Seminole Heights' Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe is for sale—but not closing anytime soon [PHOTOS]

Enjoy your pork rib bloody marys while you can, Tampa, because a restaurant that more or less embodied the spirit of Seminole Heights is up for sale.

After 15 years of operation, Melissa Deming is looking for someone to buy Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, the perennial Best of the Bay-winner she opened in 2009. She called putting the establishment on the market one of the hardest decisions she’s ever had to make and said that she’s put her heart and soul into the business and neighborhood for 17 years.

“But it’s time for me personally to move on and start a new chapter in my life. Hospitality is a fast-paced business. I am ready for life to slow down a bit and to move on to other ventures,” Deming told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

Deming named Ella's for her grandmother and constructed the building from the ground up with her late father. She raised her now 15-year-old son Henry there and has watched the Seminole Heights change around it.

“This neighborhood is full of some of Tampa’s most creative, independent minded, passionate people. And I feel honored to have had their support for so many years,” she added.

Since opening day, the restaurant has attracted a clientele that’s as eclectic as the neighborhood. Everyone from young hipsters, parents and their tots, and blue-hairs have enjoyed the comfy booths, barstools and southern fare at Ella’s over the years. The chicken and waffle cones the restaurant brings to pop-ups have become the stuff of food-lover legend.

The space has also functioned as a neighborhood music venue where locals—from rockabilly bands to rappers—could cut their teeth. Deming’s ex and Ella’s co-founder Ernie Locke regularly brought his bands to the stage for live sets that included smashed eggs. Their son even got to share that stage with his dad.

Deming is not taking the sale and its potential impact on the community lightly and would be thrilled to find someone willing to either keep Ella’s going with the same name, or bring in a concept that would be a good fit for Seminole Heights. Whoever takes over, she said, will be someone who “understands that this neighborhood is about more than just property, development, and money.”

“It’s about the people, a sense of community, and a creative passion that has made Seminole Heights strong. I don’t want to see any of that change or go away. I’m proud of how far it has come, and am looking for the right buyer that will want to carry a torch so to speak,” Deming said.

The 3,740-square-foot building includes a 1,832-square-foot patio, and has a total capacity of 176 and features an upstairs dining room. The lot at 5119 N Nebraska Ave. totals 21,109 square-feet, and includes nearly 40 parking spaces. According to public records, the lot itself was acquired by Deming for $230,000 in 2006, a year before the U.S. experienced the longest recession since World War II.

The asking price for Ella's is not public. "It's hard to put a price on passion and soul, but financial questions can be deferred to Carter," Deming said (Carter Henderson of Florida ROI Commercial Property Brokerage is handling the sale).

Forty employees between the front and back of the house at Ella’s will eventually be affected by the sale, and Deming told them of her plans to sell last week. Some of them are the next generation of her original staff.

“I am definitely not the kind of employer that would ever hang a closed sign on the door and duck out back. They are like family to me,” she said of the staff. Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, Deming emphasized, is not closing. “This process could take awhile to find the right buyer and I am not going to walk away until I do. I am here for my staff, customers, and community until I can make this transition in life happen smoothly for everyone involved.”

If and when the sale happens, Seminole Heights won’t have to worry about saying goodbye to Deming, who moved to Tampa from Kansas City in 2001. She plans on spending more time with her son “who is growing up way too fast,” and will also care for her ailing mother. Her property across the street is not for sale, and neither is the old Seminole Heights Baptist Church steeple, which she rescued in 2021.

Deming told CL she plans on developing that property after the sale of Ella’s is finalized and expanding her work with the Urban Art Attack public art initiative.

She added that the office also has plenty of room to throw raw eggs and smash pumpkins—alluding to rituals that’ve become part of the Ella’s folklore.

“It is going to be pretty hard to top the amazing journey that Ella’s has become, but I do know that life is short, and I am excited about the opportunity to try something new,” Deming said. “In the meantime, I am dedicated to making my last days at Ella’s some of the best. And I’m hoping Tampa will come out to see us, enjoy some great live music, and order some of their favorite southern staples before it's time to move on.”

Look below for some photos from Ella’s over the years.