Struggling downtown Clearwater gets two new merchants

Downtown Clearwater, a long-desolate district that’s ever-so-slowly rebounding, is getting two new businesses.

The businesses will be in what’s being optimistically marketed as the Historic Cleveland Street District, a nod to what once a vibrant downtown that lost its luster decades ago and has since been struggling to reemerge.

The area, which includes several historic buildings, is described in a press release as having “open-air dining, harbor views, and (a) growing mix of attractions (that is) is evolving into a vibrant, walkable hub that blends tourism, culture, wellness, and local businesses.”

The two new tenants are:

• Multibar, a restaurant that serves a “globally curated menu.” It will be at 420 Cleveland St. and is scheduled to open in the fall.
• Bulletproof Athletics Gym, a personal training facility. It is opening at 410 Cleveland street. An opening date was not immediately available.

The two will join several other businesses that have been around for a few years. Those include Downtown Pizza Sports Bar & Grill at 428 Cleveland St. and Clear Sky on Cleveland at 418 Cleveland St.

While the downtown district is beginning to slowly recover, it is a far cry from its heyday when, even into the early 1980s, Maas Bros. department store was the central gathering spot, businesses lined both sides of the streets and a Christmas parade brought thousands.

Even the Rolling Stones are part of downtown Clearwater’s history. In 1965 the band wrote the classic song “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction” while sitting poolside at the Fort Harrison Hotel — then known as Jack Tar Harrison Hotel — which is just off of Cleveland Street.

The hotel, today, operates a religious retreat for the Church of Scientology, which first moved to the city and began buying property in 1975.

Helping drive the downtown recovery is the $64 million waterfront Imagine Clearwater park which opened in 2023 and includes a 4,000-seat amphitheater, attractions and walking trails.

Local developer Valor Capital announced the opening of the two new merchants. The firm says they, and the existing businesses, “reflect a growing wave of momentum and confidence in downtown Clearwater as a revitalized destination, driven by quality urban design, a vibrant public realm, and a dense, livable area that bolsters the city’s overall economy.”

For those with a long memory, the hope is that the sentiment — which has been heard before — turns into a reality.