New retail strip to be built on Central

A new retail strip will rise on the corner lot of 22nd Street S. and Central Avenue, directly behind the courtyard used by Tombolo Books and Black Crow Coffee Co.

The property at 2160 Central Ave., which is currently used as a crushed shell parking lot for the adjacent Euphoria Salon and Day Spa business, will house the retail project dubbed the Shoppes on Central. 

The surface parking lot at 2160 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. GoogleMaps.

Nick Molina of the Miami-based real estate firm Endangered Investments purchased the lot a year ago from local developer Jon Daou.  

“We’ve spent the first couple of months exploring different builds and looked at developing a mixed-use project with residential units on top of retail. The density, parking and construction costs made it a little challenging,” Molina said. 

The plans shifted to building an 8,756-square-foot retail strip that can house up to six storefronts as several can be combined to create a larger space for certain tenants. Molina said they are targeting a restaurant user for the corner space and parking would be available on the south side of the building solely for retail workers and customers.

“We are looking to maintain the integrity of Central and find the right local tenants to support the entrepreneurial spirit. We are not looking to drastically change the vibe of the area, we love what’s happening in the Grand Central District and want to embrace it,” Molina said. “The idea is to keep this unique and not cookie-cutter.” 

The group will allow tenants to create their exterior designs depending on the use. The plans also show a parking area for bikes and the replacement of the sidewalk on 22nd Street S. 

Construction is expected to kick off in January and will be completed in fall 2023, a roughly 10-month building period. 

The St. Petersburg-based development team includes Fraze Design Inc. as the architect, Sokol Project Management and Howard Civil Engineering, among others. 

Kyle Masterson at St. Petersburg-based Vector Commercial Real Estate Services is working with Molina on the retail leasing. 

The redevelopment of the parking lot should not directly impact parking for Tombolo, Black Crow, Squeeze Juice Works or the St. Petersburg Opera Company, as it’s currently only used for the salon’s customers and workers. 

Molina also owns the 100-year-old bungalow at 2635 Central Ave.

Business owners Shelby Pletcher and Michelle Whiting opened their new micro-event space and gift shop, Hostess, at the bungalow last month.