{"id":379723,"date":"2026-08-24T14:26:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T14:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/379723\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T14:26:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T14:26:01","slug":"the-st-pete-artist-who-wants-to-reopen-haslams-books-is-throwing-a-parking-lot-concert-this-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/379723\/","title":{"rendered":"The St. Pete artist who wants to reopen Haslam’s Books is throwing a parking lot concert this weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AHaslam\u2019s Books in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 8, 2016. Credit: cityofstpete \/ Flickr<\/a><\/p>\n

Four months and more than a thousand T-shirts into his unlikely campaign to reopen Haslam\u2019s Book Store<\/a>, St. Petersburg artist Filipe Bergson<\/a> still hasn\u2019t heard from the family that owns it.<\/p>\n

So naturally, he\u2019s throwing a concert in their parking lot.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, Aug. 29, Bergson will bring local musicians, costumes, and what he\u2019s calling the \u201cLibrary Olympics\u201d to the long-shuttered bookstore on Central Avenue. The event is the latest escalation in a campaign that began with the admittedly absurd goal of selling 500,000 bootleg Haslam\u2019s shirts, buying the property, and reopening the St. Pete institution.<\/p>\n

This time, however, the Haslam\u2019s hopeful is less interested in raising money than in getting an answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is more of just like another PR stunt to see if we can get the attention of the family and get them to talk to us,\u201d Bergson told Cigar City Sounds.<\/p>\n

This post first appeared at Cigar City Sounds<\/a>, which is part of the Tampa Bay Journalism Project<\/a> \u00a0(TBJP), a nascent Creative Loafing Tampa Bay effort supported by grants and a coalition of donors who make specific contributions via the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation<\/a>. If you are a non-paywalled Bay area publication interested in TBJP, please email [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>. Support Cigar City Sounds by following @cigarcitysounds on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show itself will be appropriately makeshift. There won\u2019t be a traditional stage, but the artists and filmmakers involved plan to bring a bare-bones PA system, props, and projectors to transform the parking lot.<\/p>\n

Delaney Staack opens, followed by St. Pete indie-folk band Little Giver and the newly assembled Haslam\u2019s Family Band, a group of Bergson\u2019s musician friends formed specifically for the event.<\/p>\n

Between performances, the man behind the shirts will host games and competitions, including a costume contest and book-sorting challenge. Contestants in the latter won\u2019t receive instructions on how to organize their pile.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just gonna be like, start sorting the books,\u201d Bergson said. \u201cAnd then I\u2019m gonna ask them how they sorted them and why. And that\u2019s gonna decide the winner.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is, of course, one minor complication: Bergson doesn\u2019t have permission to use the property.<\/p>\n

When asked if he\u2019d looked into the legality of holding the event there, his answer was simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, in the sense that it is illegal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Bergson added that they will leave if asked and relocate the show to a legitimate venue at a later date. But the possibility of getting kicked out almost seems baked into the point. He describes the event as another \u201cHail Mary\u201d to draw the Haslam family into a conversation about the future of the bookstore.<\/p>\n

Despite the tongue-in-cheek approach, the organizer says there is legitimate interest behind the effort. He has resisted crowdfunding because the building isn\u2019t currently for sale and he doesn\u2019t feel comfortable taking donations without a clear path forward. Meanwhile, he says potential investors have approached him with interest in helping finance the project if he can establish communication with the family and get an asking price.<\/p>\n

Reopening Haslam\u2019s remains the dream, but at this point, he says simply hearing from the family and understanding their perspective would provide an answer to a question St. Pete has been asking for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if we don\u2019t get to do anything with Haslam\u2019s, we\u2019d have a clear-cut story behind why they don\u2019t want to open up their business,\u201d Bergson said. \u201cOr whatever their plan is. I don\u2019t have to run this shit. Like, they can reopen it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, the bookstore remains closed, the family remains quiet, and Bergson has a band rehearsing for a show in a parking lot he fully acknowledges he isn\u2019t supposed to use.<\/p>\n

At the very least, it should be an interesting Saturday.<\/p>\n

Filipe Bergson\u2019s Haslam\u2019s parking lot show is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 29 from 8 p.m.\u201310 p.m. at Haslam\u2019s Book Store in St. Petersburg. The event is free, as long as it lasts.<\/p>\n

\"AA flyer for the Haslam\u2019s parking lot concert happening in St. Petersburg, Florida on Aug. 29, 2026. Credit: via Cigar City Sounds<\/a><\/p>\n

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This article appears in August 20 \u2013 26, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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