Credit: Photo by Justin Garcia

Big Top Flea Market Let’s just say the pandemic was not kind to flea markets. Big Top was the go-to spot for those looking to spend a lazy weekend day searching for knick knacks and bartering deals on sports cards. After 26 years of selling treasures to Tampa locals, the market was shut down in 2020. And you guessed it, townhouses are set to pop up on the property. Photo via Big Top Flea Market/Facebook

The Colonnade Restaurant Before closing in 2016 and having its insides auctioned off to the public, the five-generation family-owned seafood restaurant served its customers for 80 long years—opening in 1935 before the start of World War II—and slowly became a piece of Tampa Bay history. The Colonnade was a popular spot amongst Tampa’s teenagers and served a variety of fresh fish and shellfish. The property is now home to The Virage, a condominium complex—and those teenagers kept going until the day the restaurant closed. Photo via Collonade Restaurant

Credit: Photo via Florida State Archives

Wilson’s Sports Lounge After 50 years of cheap drinks, sticky floors and local comradery, Wilson’s had its last call in June earlier this year. The teal-colored, St. Pete dive bar—which appeared in the 2012 hit movie, “Magic Mike”—was a favorite spot for buddies looking to grab a cold one, watch the game and swap stories. People loved Wilson’s because its community—regulars welcomed newcomers, the bartenders were entertaining and everyone could be themselves. Photo via SK West Credit: Photo by SK West

Blue Chair Music Opened in 1992 in the heart of Ybor City, Blue Chair Music was a truly legendary pre-Centro record store that also provided a space for rock and rap misfits to hold shows on the fringes of counterculture. After closing in ‘96, Buffalo Wild Wings now sits in its place. Photo via Christina Coxwell Credit: Christina Coxwell

Tampa Lanes Despite its deterioration in later years, it was a childhood loss for many when Tampa Lanes officially shut its doors for good in 2018. The old-school bowling alley not only featured 50 lanes, an arcade and full bar that was secretly one of the best dives in Tampa, but was packed with core memories and nostalgic vibes. The building has not yet been sold and still rocks the giant red lettering that’s hard to miss when driving down North Dale Mabry. Photo via Google Maps

Tampa Bay Center Before International Plaza and Hyde Park Village, there was the Tampa Bay Center, a two-story shopping mall with an Orange Julius, plus a cinema that opened in 1976. After International’s opening in 2001, many stores transferred out of the Bay Center and forced it to close. The empty mall was demolished in 2005 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ training facility now sits atop its grave. Photo via Tampa Tribune Jan. 2001/Newspapers.com

Caleborate plays Art & Soul at SubCentral below Iberian Rooster in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 22, 2018. Credit: Brian Mahar

Tampa Jai Alai Fronton Jai alai, a Latin American handball-like game played indoors, was a part of Tampa culture for many years and first played in the city in 1952. The sport, and the gambling that happened around it, was slowly pushed out of interest by bigger teams like the Buccaneers and Rowdies, and the last professional jai alai game played in Tampa was in 1998. Photo via Burgert Bros

Wagon Wheel Flea Market The 55-year-old Wagon Wheel—home to fresh fruit and vegetables, knock off sports jerseys, cheap electronic gadgets and more—was another Tampa Bay staple that was crippled at the hands of the pandemic. The managers had hoped to reopen, but the 150-acre Largo property still sits barren. Photo via Google Maps

Super Skate Super Skate’s old-school, neon-lit roller skating rink was the perfect place to throw your middle school birthday party at, invite all your out-of-control friends and maybe even hold hands with your longtime crush. The rink also had a huge gymnasium jammed in the corner of the building and a full-size arcade. The Largo warehouse has since been turned into a Caliber Collision auto body shop. Photo via Google Maps

WSJT 94.1-FM Smooth Jazz All lovers of jazz music remember the day when Tampa Bay’s Smooth Jazz radio station went offline. Now we have to go to Spotify or Apple Music to hear our favorite George Benson or Kenny G tracks. Photo via WSJT Smooth Jazz/Twitter

Curtis Hixon Hall Opened in 1965, Curtis Hixon Hall played host to everything—concerts, sports games, convention events, political gatherings and more. The hall became overshadowed when the Tampa Convention Center opened in 1990 and was demolished three years later and eventually converted into “Trip Park” and the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park we know today. Photo via State of Florida Archives

Cactus Club Cactus Club became an Old Hyde Park Village staple after its opening in 1987 and served Mexican food, chips & salsa, margaritas and more. After a stretch of low business, the Southwest-themed restaurant was forced to close in 2003. The space is now home to Bartaco, a fellow casual Mexican eatery. Photo via bartaco/Google Images

49er Flea Market From handcrafted furniture to antique books and collectibles, Tampa locals knew 49er was one of the best places to get a bang for your buck. But those sales weren’t enough to keep the Clearwater market alive, as it was eventually sold for $3.3 million. Bert’s Barracuda Harley-Davidson motorcycle and apparel store now claims the land. Photo via Google Maps

Seven Seas Also known as “Seven Sleaze,” Seven Seas was a cheap strip club for those Tampeños down on their luck. Subject to police raids and ordinance defiance, the club closed in the late-2000s and the property on West Kennedy is now home to Acropolis Greek Taverna. Photo via Tampa Tribune May 2010/Newspapers.com

Three Birds Bookstore Before the bustling nightclub scene, Ybor City’s Three Birds Bookstore, opened in 1989, was a chill spot for original Tampa hipsters to chill, read and grab coffee at. After closing in 1994, the space is now home to Reservoir Bar. Photo via Google Maps

WKRL Rock In 1990, Clearwater’s WKRL rock station committed itself to only playing Led Zeppelin music—all day, every day—for the entirety of two weeks, including just “Stairway To Heaven” for one whole day. The station is now WXTB, or 98 Rock. Photo via Island Records

Rock-It Club An infamous Tampa rock bar, Rock-It Club, housed metalheads throughout the late-‘80s and early-‘90s and attracted some of the biggest names to the stage, including Pixies, Dokken, Warrant and Savatage. The club closed in the ‘90s, but rock ‘n’ roll and cocaine residue will live on forever. Screengrabvia Mark Adams/YouTube

The Old Pier and Inverted Pyramid After the remodeling of St. Petersburg’s historic pier was completed in 1973, the forward-thinking Inverted Pyramid at the pier head remained in place for four decades until being torn down in 2013. Today, the Inverted Pyramid symbolizes a simpler, more Pelican-friendly, time in St. Pete prior to the city’s decade-long mass development—including the new $92 million pier that was completed in July of 2020. Photo via Florida State Archives

Maas Brothers To many longtime Tampanians, the fate of the Maas Brothers’ department stores holds the same or more weight as the fall of the Roman Empire. Once Tampa’s great mark on consumer culture, reaching its peak in the ‘20s-’70s, the chain became defunct after being purchased by a Canadian developer. Today, few traces of the chain exist, but a few original locations are still standing, like the Macy’s at Westshore Plaza, the Macy’s at Tyrone Square, and the Dillards at University Mall. Photo via Florida State Archives Credit: Photo via Florida Memory

Czar Yes, Tampa really used to have a Cold War-themed vodka club and concert venue—it was called Czar. A secret passageway even connected Czar and nearby Zoya. Czar vibes still live a little at Hooch and Hive in the West River, but Czar itself is now home to the block housing Ybor City’s Hotel Haya. Photo via Photo by Nicole Kibert/Flickrnne

The Harbor Island Mall and People Mover Before Harbor Island became the multi-functional residential area it is today, it had a People Mover—seems a little backwards, right? After the ambitious transformation from the industrial Seddon Island to the commercial Harbor Island, the People Mover and the Shops at Harbor Island mall debuted in 1985. After a short-lived run, the shuttle car shut down in 1999. Photo via Florida State Archives

Credit: Photo via Grand Prix Tampa

Hall on Franklin As Tampa’s first food hall with local favorites like Bake ‘N Babes and North Star, The Hall on Franklin laid the groundwork for its current and future successors. After three years of service, the Tampa Heights food hall officially shut down in December of 2020 when the business was unable to accommodate the space for COVID-safe guidelines. Photo by Colin Wolf

Q-Zar One of many classic Tampa businesses that fell victim to COVID-19, QZar is mourned by Tampa’s ‘90s kids. After 25 years of business, the North Dale Mabry spot hung up its blasters for good in August 2020. Photo via QZar Credit: Q-Zar/Facebook

Coney Island Sandwich Shop After speculation that the St. Petersburg spot might reopen after closing in 2020, Coney Island Sandwich Shop has yet to reveal any clear word on its next move. Known and loved for its Michigan-style hotdogs, Coney Island was the oldest family-operated business in St. Petersburg and celebrated its 90th anniversary back in 2016. Photo City of St. Pete/Flickr

The Big Sombrero To many, the Big Sombrero—lesser known as its official title, Tampa Stadium—should have never gone in the first place. Upon buying the Buccaneers in 1995, Malcolm Glazer demanded the emblematic North Dale Mabry stadium be replaced and paid for by tax dollars, or else he would move the franchise to a different city. With a mix of animosity and nostalgia, many were sad to see the stadium go in 1999. Photo via Stave Archives of Florida

Club Detroit As a highly sought-after venue through the ‘80s and ‘90s, downtown St. Pete’s Club Detroit hosted Primus, Rancid and Offspring back in the old days until shutting down (the first time) in 1995. Although the venue on First block had plans for a resurgence and a remodel in 2013, it never fully came to total fruition. Photo via Google Street

Cephas’ Hot Shop After nearly four decades of serving up authentic Jamaican cuisine in Ybor City, Cephas Gilbert downsized his well-known Hot Shop in 2019. Opting to serve out of a small smoothie window rather than operating a full-blown restaurant, as he did at his original location, Cephas eventually had to close down the business in August of 2020, but has teased plans for a return somewhere in Tampa. Photo via Cepha’s Hot Shop

Paper Crane When the experimental art and music venue was deemed unsafe by the fire marshal unless it underwent a trove of teaks and repairs, Paper Crane had no choice but to fly the nest. After years of hosting, one-of-a-kind DJ sets, shows and art events, the DIY warehouse space closed a month prior to lockdown. However, you can still see some of the minds behind Paper Crane, Lost Creations, working around the city, most recently in the “Lost in St. Pete” Festival. Photo by Camren Meier Credit: Camren Meier

Haslam’s Bookstore Rich history, hauntings from Jack Kerouac’s ghost, cats at the checkout counter and books from “A” to “izzard” are just a few of the charms that Florida’s largest independent bookstore, Haslam’s, brought to St. Pete. The beyond iconic store shut its doors at the beginning of the pandemic and has yet to reopen after nearly two and a half years—leaving its loyal fanbase in a state of dismay. Photo via City of St. Pete/Flickr

Georgie’s Alibi For a long time, queer partygoers had to carve out their own spaces to freely express themselves. To many, Georgi’s Alibi in St. Pete was that place. Opening in 2000, the bar closed after 15 years. As acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community grew, Georgi’s Alibi met similar fate to other gay bars in the area since niche spaces were no longer as coveted. Photo via Google Maps

Fuma Bella Lasting through much of Ybor’s large-scale developments over the years, the beloved ‘90s hole-in-the-wall, Fuma Bella, had its last call in 2017 and was demolished before becoming a back patio behind what was once also the old Orpheum. Though a bar of modest proportions that only took cash, Fuma Bella’s loyal devotees were sad to see the bar go. Photo via Google Maps

Valencia Garden Prior to its closure, Kennedy Boulevard’s Valencia Garden served Tampa residents from all walks of life for over 80 years. Originally serving patrons out of the owner’s home in 1927, Valencia Gardens built a space to house the restaurant in 1945 and was used until its abrupt closure in 2009 due to the Recession. Photo via Burgert Brothers

Le Bordeaux A time long before Fresh Kitchen, Le Bordeaux is credited to be the restaurant that started the Howard Avenue Restaurant boom in the ‘80s through the present. Originally three houses remodeled to be a 50-seat restaurant, Le Bordeaux cemented its legacy of high quality, affordable French cuisine until its closure in 2002. The old location would eventually house St. Bart’s Island House, and Copperfish after that—the property is currently at risk of being demolished to make way for townhouses. We still want to hear any stories of anyone swimming in that giant pool. Photo via Google Maps

Masquerade Opening in the old Ritz Theater in 1987, later renaming under its well-known “Masquerade” title, Ybor City’s beloved venue officially went under in 2006. To some, The Masquerade was the last bastion of Seventh Avenue’s gritty, bohemian atmosphere prior to the Centro Ybor developments. In its heyday, The Masquerade hosted Nine Inch Nails, Slayer, The Killers and just about every other early 2000s alternative band. Now it’s home to the thriving Ritz Ybor, which is home to a must-attend Monday weekly, EDM shows and 1,000-ish capacity concerts. Photo via Google Maps

London Victory Club With a short, but significant, history in downtown Tampa, the London Victory Club stamped its legacy as an iconic venue. From 1983-87, the London Victory Club hosted some of the era’s most influential acts like Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (twice), Ministry and Cyndi Lauper. Photo via Google Maps

Chatterbox Lounge Though the bar shut down in 2001, lifelong South Tampa residents still mourn the loss of SoHo’s historic Chatterbox Lounge. First opened during Prohibition, Ray Charles dined there and, legend has it, Elvis was carded there. After a 70-year run, a Panera now stands in its place. Photo via Google Street