St. Petersburg is becoming a hub for comedy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Former standup comedian Kenny Garcia, who owns clubs in St. Pete Beach and Clearwater, is planning on opening the Sunshine Comedy Cafe this summer. The intimate 980-square-foot venue will be located in the Princess Martha building (at 443 1st Avenue N.) and will have about 35 to 45 seats.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I opened the St. Pete Beach location, I had convinced myself that the people from downtown St. Pete would come out to the club during the week to see shows,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cI took for granted how much people do not like going out to the beach from downtown.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Garcia moved downtown, he realized there was an opportunity for a third location. Choosing a smaller space was intentional, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2008, Garcia began to perform comedy in New York City. This brought him all over the world. About three or four years ago, the entertainer decided to transition from touring and open his own clubs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cYou can still feel connected to the performer,\u201d Garcia explained. \u201cWhile it is so much fun to see your favorite comedian in a big venue, I happen to think that it\u2019s more fun in a smaller, intimate venue where, as the performer, you can lock eyes with everyone in the audience.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The downtown St. Petersburg club\u2019s model will be similar to Garcia\u2019s other locations. During the week, there will be local showcases. On Fridays and Saturdays, the venue will host touring acts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe quality of the headliners will be guys and gals who open for some of the bigger names that the general public might recognize,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s also the appeal of the smaller place.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Garcia explained that he has been able to create a \u201cplatform\u201d for comedians who \u201chaven\u2019t connected with a fan base yet\u201d to play a larger space.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mentoring has become an important part of the job. Garcia said that he enjoys helping \u201cothers cultivate not only their career, but their art form and their presence on stage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere isn\u2019t a lot of pressure to sell a lot of tickets,\u201d he added. \u201cGuests can still have a great time with a really great artist who they may have otherwise never heard of.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Garcia will also host \u201cheavy hitters\u201d shows at the new location. Multiple fan-favorite local comedians headline these performances. Each entertainer performs for about 20 to 25 minutes. He explained that the productions are held quarterly at the St. Pete Beach and Clearwater clubs. Garcia is thinking about expanding the concept to a weekly format\u00a0at his Princess Martha establishment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Sunshine Comedy Cafe is not the only new venue coming to downtown St. Petersburg.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Tampa-based Side Splitters Comedy Club is currently preparing to open a location <\/a>at the Sundial entertainment complex. Additionally, standup comedian and St. Pete Stand-Up founder Bob Holden is planning to open a brick and mortar club <\/a>in the Grand Central District.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have the least amount of pressure because my venue is so small,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cMy hope is that all three of us can be successful. The bigger hope is that comedians around the country will start to see St. Pete as a very viable place to move to and hone and perfect their craft.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Coconuts, which has been on St. Pete Beach since 1986, is recognized as the oldest comedy club in Florida.<\/p>\n Sunshine Comedy Cafe Instagram page\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t