Shreffler aims to cater to cycling enthusiasts and create a community hub. The space will also include a small stage for live, local music performances.

“I want this to be a spot where people can get together, have great conversations, benefit each other, and enrich each other’s lives,” Shreffler said.

The building in the 900 Central block of St. Pete’s EDGE District mostly cleared out when plans to tear down the building were announced in 2022. Now, new businesses, including Sharkie’s Bicycles & Brews and a vape store, are moving in.

The spot where Sharkie’s is set to open was originally slated to become a $58 million mixed-used development called “900 Central.” According to documents filed with the City of St. Petersburg in 2022, the Dinerstein Companies planned to purchase the property from Silver Sands GND to make way for a 14-story building with 205 dwelling units, 9,961 square feet of commercial space and 205 parking spaces. Requests for comment from Silver Sands GND and The Dinerstein Companies were not immediately returned.

When that project was first announced, many businesses in the building, including Anytime Fitness and Baked in the Burg, moved out, leaving the area mostly empty since 2022. Shreffler hopes bringing in Sharkie’s Bicycles & Brews will breathe new life into the spot.

“We’re also going to be renting both pedal bikes and electric bikes. I’m collaborating with The Bike Lab [in Dunedin] because in between the two of us is the Pinellas County trail, so it makes it easy,” Shreffler told the Catalyst. “So if you want to come downtown and happen to be in the Dunedin area, you can rent a bike from him and ride down here. Or if you’re in downtown St. Pete and you want to go up to the beaches, just rent a bike here and jump on the trail.”

Shreffler is also collaborating with The Bike Lab to send bikes needing repair up to Dunedin. While an exact opening date has not been set due to ongoing renovations and pending licenses, Shreffler hopes to open the doors by the end of July. The build-out, which began in mid-May, is expected to cost between $5,000 and $10,000.