In this special episode of the St Pete Soul Podcast, I take you on a virtual tour and tasting at The Study, a pour-your-own wine and beer lounge in Historic Kenwood! You’ll learn how owner Jeff Velazquez fell in love with the idea of a wine bar (instead of the date he was with), when he had an interesting first date experience at a tap-style wine bar in California. He knew in that moment that he had to learn the craft and open his own tap-style wine bar one day. After moving to the Tampa Bay Area to be closer to family, he finally made his dream a reality. He hopes to provide a comfortable space where people can connect with each other in a fun and interactive environment. Whether that’s on a first date, a date night for the “old married couple” who finally stole some time away from their kids, or even just a girls night - this is the spot you want to go to enjoy that perfect aperitif, sans bourgeois. In this episode, I take a tour of the space, learn the best way to enjoy the taps and you’ll even see me enjoy a tasting! Perks of the job, I must say :)

The Study is located at 3100 3rd Ave N and offers lots of fun events each month, featuring local artist and bands. Plan your next date night or night out with the girls now! Wine not? 

Follow them on Instagram @thestudystpete

Small business is what makes St Pete so special, right? Well that's exactly why The Greenhouse was formed! The Greenhouse is a collaboration between The City of St Petersburg and the St Pete Chamber. They are a unique public/private partnership and work together to provide programs, services and resources for businesses at every stage of development to help them start, grow and thrive!

Providing a hand-up and mentorship to businesses, simply meeting them where they are, is the mission of The Greenhouse. The good news is they can provide these services to businesses all over the country, not just here in St Pete!

To learn more visit their website here, or drop by their office during business hours.

Have you ever stopped to wonder how far that produce had to travel to get to your grocery store? Did you know that it likely traveled over 1600 miles to get there and exchanged hands 5 times before landing on the shelves? Mind blowing, right? Shannon O'Malley, CEO and Founder of Brick Street Farms, has been disrupting traditional ways of agriculture since she founded the urban farming company right here in our Sunshine City. Shannon's background as an electrical engineer and her husband's background in technology offered the perfect partnership to bring this dream to life. They use innovative technology to automate their large-scale, vertical farming in shipping containers, which provides a soil-less, climate controlled system, operating independently from land, climate or seasons. Their leafy greens are certified non-GMO, chemical free and wash-free, all grown sustainably using 90% less water and 30% less energy. With their unique "Hub" model, they can produce over 60 acres each month on less than a 1/3 acre city lot. That, my friends, is sustainability in action. They are farm to fork in less than 36 hours! I could go on forever with all the details that will blow your mind, but how about we just dive into the episode and hear it from Shannon herself? I promise it will have you thinking differently about where and how you buy your produce.

Want to learn more? Visit their website here.

Shop their Farm Store and get your hands on that fresh produce!

Hours and location:

Brick Street Farms

199 20th St S, St Pete FL 33712 in the Warehouse Arts District

Thursday 10 am to 7 pm

Friday 10 am to 5pm

Saturday & Sunday 10am to 4pm

Membership offerings are detailed here. Memberships support their non-profit, Desert Farms Foundation, bringing the farm directly to communities without access to fresh food.

Have you ever wondered what it means to be truly joyful? What about finding joy and positivity in any area of your life, regardless of your mood or what's going on around you? When Ilene & Alli realized they had a unique approach & "zest" for life, their passions led them to launch The Zest Zone with a focus on health, wellness and the culinary arts using essential oils. Now they are ready to let everyone else in on the secret to their "zest" for the good life. With Joy Coaching, they are on a mission to help stressed out, overwhelmed entrepreneurs & "others-focused" people tap into the best versions of themselves and discover their "good life." Inside coaching, Ilene & Alli will guide you through a holistic approach to uncovering what truly brings you joy and living your life to the fullest.

To learn more about Joy Coaching, visit their website at:

https://www.thezestzone.com/joy-coaching

Follow them on social @thezestzone

Most people would agree that our health is of highest importance in life. That's why there are countless programs and diet options out there, promising you quick results. But like most things in life, good things take time and work, and good health is no different. Have you struggled with bad habits or unexplained health issues? Or maybe you've just been wanting to optimize your overall health, but can't find the best or safest ways to do it? Jennifer Gilman has been in the holistic healthcare space for over a decade. She recently re-launched her business as New Way Health Coach and now has a team of coaches ready to help you all over the world! What I love most about Jennifer's approach is that it's completely tailored to your wants and needs. She never makes you feel like there is only one way to achieve something, but instead provides a safe space to find the best path forward for you. In this episode, we dive more in depth into the importance of living a holistically healthy life and you may even find some tips and tricks you can start implementing today!

To learn more about New Way Health Coach, visit their website at https://newwayhealthcoach.com/

As you know by now, our small businesses are at the heart of what draws people to St Pete and keeps locals feeling so lucky we get to live here. Authors, Meredith Gaunce & Melanie Bowman captured that essence on the pages of their travel book, Traveling St Pete: A Girls Guide. Having done a similar guide for Savannah, Georgia, Meredith was approached by Melanie to create one for the city they had both fallen in love with after moving to St Pete. Add in a pandemic, and it was the perfect time to show our small businesses some extra love. Whether you are planning a girls weekend getaway or a staycation, you can easily craft the perfect outing with a little help from their guide! In this episode, you'll hear about their journey through publishing with a local company, the joys of seeing the finished project on the shelves and how they continue to champion our wonderful community.

Where to buy:

Book + Bottle

17 6th St N St Pete FL 33701

Tombolo Books

2153 1st Ave S St Pete FL 33712

Shop their website for the book and other fun themed merchandise!

https://www.travelingstpete.com/

Follow on instagram @travelingstpete

Those of you that know me really well, know that gift giving is a love language of mine. Well, I can tell you that Allie Padin, owner of The Canary, has this talent in spades. Allie opened her shop in November on the coveted 600 block of Central. She specializes in creative gifts and home furnishing, a "happy store" that is fun to shop and has something for everyone! In our conversation we learned how her background with retail and curating stunning window displays for major retailers along 5th Ave in NYC helped fuel her passion for design and creativity. Outside of the retail space, Allie pursued interior design in Westchester New York. Like so many others, she was ready for a change of scenery and after visiting someone she knew in St Pete, immediately fell in love and quickly moved here. She had always wanted to open a gift and home store and when the opportunity presented itself, she took it. If you have shopped inside The Canary already or even just walked by the window, you've probably noticed her adorable shop cat, Gator. She will jokingly say that Gator is the real reason people stop by, and while that might be true, I also think it's because you can't help but have your mood lightened when you step into the sunny shop, aptly named The Canary.

Visit:

The Canary

655 Central Ave

Follow:

@thecanarystpete

In today's episode we hear from Valhalla Resale owner, Danielle Ferrari, on why sustainability in the fashion world is so important. In a world where we only wear 20% of the clothing in our closets (yikes!), waste abounds as we continue to buy new things and this perpetuates the cycle. Learning this stat sparked Danielle to create a space where all of the clothing in store comes from the community. She has a passion for helping create a circle or share economy in the Tampa Bay area, with hopes that this idea will spark others to think of ways they can contribute to this movement. She even hopes to spread the Valhalla love into other markets around the US in the future! How exciting would that be! You'll learn about the environmental and social impact that a concept like Valhalla offers with their clothing rental membership and even just by simply shopping in store. We can make a difference and look good all at the same! Now that sounds like a win to me :)

To learn more about Valhalla Resale, check out their website: 

www.valhallaresale.com 

Or visit their two locations:

6112 N Central Ave, Tampa FL 33604

@valhallastpete

@valhallatampa

Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to get a nice portrait of your kid? Kids don’t naturally like to sit still and smile pretty for the camera. This is the dilemma that Alison Amick kept coming across when she did her family portrait sessions. Alison has been in the photography space for a long time and she loves creating a story around the family she is capturing. That led to the brilliant idea she had to capture the true personality of the children in those families by launching Little Llamas Portraits. Alison uses fun and interactive ways to get the kids engaged in the shoot and doesn’t worry about getting that traditional image. Instead she focuses on their personality shining through. In this episode, you’ll learn why Alison has a passion for this type of photography and how she is pioneering the space of family and children portraits. 

Follow her on Instagram:

Food trucks have become very popular in recent years. Well, you might be surprised to know of a St Pete native that had his grandfather inspire him to start a food truck way before it was cool! Fast forward several years later, Keegan Climo finally makes that dream a reality by taking up the mantle of his grandfather, Joe Gagliardo, and opening a food truck in honor of Joe's old restaurant with the same name. Introducing Huggers Food Truck! After Joe passed away a couple years ago, Keegan took the pain of that loss and turned it into something beautiful by continuing on the legacy of his grandfather's restaurant that was a community staple. I really enjoyed hearing the passion behind all the family recipes and how Keegan is infusing his own spirit into everything they're doing. He had always wanted to start his own business and I think Huggers Food Truck was the perfect way for him to do it. I'm sure Joe is smiling down on him from heaven every day. Be sure to follow them on social media so you can see where they'll be parked next serving up deliciousness!

Huggers Food Truck

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