An intimate wine bar is coming to downtown St. Petersburg in May, when the Cork Room is set to open on the ground floor of 357 5th Street South, a five-story, 25-unit apartment building that opened last year.

The $5 million development featured one retail space on the corner 5th Street and 4th Avenue South which was provided a perfect space for a small wine bar. Owner John Harr previously opened The Cork Room on Davis Islands in Tampa. Harr says the St. Pete version will be similar in many ways.

“It’s going to be a local wine store,” he says. “You’ll be able to either drink wine there or take it home with you, same as the one on Davis Islands. As far as the biggest differences, there might be some menu changes. The other one has a huge kitchen whereas this one doesn’t.”

At 700 square feet in size, the St. Pete Cork Room won’t have equipment for making fried foods, Harr says, but it will likely serve a selection of flatbreads, pasta dishes, and charcuterie boards. Beer will also be available.

“We’ll have some stuff that you can’t find everywhere,” Harr says of the wine selection, adding that the Cork Room will host wine tastings and other educational programming for wine enthusiasts. The space will also likely be available for private parties and events.

Harr says he’s excited about being part of 357 5th Street South and hopes the building will provide a steady stream of “built-in” customers. “I know the owner of the building, and he's obviously wanting us to open as soon as we can. He's talked to some of the residents, and they seem to be excited to have something like this.”

Jake Wollman of KW Commercial represented the landlord in the lease. When leasing the space, Wollman looked to fill a space that would complement the residential units in the building as well as the surrounding neighborhood.  

“When most residents and visitors think about downtown St. Pete they are immediately drawn to Central Avenue and Beach Drive; however, it will be unique concepts like the Cork Room that draw our attention off of Central Avenue and highlight the character and walkability of our growing downtown,” said Wollman.

The Cork Room is the latest in a string of wine bars that have either opened or are opening soon in St. Pete area.

Calida Kitchen & Wine is coming to 2909 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North, while Gulfport’s Backfin Blue Café has been sold and is being redeveloped as The Wine House.

And then, of course, there are several existing downtown establishments such as Lolita’s Wine Market, Dracula’s Legacy, CellarMasters Wine Bar & Bottle Shop, and MUST Wine Loft.  

Harr, 40, says it’s no coincidence that more wine bars are popping up in the Sunshine City.

“The generation that has been drinking cheaper beer and liquor is getting older,” he says. “There’s that shift — people who were in their 20s now like the expensive bourbon and higher-end wine products. At least that's what I see, because I seem to be that type of person.”

The St. Pete Cork Room hopes to open in May and will be open 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. On weekends, it will be open 3 p.m. to midnight. The store will be closed on Mondays.  

For more updates, follow the Cork Room on Instagram at @corkroomtampa.