The room at 1038 Water Street used to sell furniture. It was the showroom for Dwell Studio, a Tampa furniture store. Since Sept. 10 it has been Pura Vida Miami, a cafe of more than 3,400 square feet indoors and out that the company calls an "all-day destination" where customers can "gather, work and unwind," according to the Business Observer. Its menu centers on smoothies, wraps, rice bowls and breakfast served all day.
The swap fits a pattern in the district's newest leases. Water Street became known for arena nights, hotel bars and late tables near the Channel. The businesses arriving this fall run on the clock of a coffee order, a reformer class and a facial appointment. Tonight, on the same Thursday that one of them has its soft opening scheduled, the neighborhood turns on its holiday lights.
The New Leases, Address by Address
Developer Strategic Property Partners announced the latest group on Oct. 27, as reported by the Business Observer. Taken together with Pura Vida, the new tenants form a small cluster:
- Pura Vida Miami, 1038 Water Street. It opened Sept. 10 as the chain's first Tampa location. The brand began in 2012 as a single beachfront cafe in Miami Beach and now has more than 40 locations, including two in the Sarasota market and one in Naples.
- Ayu Bottega, next door to Pura Vida. It was slated for a November opening. Ayu Bottega is a new concept from Alexandra Exterkamp, owner of Ayu Skin in SoHo, and combines clean beauty and lifestyle retail with Italian-inspired facial treatments.
- [solidcore], 912 E. Cumberland Ave. The brand's 2,675-square-foot studio has a soft opening scheduled for Nov. 12 and a grand opening for Dec. 19. It is the brand's second Tampa-area studio after Hyde Park, and its 50-minute classes run on custom reformer machines.
- Sirena City Haus Boutique, near Pura Vida. It is targeting late December or early January. Founder Sydney Boright's original Sirena Boutique on Cypress Street stays open. The new shop carries women's clothing, denim and swimwear, generally priced between $100 and $400, from labels including Seroya, ASKK Denim and Bond-Eye Swim.
Three of the four are built around daytime visits, and two of them are run by Tampa owners expanding from established neighborhood shops. The [solidcore] lease was first announced in June. The two local boutiques followed in October.
The Free Classes Came First
Water Street launched Be Well in August 2025 as a free fitness series on the first Sunday of each month at Raybon Plaza, with rotating local studios leading the sessions, as 99.5 QYK reported at the time. That was almost a year before [solidcore] signed on Cumberland Avenue.
The series is still running. The Nov. 1 session at Raybon Plaza, 536 Channelside Drive, was a core, glutes and stability class led by Orangetheory Fitness. Wagamama sponsored it and set up a juice station for sampling afterward. The listing asks participants to bring a mat, towel and water bottle, says space is first come, first served, and notes that the outdoor class depends on the weather. The next session is a glute-focused strength class with Biomefit on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 9 to 10 a.m.
A few blocks east, Sparkman Wharf runs its own series on weekday evenings. Wellness at the Wharf holds 45-minute classes on Wednesdays from 6 to 6:45 p.m., with a different studio each week. The November lineup started with BODYROK on Nov. 4 and Orangetheory on Nov. 11. Two sessions remain:
- Wednesday, Nov. 18: F45 Training
- Wednesday, Nov. 25: Biomefit
The two series split the day between them. Water Street takes Sunday mornings in Raybon Plaza and Sparkman Wharf takes the after-work hour on the waterfront. Studios that already lead the free classes also have locations in or near the district, and the paid studio on Cumberland Avenue is the latest addition to that group.
"For us, growth has always been about finding the right communities where Pura Vida can genuinely become part of people's everyday lives."
Omer Horev, Pura Vida Miami's co-founder and CEO, made that statement in the company's release, quoted by the Business Observer. "Everyday" is the right word for these leases. A cafe in a former furniture showroom, a facial studio next door and a reformer studio around the corner all depend on people stopping by on ordinary weekdays, not on event nights.
Tonight, the Holiday Clock Starts
The holiday season works on a different schedule. The 5th annual Season Spectacular runs tonight, Thursday, Nov. 12, from 5 to 9 p.m. across several blocks on and around Water Street, anchored at 971 Water St. It's free and marks the official lighting of the neighborhood.
The scale is the reason to go. Water Street puts the lights at 500,000 across the neighborhood. The centerpiece is a 35-foot tree with a crown "built to weather any storm." The Heron residences have a 24-foot tree with more than 14,000 bulbs, and a 15-foot luminous gateway frames the sky for photos. The evening also includes a Mrs. Claus Cookie Workshop, Santa photos, a North Pole Post Office and a Candy Cane Lane with dancers and candy makers. Part of the bar sales goes to the Children's Dream Fund, a Tampa Bay nonprofit. Water Street sends drivers to its ParkMobile reservation portal to book parking ahead.
The [solidcore] soft opening is scheduled for the same date, which puts the district's newest morning business and its biggest night event on one calendar day.
The Rest of the Season, by Date
After tonight, the free events come from two calendars, Water Street's and Sparkman Wharf's. Sparkman Wharf has most of late November, and the two holiday nights in December fall back to back.
| Date | Event | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 15 | The Market, 60-plus vendor booths | Water Street | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Wed., Nov. 18 | Wellness at the Wharf with F45 Training | Sparkman Wharf | 6 to 6:45 p.m. |
| Tue., Nov. 24 | Trivia Night | Sparkman Wharf | 7 to 8:30 p.m. |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Wellness at the Wharf with Biomefit | Sparkman Wharf | 6 to 6:45 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | The Holiday Promenade | 971 Water St | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Winter Wonder Wharf | 615 Channelside Drive | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Be Well with Biomefit | Raybon Plaza | 9 to 10 a.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | [solidcore] grand opening | 912 E. Cumberland Ave. | Not listed |
The Holiday Promenade is a free market with more than 40 local makers, live entertainment and falling snow effects. The next night, Winter Wonder Wharf brings its own snowfall to the waterfront, plus Santa photos in his sleigh, crafts from AR Workshop and live performances inspired by The Nutcracker. It's also free. Each event has its own snow, held a few blocks and one evening apart.
The calendar wraps around the new tenants. Be Well comes back two days after Winter Wonder Wharf. The [solidcore] grand opening follows 13 days later. Sirena City Haus Boutique's late December or early January target puts the last of this fall's announced tenants on the street as the holiday lights come down.
For more on how the district fits together day to day, our Water Street neighborhood guide covers the blocks and buildings. Our earlier look at why Harbour Island's market day happens at Water Street shows how far that weekend draw reaches.
Wellness tenants, all-day cafes and boutique retail are changing which kinds of Water Street addresses get attention, and that affects how a residence near Cumberland Avenue or the 1000 block of Water Street is positioned and priced. If you own in the district and want to know how this fall's leasing affects your property, KVA Group can walk you through it. Request a Confidential Consultation.
