Sundial St. Pete


Sundial St. Pete, formerly known as The Shops at St. Pete, and BayWalk, is a shopping, dining and entertainment complex in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. It opened on May 2014 with a mixture of restaurants, markets, nightlife, and shopping. As of April 2015, businesses include Locale Market, Lululemon, White House Black Market, Tommy Bahama, Chico's, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Sea Salt restaurant and Jackie Z Style Co. The complex also features a 20-screen AMC Theatre which was originally a Muvico. While the outdoor Muvico signs remain intact for the time being, slight changes have been made inside to reflect the recent acquisition of Carmike Cinemas by AMC.

History

Originally opened with the name of BayWalk in the fall of 2000, the area included of retail space plus an movie theater owned by Muvico Theaters. The two-story, open-air shopping center featured a mix of Florida contemporary and traditional Mediterranean architectural styles with stucco-faced buildings and wrought iron touches. Economic problems resulted in high vacancy rates.
St. Petersburg businessman Bill Edwards bought the complex for $5.2 million in September 2011, and announced plans to revitalize the complex. It has since undergone extensive renovations and two name changes. Edwards dubbed the new project "The Shops at St Pete". On February 19, 2014, the complex was publicly renamed Sundial St. Pete.

Design

The renovated courtyard at Sundial St. Pete features a nearly two-story sundial sculpture, designed by renowned production designer René Lagler and crafted by Thomas Sign & Awning Co. in Pinellas County. Surrounding the sundial is a mosaic lagoon water feature. Six bronze dolphins are depicted playing in and around the feature. The dolphin sculptures were designed and crafted by St. Petersburg master sculptor Mark Aeling and his team at MGA Sculpture Studio.

Tenants

The Locale market includes a gourmet grocer, wine bar, and restaurant. It is a partnership between celebrity chefs Michael Mina of San Francisco, California and Don Pintabona, who is a returnee to the Tampa Bay region. He completed an undergraduate degree at the University of South Florida in Tampa and began his chef career working at a restaurant on Busch Boulevard in Tampa.
Sea Salt restaurant is an upscale seafood and steak restaurant.

Events

The sundial features a variety of different events. Some of which include an annual tree lighting celebration & arrival of Santa. This event includes snowfall at the sundial, arts and crafts, holiday entertainment, tree lightning, and more. In addition, some events include swing dancing, pop-up performances from Chinese acrobats, and free yoga classes to give thanks for the month of November.