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.