ST. PETERSBURG - The rehabilitated intersection of Fourth Street N and Ninth Avenue has two more new tenants: a furniture store and a consignment shop.
The Pine Shop and Reciprocity opened in the Davenport Building, otherwise known as the purple building with the diamond design.
The Pine Shop is owned by Jennifer Duval, her husband Jim Duval and Ralph Martino. Martino has the Pine Shop in Tampa.
Jennifer Duval described the new St. Petersburg shop as a seller of pine furniture with a sophisticated twist. She said the shop also offers maple, birch and other woods. In addition to beds, armoires, dressers, tables, night stands and bookcases, the Pine Shop also carries home furnishing accessories. Jennifer Duval said business has been great.
Annie Lesso owns the consignment shop, Reciprocity. It is a women's shop featuring upscale, barely worn designer items. Lesso said she loves the intersection because traffic backs up on Fourth Street at the stoplight, giving motorists time to check out her shop. She said business had been slow but "momentum was building."
The Fourth Street/Ninth Avenue intersection has in the last couple of years gained a CVS Drugstore, Starbucks coffee shop and the renovated purple building. In addition to the new shops, the purple building houses Tijuana Flats restaurant and the real estate offices of Felix D. Fudge, who owns the building. Fudge's offices are upstairs.
Cashing in on graduations
ST. PETERSBURG - Graduations generated extra money in St. Petersburg last week.
Parents, grandparents, other relatives and friends had to pay $5 per car for parking if they attended any of the seven graduations at the city's Bayfront Center. There were two on Tuesday, four on Wednesday and one Thursday.
The city cleared $27,566.81 on the graduation parking after taxes and expenses, according to Philip L. Oropesa, St. Petersburg's parking manager.
Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays who were on the road last week, hosted five graduations. Tropicana charged families and friends $3 per space for parking, according to Rick Vaughn, vice president for public relations.
Vaughn would not reveal how much Tropicana earned from the parking, saying it was not public information. He did say three of the schools already have booked their graduations in the dome for next year.
Group offers computer advice
ST. PETERSBURG - SCORE, a group of retired executives who volunteer as counselors to small businesses, is holding a free workshop to help business people get the most out of their computers.
The workshop, held by the Pinellas Suncoast chapter of SCORE, is scheduled for June 12 at the Business Development Center, 1045 16th St. S. It runs from 6-8 p.m.
