ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Walking past the Sundial in downtown St. Petersburg, patrons have probably noticed a fence around the courtyard. The shopping and dining center is getting a new look.
This is the third time the property will undergo renovation since it opened as BayWalk in 2000. Mike Connor, CEO of Paradise Ventures, said the plaza needed a new look, and he felt it’s the right time to match the growth happening downtown.
“We’re excited to be a part of it,” Connor said. “The Sundial has been a fixture in the community since BayWalk. I’ve always loved the real estate. I know it’s had some ups and downs, but I think our timing is really ideal now from what’s going on in downtown St. Pete. I think we’re hitting it at the right time.”
Connor said he hopes the re-vamped Sundial will become a meeting place for the community and attract a younger audience.
“The courtyard is going to be a completely different look,” he said. “Much more open, much more inviting, much more interactive. It’ll be an event space where we hope to do at least weekly activities, if not more.”
As part of the new design, the planters and sundial sculpture will be taken out and replaced with green space. Connor said there will also be new local and regional tenants, including Forbici Modern Italian and Serotonin Health and Wellness, in addition to some national chains.
Jackie Zumba owns Jackie Z Style Co., one of the few local businesses in the Sundial. Zumba opened her boutique shortly after the Sundial’s last renovation.
“It was amazing, it was booming, it was so happening,” Zumba said. “We would have like Chris Archer in the courtyard eating at Locale Market and then they’d come in and shop. It was super fun and vibrant and then people started closing and it got a little bit more dreary.”
Zumba said a lot of her neighboring stores closed during the pandemic and even before then, which slowed down foot traffic. But she’s confident this revitalization will create a huge boom for business.
“People kind of stopped coming here and maybe some people don’t even know it’s here already because there are some great diamonds in the rough here already,” Zumba said. “But with all the new excitement and things, everyone’s going to step up their game and they’re adding some great retailers and that amazing restaurant Forbici is coming.”
Zumba is also taking over the space adjacent to her boutique in anticipation of more shoppers.
Construction at the Sundial is scheduled to begin on Thursday. Developers are aiming to have the renovation complete by September. Businesses will still be open during construction.