Not Your Grandfather’s Gulfport

Ah, Gulfport. Tiny cottages, brick streets, sandy-floored mom-and-pop stores, a few decent restaurants and a couple of bars. So little traffic that at night Baby Boomer hippies dance in the street where during the day seniors ride their three-wheel bikes. A nice community: dog friendly, elder friendly, 420 friendly, gay friendly.

But development is on the way. North End Village, the city’s first mixed-use building, is up and running with every retail spot taken and all the apartments leased. Baked goods at Gulfport’s first national-chain, Dunkin’ Donuts, are — literally — selling like hotcakes, while its sister business, Baskin Robbins, is helping folks cool off with icy treats. Caddy’s, a local chain of bars and restaurants, is doing brisk business where Manatee’s by the Bay and many before them had tried, northeast of the Casino. The El Chapo Taco, FISH, Stargazer Quilting building is making way for the newest Fortunato’s Italian, later this summer. Maine-based Sea Dog Brewing Co., which redeveloped Captain K’s at the foot of the Blind Pass bridge in Treasure Island, has plans to take over the former Artisan, Bellini’s and Boca Bay Grille location just north of the courtyard, where Stella’s is expanding.

More and more developers and businesses are clamoring to be a part of the Gulfport mystique.

While some people fret that as redevelopment marches on Gulfport will lose its traditional character, Gulfport city council member Michael Fridovich wants folks to consider other versions of the city’s good old days. “Twenty years ago the place was filled with leather bars and motorcycle gangs,” he said. “Change is inevitable.

It takes a village

Despite some opposition and jumping through a number of regulatory hoops, St. Petersburg-based Culby Properties finished construction of North End Village, its three-story mixed-use project earlier this year. and it is completely leased, said Property Manager Richard Maltinos.

The first retail tenant to take possession was Custom House Decor, which opened in April, carrying “good-quality, unique home products at an affordable price,” said owner Andrea Knettel. Gulfport residents, Knettel and her husband, Michael, chose the location because they thought it would be a good place to have a home decor store. Although they strive to sell “things you would not find in typical home goods stores,” she said, “we are paying attention to trends. We want to have a big variety — something for everybody at different price points and lifestyles.”

One of the store’s features is its large selection of local artists’ pieces. “If someone wants a custom piece we can put them in touch with the artist,” Knettel said.

For those solely interested in artwork, right next door is Brenda McMahon Gallery, which features McMahon’s ceramics along with paintings, sculpture, jewelry, and art glass of other local artists. Gulfport-based McMahon is the mastermind behind ArtJones, an annual self-guided tour of artwork in the studios of Gulfport area artists. 

The gallery is part of McMahon’s vision of “creating a show of force of art and artists in Gulfport,” she said. “I see a flourishing artist community that hasn’t had much leadership.” One of her ideas is to revamp Gulfport’s beloved first-Friday, third-Saturday Art & Gallery Walks, which she wants to morph into more of an art-opening atmosphere. She’d also like to host art workshops open to artists and nonartists alike, saying. “I think we can create an incubator for achieving your artful life.”

In July, Gulfport Cigars opened its doors to a different kind of collector, one who enjoys a fine smoking experience. After failing to ply his imported Latin-American wares at Gulfport’s Tuesday Market (because Carlos Padrón of Tampa had already cornered the market on cigars in that venue) Michael Allgire considered going completely online. He also considered the space where Mangia Gourmet (now Golden Dinosaurs) had been in operation, but would have had to purchase the restaurant, “kitchen and all,” he said. When he discovered an opening at North End Village, he jumped at the opportunity and leased two storefronts. “Business has been really good for a brand-new store,” Allgire said. 

A Friend Who Bakes plans to take over the remaining spot later this summer. Owner Brittney Sherley is crafting her bread, cookies, cakes, pies and rolls in a shared commercial kitchen, but has always dreamed of a cinnamon-scented retail location. She and husband, Travis, “wanted it to be in Gulfport,” she said. “We live here and it’s the community we love.”

She envisions the store as “warm and inviting,” but not a sit-down cafe. She anticipates a basic level of coffee and tea along with a few outside seats. “There’s gourmet coffee at Sumitra across the street,” she said. Sherley said she will keep supplying cinnamon rolls and fruit breads to Stella’s, which will also be across the street when it makes its move to the former Yummy’s location. “Wholesale is not my preference,” she said. “I like to connect with the people who consume the things I make. I like to see their face and build a relationship with my customers.” 

Across the street: Art Village Courtyard

Between North End Village and its across-the-street neighbor Art Village Courtyard, Culby Properties virtually rules the 2900 block of Beach Blvd. S. And there’s change afoot there. 

Stella’s is replacing Yummy’s, Vintage Wine Lounge has become a happening night spot, and Kelly Wright is bring beer and bar food to the space where T and Me used to reside. Since brewing is not permitted in downtown Gulfport (it’s considered manufacturing, and the area isn’t zoned for that) the North End Tap House will serve only beer on tap and in cans. The focus will be on Florida brands, Wright said. “What we serve depends on where we can get our beer and what people want to drink.”

The goal is to make the Courtyard, “more of a gathering place,” she said. “People can listen to music on the stage, enjoy our beer and deli-style food, or enjoy a glass of wine and small plates from Vintage, or even loosen up with something from Low Tide Kava Bar.”

Let there be ice cream

Once an ice cream desert, now Gulfport is ice cream dessert central. The recently opened Dunkin’ Donuts on Gulfport Blvd. is not only the first chain store to come to town, it’s also home to Baskin Robbins. 

But there’s more than Jamoca Almond Fudge to be had on Gulfport Blvd. Just up the street John Rieseback offers upward of 90 flavors at his Smokin’ J’s barbeque joint. He got the idea when tasked with providing something unique for Gulfport’s chef’s table charity event. “I wanted to make something I didn’t have in the restaurant,” Riesebeck said. His Smoked Vanilla with Candied Bacon ice cream was such a hit he decided to serve it in the restaurant too. 

Since he already made pickles, Riesebeck soon added Sweet and Sassy Pickle ice cream. “With that combo I guess I’ve cornered the market on pregnant women,” he mused. Adding more ice-cream machines and freezers, he expanded the line to include vegan and lactose-free ice creams and flavors ranging from avocado to sweet yellow corn along with the more familiar varieties of chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, pistachio, coffee, ad infinitum

Next up, malts, milkshakes and old-fashioned candies. “This is my playground,” Riesebeck said.

For those who don’t want to venture out of downtown Gulfport, Backfin Blue now fulfills the need for a cold treat. The restaurant is closed for the summer, but on weekends owner Harold Russell is serving up gelato. He had been working on the landscaping around the Beach Blvd. S. restaurant, and people kept on coming up and asking, “‘Where can we get ice cream?’” he said. He and his son, Camden, decided to answer the question by offering a dozen flavors of California-based Villa Dolce gelato and sorbet. 

Should we stay or should we grow?

As for those who worry that Gulfport will become the Key West of Pinellas County, Councilman Fridovich said there’s only so much city can do. He sited Florida’s Bert Harris Act. The 1995 law basically says if a municipality tries to prevent a property owner from getting the most bang for her buck, she can sue. “The law means you can’t prevent chain stores or tall buildings here,” Fridovich said. “There’s only a certain amount of things the council can do to maintain Gulfport.” One solution is to enact height restrictions to avoid a “canyon effect” and other zoning rules. 

Gulfport character is in flux, Fridovich said. “The character in a sense is driven by the people who are going to come in and rent or buy,” he said. “You’d hope they would have more common sense than money.”

A newcomer that seems to have common sense is Caddy’s, which now stands where Manatee’s used to at the corner of Beach and Shore boulevards. The local chain of five (soon to be six) is owned by St. Petersburg Sun Pubs. Caddy’s is always looking for waterfront projects, said Marketing Director David Culhane. Gulfport had been on the company’s radar for a while because, “It’s an up and coming area,” Culhane said. “It’s a gorgeous place.”

The company understood that Gulfport is “a community, more than a town,” Culhane said. A few of the ways the company merged Caddy’s into Gulfport was by conducting a survey on what to include on the building mural that would replace the beloved manatee mural. They hired the same artist, August Vernon, to paint the new one, then had a contest to name the mural’s gecko. “We do this everywhere we go, Culhane said. “We want every Caddy’s to work with the local community.” 

Even Gulfport legend O’Maddy’s welcomed the new kid on the block. “(Owner) Joe Guenther has worked with closely with us,” Cunhane said. “We see it as a partnership, not competition.”