{"id":200424,"date":"2026-03-21T13:05:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T13:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/200424\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T13:05:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T13:05:09","slug":"new-owner-of-the-bricks-in-ybor-city-shares-plans-for-the-restaurant-and-venues-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/200424\/","title":{"rendered":"New owner of The Bricks in Ybor City shares plans for the restaurant and venue\u2019s future"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AnThe Bricks in Ybor City, Florida. Credit: thebricksybor \/ Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

After buying the property in January, the new owner of The Bricks<\/a> has shared plans to keep the Ybor City staple open and invest in updating the concept.<\/p>\n

As previously reported by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/a>, records from the Hillsborough County Tax Collector show that the deed for the property at 1327 E 7th Ave. was transferred on Jan. 9 to Joshua Pardue\u2019s Ybor City Mixed Use LLC, which paid $3.14 million in the deal.<\/p>\n

The Tampa investor\u2019s JPRE Development<\/a> is handling the next chapter of a restaurant and venue founded by owners of the Skatepark of Tampa 16 years ago<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A statement shared with CL says Pardue\u2019s real estate investment, development, and advisory firm bought the property without outside investors. It was also immediately approached with requests to lease the space, \u201cwhich would have been the easy decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c \u2026 [But I] wanted to do my part in protecting this Ybor institution, so we are taking pride in the process, investing in the business, and building on what people already love about it,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n

Pardue expanded on plans when reached by phone last Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome folks are gonna look and say, \u2018Yeah, developer.\u2019 Part of why I\u2019m being a little more vocal about this now is I want The Bricks crowd to know that I lived in Ybor for 20 years,\u201d the 43-year-old told CL.<\/p>\n

Pardue said he also started in hospitality 20 years ago, explaining that his past life involved working concierge VIP, bartending and serving tables at places like 1509, Club Skye, Prana, Twilight, and Lotus while he studied finance at the University of South Florida and renovated some properties.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not an out of state developer. I built my business from nothing. And we\u2019re still a small business,\u201d he said, adding that JPRE\u2019s name does pop up a lot because it is trying to make an impact in the area.<\/p>\n

Immediate changes at The Bricks include a new website<\/a>, enhancing the food quality, expanding hours and doing a little more online marketing, Pardue said. Expanded lunch service has already been added.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut besides that we\u2019re not, like, going to jack up the prices. The customer should remain the same,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit elevated, but still going to be your neighborhood bar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pardue also said that he and Brian Schaefer\u2014owner of the Skatepark of Tampa (SPoT) and co-founder of The Bricks\u2014have been in discussions throughout the sale about his involvement in what happens next as the dust settles.<\/p>\n

Afterparties for SPoT\u2019s Tampa Am and Tampa Pro will still happen at The Bricks, preserving the venue\u2019s connection to skateboarding.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat keeps that culture and vibe and location,\u201d Pardue said. \u201cSo we\u2019re going to continue to partner with him where it makes sense. I\u2019ll talk to him about design and different things like that, trying to make sure we keep the culture aligned. We put some of the original art back up and are doing those things to keep the heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll update this post when Schaefer adds his own comments.<\/p>\n

To drive the next phase of The Bricks\u2019 history, Pardue has tapped Tampa hospitality veteran David Bromberg (Fly Bar on Franklin Street, Barcelona Wine Bar) to \u201clead strategy focused around refining the food program, expanding hours, and enhancing the overall guest experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the statement, Bromberg said The Bricks is special because it represents what makes Ybor City unique, adding that he\u2019ll work on food, beverage and programming built around hospitality and music, reiterating a desire to \u201cbe Ybor\u2019s elevated neighborhood bar.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bricks in Ybor City is now open noon-midnight Wednesday-Thursday, noon-1 a.m. Friday, 11 a.m-1 a.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday. It is closed Monday-Tuesday.<\/p>\n

When news of The Bricks sale broke, many in the community lamented the continued change in the district and expressed hope that the venue would keep hosting music.<\/p>\n

The event calendar has remained active, and just hosted a hip-hop showcase headlined by Tampa rapper Nico Sweet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Others shared concerns that developers like former Blue Pearl Veterinary CEO Darryl Shaw were making Ybor City unrecognizable. Many longtime residents can no longer build businesses in Ybor City, some pointed out, because prices are out of reach<\/a> (The Bricks property last sold in 2009 for $825,000, according to property records).<\/p>\n

Shaw, 59, used to live above the old Greco Hardware store on the corner of 15th Street and 8th Avenue. The building is also the former home of Rock Brothers Brewing and MC Film, and is now Disco Pony<\/a>, where a Paramore-themed concert and drag show is happening this weekend<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ybor City\u2019s ongoing Gasworx development<\/a> is led by Shaw who has also planned an approximately 30-acre, mostly-residential development in East Ybor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pardue\u2014who is part of the team working on three concepts at the old Hall on Franklin just over a mile away from The Bricks<\/a>\u2014noted that JPRE does collaborate with Shaw, and other developers like Kettler, companies he said are \u201cdoing great job adding density, and advancing the market and as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

JPRE itself, he told CL, \u201chas brought more new business to Ybor in the last 24 months than any other company by far from a leasing and brokerage perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom DeGeorge\u2014whose Ybor City music venue Crowbar will close this summer due, in part, to rising rents\u2014commented<\/a> that, \u201cThe streets that I walked for 25 years have only become more unrecognizable\u2026\u201d The 52-year-old who used to run the Masquerade on the corner of 15th Street and 7th Avenue has been an outspoken critic of the gentrification in the historic district.<\/p>\n

Pardue told CL that he hears those concerns from locals who wonder if there is a future in Ybor City for dives like Reservoir Bar on the west end of 7th Avenue and The Dirty Shame just a few blocks east.<\/p>\n

He said that Reservoir Bar and The Dirty Shame are well-run operations that have their niche and their customers. Ybor City, Pardue noted, is transitioning into a village with more residents, similar to the makeup of the neighborhood at its inception.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at larger markets like Miami or New York, they still have dive bars, but they\u2019re well operated dive bars,\u201d Pardue added. He said Ybor City needs a handful of dive bars, not 15-20 and reiterated comments from a new episode of the Tampa Bay Developer podcast<\/a> about how institutions like Rez and the Shame have a path forward as he estimates that Ybor City will add more than 7,500 residents.<\/p>\n

He also thinks that 7th Avenue, specifically between 15th and 22nd Streets, will continue to have entertainment and bars while the western end will be \u201ca little bit more quaint, elevated experience, quieter experience, with more of a dinner crowd\u201d while the east side will be more residential<\/p>\n

\u201cThose institutions\u2026 that\u2019ve been around, that have a loyal customer, that do a good job, that have a fair price point, that have a great experience. They\u2019re going to stay,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd they\u2019re going to thrive more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This article appears in Mar. 19 \u2013 25, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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