The vault doors are still inside the old bank at 895 Central Avenue. The building has arched windows with carved designs, decorative column caps and a safe on the main floor. It has had no tenant since NationsBank left in 1996. If the current plan holds, that vault will be café seating by early 2027.

The bank sits at the west end of a stretch of Central that is changing faster than any other in the EDGE District this season. Between 895 and 945 Central, one new café has already opened and two more businesses expect to open before the end of the year. A fourth is preparing to move into the bank. Each fills a different hour of the day. By early 2027, the block that used to mean dinner at Fusillo or a slice at Bavaro's will offer coffee at 8 a.m., an afternoon of shopping and painting, dinner, and pinball after dark.

Breakfast arrived first, inside a lunch spot

The first new opening is easy to miss because it shares a door with a restaurant people already know. St. Pete Rising reported on Oct. 5 that Café Bavaro would open on Friday, Oct. 16, inside Bavaro's at 945 Central Avenue. It serves espresso drinks, breakfast plates, bagels and sandwiches from 8 to 11:30 a.m., and Bavaro's regular lunch service starts at noon. The Café Bavaro website now lists the St. Pete location as open and links to online ordering.

The concept had a trial run first. Café Bavaro opened at Bavaro's Clearwater Beach location last year, and the family refined the breakfast-and-coffee format there before bringing it to Central. Alongside cappuccinos, flat whites and cortados, the menu includes cannoli and tiramisu lattes, matcha, a limoncello refresher and mimosas.

Before Café Bavaro, a pizza restaurant anchored the east end of the block and opened at lunch. Now that end opens at 8 a.m. That puts morning service at both ends of the block once the bakery moves in at 895.

The bank that waited 30 years

The building at 895 Central has an unusual history even by downtown St. Pete standards. I Love the Burg's history of the Union Trust Bank says it was built in 1926 as Ninth Street Bank and Trust and designed by M. Leo Elliot, the Tampa architect behind the Cuban Club in Ybor City. That bank failed in 1927 and reorganized as Union Trust Bank. Union Trust became the first financial institution in the city to recover from the crash and later grew into the largest state-chartered bank in Florida.

After NationsBank left in 1996, the building was scheduled for demolition. A salvage dealer sold off architectural pieces in 1997, including a marble staircase. Public outcry slowed the demolition, and St. Petersburg Preservation Inc., now Preserve the 'Burg, applied for local landmark status. City Council approved the designation in May 1998. Additions built in 1938 and 1967 were later torn down to make room for the Camden Central apartments next door, which left the original bank standing on the corner. Several proposals for reusing it have come and gone, including a steakhouse announced in 2023 that never opened.

The tenant now lined up is already on Central. The Sourdough Co. plans to move from 1113 Central Avenue into nearly 11,000 square feet across the bank's ground floor, mezzanine and basement. Owner Ariana Duksa started the business as a cottage bakery in her Seminole home before opening a storefront in 2023, next to Intermezzo Coffee & Cocktails.

The reason for the move is a leasing detail. St. Pete Rising reported that the bakery's current landlord would only offer one-year leases. Duksa told the outlet, "ultimately, our lease wasn't secure. We wanted to find a space we could grow into, with more room for our team and our customers." The bank gives her room to bake more and to offer more breakfast, lunch, grab-and-go and retail items. Customers will order at the counter and choose a level. Duksa describes the basement as quieter and moodier, a place to work over coffee, and the old vault will be open for seating every day.

The plans keep the windows, the original brick and the vault. Finishes under consideration include walnut, marble and gold, and Duksa hopes to display historic photographs, checks and other memorabilia from the bank years. The target is early 2027, and permitting and construction could push that back. The bakery stays open daily at 1113 Central until then.

A pinball bar built to send you next door for dinner

At 915 Central, in the former Machine Shop Barber Company space, The Lucky Flipper is aiming to open in early December. Owner Matthew Scott is building a 1,600-square-foot venue with 16 to 18 pinball machines, three to six classic arcade cabinets, and a bar focused on local and Florida-made beer. Admission is currently planned at $14 a day for unlimited play, and guests can come and go throughout the day. Scott is considering date-night discounts, memberships and military discounts.

The Lucky Flipper will not serve food, and that decision connects it to the rest of the block. Guests are encouraged to bring meals from nearby restaurants. "The EDGE District has plenty of great food that customers can bring in and enjoy," Scott told St. Pete Rising. On the 900 block, the nearest options are Fusillo Pasta, which makes fresh pasta daily at 905 Central, and Bavaro's at 945.

The machines are mostly modern titles, including Jaws, Jurassic Park, Godzilla, Stranger Things, Dungeons & Dragons and several X-Men games. A refurbished 1993 Judge Dredd machine, the one that got Scott interested in pinball, is part of the collection. There will be six beers on draft, with one national domestic and the rest likely from local or Florida breweries, along with wine, seltzers and nonalcoholic options. Scott plans learn-to-play nights, probably on Mondays or Tuesdays, and hopes to add tournaments and youth leagues later.

Scott spent 18 years in the Army and retired in 2023 after his last posting at MacDill Air Force Base. He lives in Crescent Lake, and the bar's coral-and-teal branding features a roseate spoonbill, a bird he often sees near his home. He has described the venue as a stop before a Rays game, a date night, practice for serious players, and an outing for families who want time away from screens.

The afternoon fills in between the pasta bar and the paint studio

Between the morning cafés and the evening crowd, the middle of the block has fewer reasons to stop. A storefront at 907 Central will add one. August Mae, a jewelry and lifestyle shop, is moving into the 736-square-foot space between Fusillo Pasta and Sunshine City Paint. Vintage shop Now and Then occupied it until closing in 2021, and owner Cory Lawler hopes to open by the end of the year.

The shop will sell water- and tarnish-proof demi-fine jewelry in 14-karat gold-filled and sterling silver. It will also offer permanent bracelets and necklaces, build-your-own charm pieces and in-house engraving, plus apparel, candles, glassware and small home goods. "I want it to be an experience," Lawler told St. Pete Rising.

Next door at 909 Central, Sunshine City Paint already runs instructor-led canvas painting and walk-in open-canvas sessions. Once August Mae opens, the middle of the block will have a jewelry fitting, a painting session and a pasta dinner within three doors.

Here is the full stretch, west to east, as of late October:

Two Thursday evenings to walk it before the year ends

The EDGE District Association's November calendar lists a district stroll on Thursday, Nov. 12, starting at Suncoast Credit Union, 1022 Central Avenue. The stroll runs on the second Thursday of each month from October through May. The starting point at 1022 is a short distance east of Bavaro's.

The December calendar lists the next stroll on Thursday, Dec. 10, from the same starting point. If The Lucky Flipper meets its early-December target and August Mae opens by year-end, both shops could be open by the December stroll. The Union Trust building will still be under renovation then, with the vault waiting for its first café customers.

For anyone who wants to help with upkeep first, the association's quarterly cleanup is Saturday, Nov. 7, with volunteers meeting at 8 a.m. at Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More before working through the district.

The team at Gay Glaser Gunning follows downtown St. Petersburg block by block, including the changes along Central Avenue. If you are weighing a home within walking distance of the EDGE District and want a clear picture of what is opening nearby, Request a Private Consultation.