A contingent of risk-taking creatives and entrepreneurs has converged at Ybor’s western edge. (Carole Devillers)
“The stigma makes it cool.”
Third-generation Tampeño Ash Dudney is referring to the location of his custom-made hat studio and workshop, near the intersection of Nebraska and Seventh avenues, known to some as the western outpost of Ybor City.
Til Death Hat Co. is one of several businesses located at this peculiar crossroads on the western edge of Ybor — a stretch better known for urban grit than retail. While the area has a slew of vacant lots, it’s also the nexus between Ybor City, Tampa Heights, and downtown Tampa — and it offers something different from any of those neighborhoods — intrigue. It’s got its hooks in Dudney. When he was offered a retail space in the mixed-use Gasworx district being built nearby, he declined.
“It just wouldn’t be the same,” he says.
‘Til Death Hat Co. (Carole Devillers)
Dudney touches on the quality that pervades all of the businesses here. Low stakes and lower rents than central Ybor or districts like The Heights and Water Street provide local entrepreneurs room to experiment and grow their following. He refers to his neighbors and fellow pioneers as “broke hustlers” who took the chance on a forgotten set of buildings.
Now they find themselves in the middle of a redevelopment boom. The irony is that some of them don’t really need the boost.
Coastal Film Lab is a good example. It’s one of the few analog film processing shops in the region, building on the trends of digital detox and a return to intentional creation. Despite the seemingly odd location, things were busy on a Friday afternoon, not with random passersby as there is virtually zero foot traffic, but with destination visitors — people who follow these creators and seek them out, not the other way around.
Coastal Film Lab (Carole Devillers)
Coastal Film Lab (Carole Devillers)
“It’s easier to be present in the moment while shooting film with a camera instead of a smartphone,” says founder Stephen Zane. “Many of our clients are millennials and Gen Z-ers who’re rebelling against screens.”
Coastal Film Lab sells disposable and new high-end cameras, repairs cameras, and develops film for wedding photographers, artists, and hobbyists. They also host gallery shows and photo walks. Classes and workshops are in the works too. Founded in the wake of the pandemic, the lab now employs thirteen people.
Next door to Til Death and Coastal Film, Jose Palau, his mother Esther Palau, and his partner Josh Smith have similar stories to tell. After selling homemade flan for years at local farmer’s markets, Palau opened Flan Factory in 2020 with a rotating selection of inventive flan flavors like guava and salted caramel, in addition to a full menu of Cuban food, including authentic Cuban sandwiches made with La Segunda Cuban bread. The dining rooms were packed the day I visited.
Tampa’s Cuban sandwich is unique because it combines elements from all of the immigrant communities that moved to Ybor City in the late 1800s. Pork for the Cubans. Salami for the Italians. Ham for the Spanish. Pickles and mustard for the Germans. Wrap it all up in palmetto leaf creased Cuban bread, and we’ve been eating them ever since. Versions from outside of Tampa cannot claim the same unique legacy.
Flan Factory (Carole Devillers)
“My mom thought I was crazy when I wanted to open in this space, but I saw where development was planned and I knew we’d be well-positioned to capitalize on that growth,” says Palau.
His next adventure is a Flan Factory location inside of Armature Works in Tampa Heights.
Up the block is JB3 DoughJoe, a small storefront where the line stretches down the block on occasion.
The bakery is best known for its ciabatta and sourdough bread, which appeared on menus at local high-end restaurants before the business went “direct to consumer.” With a niche following of Bay Area bread- and pastry-lovers, the shop is only open Wednesday through Saturday and features unique creations like the JB3 tidy — a fluffy Japanese milk bun filled with barbeque beef brisket — and JB3 marble pound cake muffins.
JB3 DoughJoe (Carole Devillers)
JB3 DoughJoe (Carole Devillers)
At night, the western outpost lights up at La Sétima Club, a natural wine bar that also serves a completely vegan food menu. The vibes inside are cozy but lively, attracting a hip crowd. In June, La Sétima partnered with St. Petersburg’s Green Light Cinema to screen the A24 film Zola, which is based on a Rolling Stone story written by Tampa native David Kushner, and was filmed partly along Nebraska Avenue.
“It’s one of the most beautiful rooms in Tampa,” Dudney says about La Sétima.
It’s also got great views. From the back corner booth, you can look directly down Seventh Avenue into the heart of Ybor City.
Next door to La Sétima is The Commodore, an improv, sketch, and fringe comedy club.
One of the improv actors, Liz Marcucci, moved from Chicago to Tampa, but missed the arts and culture of the big city.
“I was big on The Second City in Chicago [famed comedy club founded in 1959] and The Commodore is a little slice of that in Tampa,” she says. “I’m very grateful. II had chronic illnesses growing up and was diagnosed with cancer when I was younger. Improv helped me step into my voice and my power. And now I’m obsessed with it!”
The folks hanging out at The Commodore seem to be just having a lot of fun, even if the lines don’t always land.
Like Coastal Film Lab, Til Death Hat Co., and the other small businesses gathered around the crossroads of Nebraska and Seventh Avenues, there’s a lightness of play and a refreshing lack of stiff, serious attitude.
The Commodore isn’t the only performance art venue in the neighborhood. LAB Theater Project is a nonprofit “playwright first” production company located along Henderson Avenue.
Away from high-traffic, high-rent commercial districts, there’s more room for creatives to flourish at their own speed, without the stress of high overheads. This crossroads feels a lot like St. Petersburg, which is known for cultivating a friendly environment for artists and new small business concepts.
Some might bemoan the area’s lack of polish. The sidewalks are narrow, some parking areas aren’t paved, and truck traffic rumbles along Nebraska Avenue in and out of construction sites. Others are clearly drawn to the low-key intrigue of the off-beat corner where you can get film developed, have a hat hand-fitted, indulge in some of Tampa’s best local food and wine, and enjoy dinner and a show.
Retro House Coffee Bar & Asian Bistro (Carole Devillers)
Nails with Finesse, Ybor Restore Yoga, and Retro House, an Asian bistro, round out the block.
Will the magic last?
As new high-end developments slowly close in on this corner, it’ll be up to the area’s landlords and developers whether to prioritize local operators and homegrown brands over imported concepts from other cities.