St. Pete Comedy Club to open in Grand Central

Bob Holden loves comedy. 

Not only does he perform standup himself, but Holden also started a traveling production company that hosts shows at St. Petersburg venues such as Ferg’s Sports Bar and Grill. 

St. Pete Stand-Up will open its own brick and mortar location, the St. Pete Comedy Club, in the Grand Central District in May or June. 

The 3,600-square-foot space, at 1745 1st Avenue S., will have a main showroom that can accommodate 70 to 80 people. Additionally, there will be a bar and lounge area. Holden hopes to turn the lounge into another showroom in the future. 

“Now we will have a mainstay location where people know where to find us,” he said. “We won’t necessarily have to jump around from location to location.” 

Originally from Maryland, Holden moved to Florida in 2020. He would launch his St. Pete Stand-Up venture in 2022. The first shows were performed at the St. Pete Brewing Company, at 544 1st Avenue N. 

“I really saw a lot of potential for the city,” Holden explained. “There weren’t really a lot of comedy productions going on.”  

After connecting with many “funny people” in the community, he realized that there were limited opportunities to perform in the area. This led Holden to create his own business to support these individuals. 

“You build the brand and get some attraction,” he said. “You go from one night a month at this venue to two nights a month to every Tuesday. Along the way, you can start finding other venues because you have proof of business and can show that the concept works.” 

Eventually, the company began to work with organizations such as Pinellas Ale Works Brewery (1962 1st Avenue S.), Dirty Laundry (1742 Central Avenue), COPA (1047 Central Avenue) and Foodie Labs (515 22nd Street S.). It produces over 20 shows every month. 

St. Pete Stand-Up mainly works with local comedians. The events are presented in a showcase style where four to eight artists perform within a 80 to 90-minute window. 

These shows, Holden added, have provided a space for people to “get stage time.” This can help comedians improve their jokes and delivery.  

“You can get to see a lot of faces that you’ve never heard of before,” he said. “But, many people are interested and surprised by the talent we can provide.” 

The new venue, Holden said, will allow him to hire nationally touring headliners.

Tampa-based Side Splitters Comedy Club, which has hosted shows for more than 30 years, is scheduled to open a St. Petersburg venue at the downtown Sundial shopping and entertainment complex in the coming months as well.

“They can bring in acts that we don’t have the capability of bringing in,” he explained. “So, it really levels up the comedy scene even more.” 

This gives people a variety of performance “options,” Holden added.

St. Pete Stand-Up website