ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A historic building in south St. Petersburg will soon be the new home of a local bagel chain.

What You Need To Know

  •  Pete's Bagels is leasing a building that is believed to be the site of the first gas station in St. Petersburg

  •  The building, built in the 1920s, was purchased earlier this year by former city councilman Robert Blackmon

  •  In February 2023, Blackmon estimated that renovations to the building would cost around $500,000

  • Steven Peterman, owner of Pete's Bagels, anticipates the new location will be completed in early to mid 2024

Pete’s Bagels is leasing out a former gas station that was built in the 1920s — one that is believed to have been the first gas station in the city.

“I've always had like an affection for old vintage buildings,” said Pete's Bagels owner Steven Peterman. “So it's kind of exciting to be able to do something unique with this one.”

Just a few weeks ago, Peterman said he was looking into the old gas station in south side of town. It’s been around for nearly a century, and earlier this year was purchased by former city councilman Robert Blackmon.

When Spectrum News spoke with Blackmon, he said it was still up in the air as to what sort of business would fill the more than 300-square-foot space. 

“It's such a cool old building with such, like, the safe deposit back still being there,” Peterman said.

It’s the charm that Peterman wants to capture in the renovations that he says will still take months to complete.

“The biggest renovation will be turning these two separate, kind of old bathrooms into one ADA compliant bathroom,” he said.

In addition, Peterman said the location will incorporate a drive-thru.

“We're excited to see what we can do and how we can move people through and find unique ways to get people where they want from us,” Peterman said.

Peterman said a big part of the project for him is changing the landscape of the area when it comes to food availability.

“There is such a food desert, as everyone says, out here,” Peterman said. “We really want to be able to offer the people that live here something good and fresh.”

Though a lot of work still needs to be done, Peterman said he is already full of ideas for the space and can’t wait to get renovations finished so Pete’s Bagels' newest location can open to the public.

“That would be really cool to just like be in something like that's like really recognized,” he said.

Peterman anticipates that the new Pete’s Bagels location will be done sometime in early to mid-2024.

Earlier this year, Blackmon estimated that it would cost about 500,000 dollars to complete renovations to the building.