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Business Headlines
By Times staff writers A merchant of Guinness nears last callST. PETE BEACH -- A local institution with a Celtic flavor is about to change hands. The Harp and Thistle Pub, a magnet for lovers of Guinness beer and folk music from Ireland and Scotland, has been sold. The building at 650 Corey Ave. will become a beach bar, just as it was when Bob and Pat Packer bought the former Sands-a-Bar in 1984. Jennifer Packer would not reveal who purchased the bar from her family, or the Harp's asking price. She said the buyers are experienced and successful bar owners. The Harp and Thistle name is also for sale, should someone wish to re-create the Gaelic atmosphere somewhere else. The Packers got the idea of creating an authentic Irish pub from their neighborhood St. Patrick's Day parties in Detroit. Over the skepticism of some locals, they put Guinness on tap and began bringing in folk musicians. The formula took off. The Harp and Thistle has had live music five nights a week for years. Jennifer Packer said Bob Packer's decline from Lou Gehrig's disease and death in November influenced her family's decision to sell. "It's just not as much fun without Dad," said Packer, who is 46. "He was behind the scenes on the business end of things. Mom and I were the people out front, meeting and greeting. Now it's too much weight on our shoulders." Jennifer Packer said she and her mother, Pat, plan to travel to Ireland, Scotland and several other countries in Europe. The pub will stay open until Sept. 30, when the Packers will host a Parting Glass, or farewell, party, and auction off some of the green-tinged bric-a-brac lining the walls and rafters. Bradenton folks are asked to visitST. PETERSBURG -- The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for visitors who live pretty close by. A new Bridging the Bay program asks Bradenton area residents to come to St. Petersburg for the day and maybe even overnight. With all the redevelopment and new construction in St. Petersburg, the chamber is hoping that people who live just south of the Sunshine Skyway bridge will be curious enough to drive 45 minutes to see what is going on here. -- SHARON L. BOND and ANDREW MEACHAM
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