Jug & Bottle Dept. in Tampa, Florida. Credit: jugandbottledept / Facebook
On a Sunday afternoon, Jug & Bottle owner Jessie Wohlers, a now familiar-to-me-face, pours a glass of a crisp sauv blanc and gets right into the topic of the shop’s 11th anniversary this weekend. She discusses where the shop—located at 6203 N. Florida Ave. in Seminole Heighs—has been, its legacy and how to protect, expand and move it forward.
She’s been in the neighborhood for a while, and took over the shop in February 2025. It’s no secret that the neighborhood is changing. Less than two miles away, Southern Brewing & Winery is closing after 18 years in business. Old Heights Bistro is moving to South Tampa, and there’s uncertainty about the future of the wildly-popular Angry Chair Brewing.
In fact, when Wohlers took over, and even to this day, folks sometimes still walk in and say, “Hey, I thought you closed?”
But far from that, Wohlers is steadily building on what’s been here, and taking the place to new heights. The little changes happen daily as Wohlers applies new paint to walls, rearranges, or gets a new fridge installed for all of the shop’s special bottles of bubbly.
“We’re creating a space that allows Jug & Bottle to have a new relevance,” Wohlers told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “We’re bringing two legacy businesses into the future in a thoughtful way.”
The other business is Ichikoroshi, the new iteration of Ichicoro, the Heights’ beloved, Michelin-bibbed ramen spot that shut down all too quickly in 2023. It’s still run by much of the same good crew, and Wohlers, who came down from New York, was part of opening the original Ichicoro. Together, they continue to pave the way for unpretentious, gritty charm via Jug & Bottle c. 2026.
Wohlers talks about all of Tampa’s bright new things—and also, how the city doesn’t exactly want to be the next Miami.
“I see the trends in Tampa going a little bit more towards shiny views and Miami-esque vibes,” Wohlers notes. “But we want to keep classic cocktails accessible and exceptional. I don’t want you to have to be paying my rent for a cocktail.”
For now, those cocktails are wine and sake-based. In December Jug & Bottle will introduce spirits to round out its current offerings of beer, wine, and N/A drinks on tap (not to mention all the incredible bottles and cans to-go).
In fact, Wohlers is striving to recreate something a little more intimate.
“The idea is that I’m trying to build my living room from Brooklyn in 2003,” she said. “Like, it’s very casual. There is an intention behind it. We’re not a coffee shop. We’re not really anything… or just everything.”
(Jug & Bottle did just get an espresso machine—stay tuned).
It’s pretty clear the neighborhood still feels at home.
One guy shouts out from a group down the bar: “Hey Jessie! I’m going to have my birthday party here!” Not long after, another woman greets Jessie practically like family and asks for a glass of one of her N/A wines from behind the bar.
Wohlers is well on her way to making her vision reality, and the loyalty in Seminole Heights is part of the secret sauce,
The transition from founding ownership, she confirms, was not an overnight corporate takeover. It was a slow, deliberate grind to earn the neighborhood’s trust back after many assumed it had closed.
And so, a community block party is exactly what is planned to celebrate. On Saturday, attendees can expect an all day affair from noon-midnight featuring limited time brunch options from Ichikoroshi, daytime sake and wine tastings, and local coffee pop-ups showcasing Jug’s new espresso setup.
As the night barrels on, folks can expect collaborative guest-bartender cocktails (Madeline Longacre from Rooster & the Till, Missy from Velvet Gypsy, a drink from the team at Mandarin Heights, plus another created by Wohlers herself). There’s be simultaneous wine tastings and local art and community vendors plus Seminole Heights themed flash tattoos offered by Travis Knight, tarot card readings by Carmen Vass, and a custom Magic the Gathering dice artist—a nod to Jug’s Magic the Gathering events hosted every Monday at 4 p.m.
The party is a reflection of what the neighborhood asked for, and it’s all part of Wohlers’ plan.
“Slowly but surely should be how you go about business,” she said. “Because it forces you to listen to the community.”
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