After lightning strikes building, affected St. Pete stores finally reopen for business

After a purported lightning strike hit the building on the 2500 block of Central Avenue in St. Pete last July, shop owners and landlords have been scrambling to get the building reopened to the public and make up for lost profits.

The damage caused by the lightning strike forced business closures for nearly 2.5 weeks. As of this weekend, all the affected stores (Waves N/A Beverage House, Janet’s Antiques, and Sunshine City Popcorn Co.) have reopened to the public.

The lightning strike had caused the facade to collapse into a mound of bricks and twisted metal, peeling back the shared awning of the interconnected stores. Due to the public safety hazard, the City shut down the stores temporarily.

Businesses such as Sunshine City Popcorn Co. were forced to utilize third parties to facilitate pickup orders while waiting for the debris to be cleared and the building deemed safe for the public. While the debris and safety issues have been addressed, the building has not yet come under new construction to address the building’s cosmetic issues.