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<\/p>\nAfter six years as a paying tenant, Urban Stillhouse owner Meredith Koko has purchased the property at 2232 5th Avenue S. And there\u2019s no time like the present: The upscale restaurant and distillery, with its rustic, wood, brick and leather ski lodge interior, is getting a major makeover.<\/p>\n
Koko paid $8 million April 13 for the 16,000-square-foot building in the Warehouse Arts District.<\/p>\n
A separate office facility next door will be transformed into a less formal (and less pricey) dining and drinking room. \u201cI want to do something that\u2019s more approachable,\u201d Koko said.<\/p>\n
Some of the 9\/11 memorabilia currently housed in Urban Stillhouse\u2019s upstairs, members-only club will be relocated downstairs. And some menu items will change.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to re-do all of that fabulous furniture,\u201d Koko said. \u201cAnd this is so funny: We had a review a couple weeks ago, and it was \u2018Five stars. The food was amazing. The service was amazing. But my armrest felt like a razor blade.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cOK! I\u2019d heard that before so, time to do something about it. All that stuff is so fancy and beautiful, but it\u2019s seen a lot of people. It\u2019s very normal wear and tear.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we\u2019re going to do some cosmetic stuff to the walls. The brick is beautiful, but I want to do some shadowboxing with some of the distillery photos. I want to be sure people remember that we\u2019re there to support that brand, and that we are a real bourbon company.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Hose Soldier Bourbon team members launch their brand in 2018: Scott Neil, left, Tyler Gardner and Merrick Mirabella. Photo by Bill DeYoung.<\/p>\n
Although Meredith Koko is the sole owner of Urban Stillhouse, it\u2019s licensed by Horse Soldier Bourbon, which has maintained a St. Petersburg presence since 2018.<\/p>\n
Horse Soldier CEO Scott Neil and John Koko (Meredith\u2019s father) were part of a group of 12 Green Berets deployed into mountainous Afghanistan, on horseback, just days after 9\/11. Their mission, dubbed Task Force Dagger, succeeded in prying several key cities loose from the grip of the Taliban.<\/p>\n
After the so-called Horse Soldiers returned stateside, a statue in their honor was erected at Ground Zero in New York. A movie and a documentary were made about them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of that seems important and flashy,\u201d Neil told the Catalyst in 2019, \u201cbut it doesn\u2019t fill the void in your life when you retire.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neil, along with Koko and his wife Elizabeth Pritchard, became smitten with the craft whiskey distillation process. Using a recipe created by Neil, they developed Horse Soldier Bourbon, along with other liquors.<\/p>\n
At the same time, many of the military men relocated to St. Petersburg, having fallen for the area during their tenure at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.<\/p>\n
Together, they purchased a 16,000-square-foot space at in the Warehouse Arts District, for their American Freedom Distillery. Although the bourbons were initially distilled in Ohio (the hot Florida weather is not good for the aging process, Neil explained), gin, rum and vodka were produced at the Florida location.<\/p>\n
\u201cSt. Pete is on fire,\u201d Neil said in 2019. \u201cEverybody hoped there was something that size in downtown St. Pete. There wasn\u2019t. We were lucky that we found that building. It was a little bigger than we thought we needed \u2013 but then, if you\u2019re gonna be a monkey, be a gorilla.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally to be called America Neat Grill & Whiskey House, the in-house restaurant opened in August 2020 as Urban Stillhouse.<\/p>\n
Last year, the distillery was relocated to Somerset, Kentucky; Koko turned the room into an event space.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur a la carte business is amazing and successful, but we do a lot of weddings. It\u2019s so beautiful, it looks like a Montana ranch in the middle of Florida. And we do a lot of parties.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say just under 40 percent of my business is events. I think that\u2019s one of the reasons why we\u2019ve done well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scheduled to be christened July 4 in Somerset is Horse Soldier Farms, which will include a state-of-the-art distillery. All the company\u2019s products will be manufactured there. And there\u2019s a second Urban Stillhouse restaurant already open on the property.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took a really big gamble on going to the Warehouse Arts District,\u201d Koko said. \u201cI think we knew seven years ago hey, this side of town is going to grow up around us.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it has. And I think within the next two years it\u2019s going to be a walkable area.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Urban Stillhouse, 2232 5th Avenue S. Photo provided.<\/p>\n
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