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Grand Central District just keeps getting better

Grand Central keeps improving, thanks to Urban Village zoning, Kenwood boosters and a pioneering spirit.

By SHARON L. BOND and JON WILSON
Published November 27, 2005

	Click to view map of the Grand Central District

ST. PETERSBURG - Gaps remain, says Steve Graves.

"It's one tooth, a missing tooth, one tooth, a missing tooth," Graves said.

He is describing the Grand Central District, a stretch of Central Avenue from 18th Street to 31st Street where revitalization is gaining traction.

Five years removed from its unsuccessful attempt to win a Florida Main Street designation, the district is undergoing a resurgence. Empty storefronts are becoming less frequent. Fresh paint jobs, planters and banners express new energy. And property values are going up.

"For a while there, the buildings weren't improving that much. Just the land value underneath was improving. The new investors, to get any return, they have to improve the buildings. When that happens, it improves the value of the property again," said Realtor Jim Longstreth, whose office is in the district and who has served as its president.

Grand Central again went before a state board in 2001, this time winning the Main Street recognition, which means aging business districts get expert revival advice and a small amount of money toward that end.

But its boosters say the Grand Central story really hinges on a willingness of residents in nearby residential neighborhoods to support and sometimes start the businesses on Central Avenue.

"It's on the coattails of good things that have happened in Historic Kenwood. A substantial portion of residents there did well on their equity and invested it in Grand Central," said Jeff Danner, a City Council member-elect and longtime activist in both Historic Kenwood and Grand Central.

Where property owners struggled to get $4 per square foot, rent has increased to the $12 to $15 range, Longstreth said.

Graves is the executive director of Grand Central. Of its 147 business spots, 41 are vacant.

Marilyn Lowe, owner of SoHo South Gallery, moved in 11 years ago when there were a lot more vacancies.

"The only other store near me was a junk store," she said.

Dan Fiorini started an art gallery in Grand Central in 2003.

"In those days, I had to kick the drunks off the back porch and the prostitutes off the front curb. I got to know them," Fiorini said.

He is no longer in the neighborhood, having opened a second gallery at Crossroads Shopping Center this year. Managing both was too much, so he closed the Grand Central location.

One element that has helped Grand Central was rezoning the district to a category called "Urban Village," which allows a mix of residential, commercial and office uses.

It is a lot like the pattern that developed when the neighborhood was born during the 1920s, and continued through the 1950s and a bit beyond.

A look at records from 50 years ago shows the same kind of mix present today: small shops, a few professional offices, a tavern or two, some automotive businesses.

The beauty of the current Urban Village designation, say advocates, is that it allows people to live and work in the same neighborhood.

The category is expected to be extended to other historic corridors such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street and 22nd Street S, said Bob Jeffrey, the city's manager of urban design and historic preservation.

Meanwhile, Longstreth said, Grand Central makes a point of celebrating its diversity. The the neighborhood has become a destination, he said. He cited the annual St. Pete Pride street festival, which drew 35,000 people this past summer.

Membership in the association grew from 28 businesses earlier this year to 81 now, Graves said, although he doesn't think the district has reached the "destination" status quite yet.

"The district is improving. I don't think we are a destination yet," Graves said. "We are not downtown St. Petersburg on a Saturday morning. We will know we have arrived if we become a gathering place for people."

Spots like Grinders Coffee and Art Bar are gathering places. Andrea Pawlisz, one of two owners of Grinders, said business there has tripled in six months. "We've become a nice meeting place," she said.

Business is so good that Grinders will extend its hours into the evening after the first of the year, Pawlisz said.

Residents of nearby neighborhoods have more shopping variety than just a few years ago.

Mark D. Cabot owns Historic Lighting & Home, which sells lighting, furniture, rugs and other items from the Arts & Crafts and Art Nouveau eras. He said in an e-mail that his business is not the type for a strip mall. He wanted something with character, so he chose Grand Central.

"We could feel the resurgence in the area and it was evident in the enthusiasm of its residents," Cabot said.

Scheduled to open soon is Tropical Gale, a clothing and gift shop that carries parrothead paraphernalia for Jimmy Buffett fans.

"We moved to this district because of its up-and-coming reputation," said Gail Price, who owns Tropical Gale with her husband, Richard. It is located in an old gas station. Price said she will get more traffic on Central than she did in a courtyard in Gulfport.

"There is so much energy here. We are so excited to be here," Price said.

Nile Latta began buying property in Grand Central at the beginning of this year. His company, Latta Properties LLC, owns Price's location plus three other storefronts and the two-story building at 2429 Central. He estimates the company has invested $110,000 in renovations in Grand Central.

Latta said the district will move forward as more residential complexes are completed.

"As housing and condominiums move out this way, demand will be placed on the district to fulfill needs. You've got to have rooftops to get the dry cleaners and the pharmacies," Latta said.

It is easy for a new business to come in to Grand Central, said Ryan Bagshaw, who with his mother, Darlene, opened Classy Flowers and Gifts on Nov. 8.

"I don't really think of it as a business place. I can walk into any one of these businesses, and I know them by first name and they know me, and I've only been here a month."

Mary Coyle and Durella Rodriguez started RoCo Traders in 2002. They are among the business owners who bought property in Grand Central.

"We bought the building six months after we opened," Coyle said. "From an investment standpoint, we always wanted to do that. We achieved that."

The property felt right the first time they walked in, she said, and it proved to be more affordable than the beaches or downtown.

[Last modified November 27, 2005, 08:16:40]