New Rosemary businesses generate buzz

When Sarasota resident Rebekah Mandeville-Gelvin longed for the type of beer garden common to her native Denver — a city with a rich craft beer scene and replete with venues designed to celebrate its variety — she decided to start her own.

When it came time to pick a home for her new business, called the Mandeville Beer Garden, she honed in on the Rosemary District. Mandeville-Gelvin envisioned the future of the redeveloping area as similar to one in another Colorado town, Boulder, where Pearl Street serves as a historic district filled with art and nightlife options.

“I love that it’s up and coming — the potential for growth here is huge,” Mandeville-Gelvin said of the Rosemary District. “It has some problems, but it’s got a great feel that I think fits into the spirit of the craft beer community.”

Mandeville-Gelvin isn’t alone in imagining a rosy future for the neighborhood. It’s arguably an exhausted refrain at this point, but within the Rosemary District there is a growing sense that the revitalization of the neighborhood is imminent. Although there have been false starts in the past — the late-2000s recession set back progress in the area, and the recovery was slower than city officials and other stakeholders hoped — there are several signs that significant development is poised to occur in 2015.

The Mandeville Beer Garden, located at 428 N. Lemon Ave., is just one of those signs. Mandeville-Gelvin pointed to nearby residential developments in the works as one of the reasons she chose the neighborhood. Activity in the area has been spurred by the city’s adoption of the Rosemary Residential Overlay District, which allows for higher-density residential projects within its boundaries.
Once those projects begin to spring up, Mandeville-Gelvin imagines a community that allows for residents to live, work, dine and shop without having to leave their neighborhood.

“I think the residential plans are going to be really important to the growth of the Rosemary District,” Mandeville-Gelvin said. “Those are the people who are going to have the choice to drive somewhere or stay in their neighborhood and walk to a restaurant or bar.”

The project that inspired the creation of the overlay district is scheduled to break ground this spring. Spearheaded by Rosalyne Holdings LLC and Ascentia Development Group, CitySide is a four-story apartment complex located at Boulevard of the Arts and May Lane. After completion, the project will create about 475 new residential units priced approximately between $1,000 and $2,000 monthly.

In a release, Rosalyne Holdings head Bruce Weiner touted the proximity of the apartments to the heart of downtown, but he also highlighted the growing strength of the Rosemary District.

“It will also bring new vitality to the area while at the same time maintaining the rich culture that makes the 128-year-old Rosemary District the unique place it is,” he said.

One of the newest additions to the area, SAS Merchantile, is pleased with its first three months in business. A home-décor division of Sarasota Architectural Salvage, the store opened in the former Ice House building in October. Upon opening, owner Jesse White emphasized the synergy between his business and the recently formed Sarasota Design District, an association of Rosemary businesses focused on design services.

Robert Anderson, sales director for Sarasota Architectural Salvage, said one of the biggest challenges for the Rosemary District store has been keeping the floor stocked. The uptick in activity downtown and in neighboring Gillespie Park has helped matters, Anderson said, and appears poised to spill over into Rosemary as well.

“There’s a lot of motion, a lot of activity building up to a new Sarasota,” Anderson said. “The revitalization is really what drew us in and pushed us in this direction.”

Although businesses in the area have expressed concerns about the effects issues such as homelessness might have on the neighborhood’s ability to draw in patrons, Anderson said the word of mouth has been positive thus far.

“There’s a buzz about this area,” Anderson said. “People are starting to realize this area is waking back up."

As more and more people begin to pour in — both residents and businesses — those with roots in the Rosemary District are convinced that it will soon bloom into an important neighborhood in Sarasota.

“I see a place where people live, people play, people work all in the same area,” Mandeville-Gelvin said. “They can walk there, they can walk home, they feel safe, and it just fosters a tight, close-knit sense of community. That’s what I see happening here.”