Places This Week: Goodyear Rubber moves HQ

A weekly roundup of local real estate deals.

Goodyear Rubber is relocating its St. Pete HQ 

Goodyear Rubber Products Inc., an industrial rubber products distributor that’s operated in St. Petersburg for 75 years, will relocate its headquarters to Clearwater. 

The current HQ at 1912 Central Ave. will permanently close on Feb. 28 as the company plans to open a new corporate center at 11301 47th St. N., roughly 10 miles north of the current HQ, according to the company’s announcement.

The Goodyear Rubber Products property on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg, across from the Imagine Museum. GoogleMaps.

Although Goodyear Rubber is closing its existing headquarters, it will be opening a Goodyear ParkerStore nearby at 1901 1st Ave. S by March 1, according to a press release.

Goodyear Rubber was founded by New York transplants Murray and Jackie Jacobs. The company is currently owned and operated by their son, Robert “Bob” Jacobs. 

Tampa’s King State to open in St. Pete 

King State, a coffee roaster and beer brewer in Tampa, will open a restaurant space in St. Petersburg this year.

King State will open its new location in COhatch, a co-working space that will open at the former Harlan Hotel building at 15 8th St. N.

COhatch and the restaurant will open simultaneously within the next three to four months.

A rendering of the COhatch site planned for 15 8th St. N. in downtown St. Petersburg. All images: COhatch.

Ohio-based COhatch is readapting the four-story structure into private offices, co-working spaces and meeting rooms with 24-7 access.

COhatch is also restoring two former nightclub buildings – one at 2132 W. Main St. in Tampa, which was built in 1905, and a building at 121 East Tarpon Ave. in Tarpon Springs. The West Tampa and Tarpon Springs locations will have different restaurant concepts.

Munch’s building sells 

The retail building at 3920 6th St. S. in St. Petersburg, home of the Munch’s Restaurant and Sundries, has officially sold, according to a deed executed on Feb. 3.

The CZ and LM LLC sold the property, encompassing five parcels, for $1.6 million to an LLC connected to Brian Wedlake, an executive at California-based Cato Holdings, and Danielle Robillard, president at New York-based AAkron Rule Corp., according to Sunbiz.

Barkett Realty represented owner Larry Munch, whose family opened the restaurant in 1952.

The Munch family opened their southeast St. Pete restaurant in 1952. Photo: Bill DeYoung.

The lot includes a strip center with multiple rental tenants (Southside Coffee Brew Bar, Phillips Air Conditioning and Heating and Coquina Meat Market) alongside Munch’s itself, as well as two single-family homes.

Jake Wollman of KW Commercial, representing the new owners, previously told the St. Pete Catalyst the hope is to re-open the breakfast (and lunch) spot, whether as Munch’s – honoring the legacy and keeping many of the place’s long-loved recipes – or under a new name.

The buyer assumed a roughly $1.388 million mortgage loan from the owners, according to a loan agreement.

Wollman said the buyers have a long-term interest in the building and plan to renovate it to potentially secure two operators for the Munch’s and market spaces. 

Kirstie Alley’s home is pending a sale 

The waterfront Clearwater home of the late actress Kirstie Alley is now under contract to be sold, according to an updated listing.

The 7,815-square-foot estate at 1100 N. Osceola Ave. was listed in late January with an asking price of $5.995 million.

The estate, built in 1993, has nine bedrooms, with five bedrooms in the main house, and features two courtyards and a pool with a spa.

Alley purchased the home from singer Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of music legend Elvis Presley, for $1.5 million. The property is next to a home connected to actor John Travolta. The neighboring property sold in 2021 for $4 million.

The listing agent is Ray Cassano of Station Square Realty.