Pete’s Bagels to open second St. Pete location at historic Harbordale site
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Aug 31, 2023

Pete’s Bagels will soon open a second location in St. Petersburg.

The beloved bagel company will open a shop in Harbordale, in the historic service station that former city council member and real estate developer Robert Blackmon is restoring.

The building, near 24th Avenue and Fourth Street South, originally opened in the late 1920s. Blackmon has been searching for the perfect tenant to fill the unique space and said Pete’s Bagels shares his vision for the property.

“A lot of people reached out, but [Pete’s Bagels’] enthusiasm for the project and for the building itself as a neighborhood-centric concept is more than just a standard retailer trying to extract as much money as possible,” Blackmon said. “They really believe in the concept and the community, and they’ve shown that with their other locations.”

Pete’s Bagels opened in St. Pete in 2019 in the historic Uptown neighborhood and moved to the Grand Central district in 2021. In 2023, it opened a location in Ybor City, its first in Hillsborough County. Blackmon said he believes Harbordale is “the next Kenwood” and that Pete’s will be a destination for the neighborhood.

The station is approximately 320 square feet and includes a drive-thru and outdoor seating under the old canopy, roughly 420 square feet.

Pete’s Bagels, owned by Steven Peterman, has a cult following, and Blackmon said it will be an excellent addition to up-and-coming Harbordale.

“[Real estate developer] Stoneweg has 330 units half completed five blocks to the south,” Blackmon said. “The majority of South St. Pete is a food desert, so whenever you provide any food options and retail options in an underserved area, the community wins, and I think the business owner benefits as well. Instead of just extracting value, they give it as well.”

Peterman told the Tampa Bay Business Journal his company has been lucky to find “really interesting projects” throughout Tampa Bay. Much like the Ybor location, he said the Harbordale spot seemed “really right” for their team.

The move is a full-circle moment for Peterman, who said he originally looked at the site in 2021 when Blackmon purchased the property. His Grand Central location had not yet opened, so he said the timing “wasn’t right.”

The decision to come back and commit to the project evolved rapidly; it all came together in the past week.

Each of the Pete’s Bagels locations caters to the surrounding community. In the Grand Central district, the store is largely centered around its bagels and has ample seating inside for those walking in the neighborhood. In Ybor, the restaurant has fewer bagel options but a much larger coffee offering in a renovated home adjacent to the 4th and Angel Dog Park.

In the Harbordale location, Peterman said they will have the drive-thru, a walk-up window and a few seating options under the canopy. Bagels for all locations will be baked at the Grand Central shop, and Peterman said they are looking to expand the kitchen to accommodate the demand from an additional location.

Peterman said where the Grand Central location is 75% bagels and 25% coffee, the Harbordale location will be a more even balance — if not focused more heavily on coffee. They will partner with Look Alive, a new roaster in St. Petersburg that will open later this year in the Grand Central district near Good Intentions.

“It’s important to us for the coffee to be affordable and not have expensive lattes,” Peterman said. “We try to mold with the communities we’re in; that’s why all of our locations are similar but have noticeable differences. We like to find out how to cater to the community that’s there and how to make the community excited to come out.”

Blackmon said there is still “a lot of work” he needs to do regarding infrastructure for the project before turning it over to Peterman to complete the interior buildout.

Peterman said they’re aiming to open in early 2024.

“I’ve always been very space forward,” Peterman said, “and I think it’s important the space feels how you want it to feel and tells your story.”