ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Pete in 1953 was identified to be a lot completely different than the town it is immediately.
For one, it was generally known as the “sleep town.” That’s additionally the yr Delma Nichols Booth moved her thriving downtown florist store —“Delma’s, The Flower Booth” — to the Kenwood neighborhood. It’s been on the nook of fifth Ave. N and twenty fifth St. North since then.
“Back then there were a few businesses here, but mostly a neighborhood,” proprietor Stephanie Anderson mentioned. “It’s not a historic neighborhood. We’re proud to be here.”
Booth was Anderson’s aunt. She inherited the business after Booth died.
“I started here when I was 15,” she mentioned. “I was in high school, yeah it’s been a big part of my life.”
Unfortunately, after almost 70 years right here, Delma’s has to transfer. The property proprietor to a developer. The proprietor is now planning to construct condos there.
Anderson mentioned she was shocked when the brand new proprietor walked in in the future telling her she had to be out in 15 days.
“It was a little surreal.”
She mentioned she knew there would come a time once they might need to transfer, however not this quickly.
“I mentioned to the owner if I have to leave in 15 days, I’m going to have to close the business,” she mentioned his response was a reduction.
“He was against that,” she mentioned. “He said we’re going to help you. that gave me a little more hope.”
The new proprietor is letting her keep till September thirtieth so she will find a new location. The problem is “the cost of the rent.”
The present constructing is 3,752-square-foot. They have a walk-in freezer, the primary floral room, a marriage ceremony part, and the design room the place they create all the floral preparations. To get a constructing that dimension or comparable, Anderson mentioned it might price her $1,000 to $2,000 extra a month.
“If it was feasible for me to buy, I would buy,” she mentioned. “It’s almost cheaper to buy than to rent nowadays.”
The different problem is area. There should not actually many areas that meet her dimension necessities, and none within the Kenwood space.
According to information from the county, there are about 20 properties the identical dimension as Delma’s. The common rental worth is $24.36 per sq. foot.
Delma isn’t alone. It’s the identical for small companies throughout the Tampa Bay space, even those that don’t have to find a new location. According to the county, hire costs for retail areas are up throughout the board.
But, Anderson mentioned she has no plans to shut down. She is set to find a new location in St. Petersburg for all of her prospects.
“Our customers are like family to us,” she mentioned.