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Ybor coffeehouse pours its last cup

An owner of Romeo's remains bullish on Ybor's future but says folks are still more into stiff drinks than strong brews.

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published October 21, 2005

The artwork goes on sale Saturday, and with it the photographs, the furniture, the equipment.

The windows are shuttered. The phone is disconnected. The building is for lease.

Romeo's Studio 1515 Coffeehouse is no more.

It closed last weekend. Concerned that their beloved Ybor City had become best known for sink-or-swim nightclubs, Walter and Sara Romeo decided to open the cafe in November 2003. It came with an open invitation to artists, musicians, poets and filmmakers to come show their stuff. Jam sessions, improv theater and art exhibits commenced.

But the community's complexion changed, as did the Seventh Avenue clientele: About the only craftsmanship people expected when they came to Ybor was executed with a tattoo needle.

Recently, daytime business only got leaner. The coffeehouse had been operating Thursday through Saturday for the past couple of months.

And now it's history.

"It's pretty much just a lack of daytime business in Ybor City," Walter Romeo said. "There's just not enough volume. We just needed to have more customers in and out each day. It just seems to be really slowing down."

Nolan Canova, who promotes Tampa Bay filmmakers and writers on his crazedfanboy.com Web site, said Studio 1515's closing is a great loss to local artists.

Canova was a particular fan of a film fest, the Coffeehouse Film Review, the second Tuesday of every month at the cafe. Now host One Day Films will have to search for new digs from a small pool of options.

"That was a huge service to the community; it was free to the public, and we discovered some great talent that way," Canova said. "It was alarming to hear that Walter's closing. I hope things improve."

Romeo's mother was born in Ybor, and he was raised on the outskirts. The community remains important to him, and though the cafe is closed, he hasn't given up.

"It's not like I'm bailing out," he said. "We plan to stay involved, to keep working on building things up. That's why I opened it up in the first place."

Romeo said he plans to keep the building but will lease it. Down the line, "if things start looking like there will be a need for a business there, we definitely would want to come back."

The one-story building used to be three until the 1930s, Romeo said. He's looking for investors interested in helping return it to its original size and add residential units or even a bed and breakfast.

"I think things are going to come around," he said. "Housing is more available than it used to be, and there a lot of good happenings on the horizon. As more people move in, things are going to be better during the day."

Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 226-3431.

[Last modified October 20, 2005, 09:03:09]