Main Street bar clears first hurdle

As a bar owner, Tom Elliott usually isn’t happy about failing to draw a crowd. But a Dec. 18 workshop proved to be an exception to that rule — and a sign that downtown residents approve of his proposal for a new bar on Main Street.

Elliott, an owner of the Paddy Wagon Irish Pub, is seeking permission from the city to use a liquor license at 1576 Main St., in the space between Pho Cali and Drunken Poet Café. On Dec. 18, the city hosted a community workshop to gather resident input on the proposal; nobody showed up to oppose the project.
The Irish-themed business, which has another location on Clark Road, aims to open this summer, one of a handful of new bars to open or announce plans to operate along Main Street.

“It’s a trophy property for us,” Elliott said. “It’s a chance to showcase to our customers and franchisees the vision we have for Paddy Wagon.”

The bar will be one of several nightlife options along the 1500 block of Main Street, which is owned by entrepreneur Jesse Biter. Biter purchased the building for

$2 million in 2012. A few doors down from the Paddy Wagon, Biter has plans for at least two more additions to the late-night landscape: Taco Bus, a Tampa-based restaurant that will be open 24 hours, and Evie’s, which will come with a three-lane bowling alley.

Those plans coincide with a broader influx of late-night businesses, particularly in the 1500 block of Main Street. Earlier in the year, Yume Sushi moved into a larger space across the street, to 1532 Main St., a move that its owner said would include a greater emphasis on nighttime offerings. In the former space Yume Sushi occupied, craft beer bar The Famous Tavern opened.

In the 1900 block of Main Street, another craft beer bar, World of Beer, has announced its plans to open Feb. 1 in the two-story space Eat Here previously occupied.

Last week, World of Beer co-owner Dean Lambert said the city was in the process of issuing the final permits for the bar.

Biter said these businesses fit with his vision for Main Street — and that the Paddy Wagon is another valuable addition for the area.

“Downtown should be a fun and exciting place to visit that has something for everyone,” Biter said. “Paddy Wagon fills a few voids that currently exist on Main Street.”

Downtown residents have been painted as a potential obstacle for several new nightlife options in Sarasota, but last week’s meeting is an early signal that they may not be an issue for the Paddy Wagon.
Elliott, who already owns eight Paddy Wagon locations and more than 20 bar concepts in total, is no stranger to downtown. As the former owner of Smokin’ Joe’s, he said his new site on Main Street is far enough away from residential developments that problems based on their proximity shouldn’t be an issue. The location could even be a positive, he suggested, drawing late-night crowds away from the denser residential areas in the 1300 and 1400 blocks of Main Street.

Bob Pirollo, president of the Downtown Sarasota Condo Association, said the organization was excited to see the activity around Biter’s projects. He said that, in the past, residents’ concerns have largely centered on noise issues — something they’ve seen less of downtown in recent months.

Additionally, he said, downtown residents aren’t a homogeneous entity; some members of the group are happy to have more nightlife options to patronize.

“We have on our board some younger members, and they’re actually anxious for more things to do,” Pirollo said.

Downtown Economic Development Coordinator Norm Gollub said the new bars and restaurants are a response to the more than 2,000 dwelling units and five hotels poised to spring up throughout the area beginning as early as next fall. Biter is behind plans for a 10-story, 168-unit apartment building on Second Street, which puts him in a unique position on either side of the downtown market.

“I think (Biter) is taking a holistic view.” Gollub said. “I think he’s creating the demand and the solution for that demand.”