BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT | Studio NPR - Elevating downtown & bringing new opportunities for budding entrepreneurs

StudioNPR_Lede_Build_0423 — An early morning view of Studio NPR and Main Street as the City of New Port Richey begins to rouse. PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER (April 2023)

BY MICHELE MILLER
What’s What New Port Richey

April 7, 2023

Old cities grow in layers it seems, and taking a look back can be like peeling away at wads of old, faded wallpaper to see what has been built upon, what remains, and what can be salvaged and brought back to life or made anew.

Take the evolution of Studio NPR, a new local multi-purpose event venue located at 5742 Main Street in downtown New Port Richey.

On various days of the week, the studio is the locale for private parties, office meetings, yoga, dance, candle-making, cookie decorating and martial arts classes. On occasional Sundays vendors set up tables for the Dirt Mall Vintage Market which has featured live music performances by area bands such as SUPERMUTANTHUMANSKIN and Spanish Needles, as well as an accompanying Klen pop-up coffee shop a couple of doors down at Ordinance One.

In earlier days the space was home to the city’s first library and was used as a municipal building from the 1940s to the 1960s.

Slide the arrow on the photo to view the “Before and Now” comparison

In a more recent incarnation, long after the second floor was lopped off and renovations brought the original brick walls and concrete floor to light, Frank Starkey leased the unit and brought his urban real estate development company People Places to downtown New Port Richey. There he hosted a series of community talks meant to engage the community and promote involvement in the city’s future growth. It also served as the leasing office of The Central on Orange Lake, an upscale apartment complex Starkey developed with partner Jim Goodchild that’s now in its second phase of construction.

In October 2022, Starkey, along with Brett and Natalie Ciper, owners of Ordinance One, purchased the three-unit Main Street building with thoughts of repurposing the space to better meet the needs of the city and expand upon what was already there. They moved forward with new plans for Studio NPR, new backyard areas for Ordinance One and the studio, and leased a third middle unit that will house a second restaurant for the owners of Dang Good Sushi.

The plan was always to eventually make the space more amenable to growing downtown retail traffic, said Starkey, noting that there has long been a curiosity about the building.

“I always knew there was a potential for business there because we always had people looking in the windows and coming in. They were going to buy whatever we were selling because this space was so cool,” he said. “We had a steady stream of people expressing interest in renting it for parties but I always stiff-armed them.”

Portrait of local real estate developer and architect Frank Starkey at the Central on Orange Lake apartments in downtown New Port Richey. Starkey is also the owner of People Places LLC and oversees a team with a mission to “encourage cultural diversity, inclusion, and equity with a renewed emphasis on the design and activation of the public realm.” PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

While People Places relocated to a rental space on Grand Boulevard (it will still host community talks), Studio NPR adds yet another layer to that foundation and the future of the city’s development, said Lia Gallegos, who has helped organize community talks on urban development as a People Places team member.

These days Studio NPR, much like the city, is fluid and ever-changing. It has flexible bones and a prime spot on Main Street nestled among local drinking and eating establishments and is just a few doors down from Wright’s Natural Market, a local mom-and-pop staple that’s been the primary tenant for a 9,600 square-foot retail space that Starkey refurbished with designer Jose Cardenas.

Since formally opening in October, Studio NPR has served as a “green room” for the annual Monufest concerts held at Ordinance One and hosted a “meet the candidate” and campaign launch for NPR Mayoral candidate, Kate Connolly.

Bridal and baby showers, vow renewals and private parties are a big draw, said Gallegos, who oversees the event space with Kacey and Kira Atkinson of People Places.

But Studio NPR boasts a higher purpose in elevating downtown New Port Richey while boosting budding entrepreneurs who might not yet be in the position to set up shop on their own. Plans are in the works for a second office-sharing space that will cater to both long and short-term rentals, which is currently under construction at 6620 Grand Boulevard and above the new Estuary Restaurant.

Michael O’Neal is one of the organizers of the Pop-Up Vintage Dirt Mall which is held on occasional Sundays at Studio NPR in downtown New Port Richey. The mall features a variety of vendors and live music performed by bands in the Tampa Bay area. PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

Studio NPR is a gap-filler and what Gallegos calls a “missing middle for business owners who have been testing the market on a small scale through online sales and markets, but who aren’t quite ready to take on the expense, and risk, of a full brick-and-mortar yet.”

“As we get farther along with this business,” she said, “we are finding that is the need that is not being met in our community.”

Studio NPR turned out to be the perfect landing space for Jennifer Kuslansky of Seaside Sweet Shoppe, who runs a cookie-baking business along with her family out of their Hudson home. Over the last dozen years, Kuslansky’s intricate and impressive cookie designs have generated hordes of online customers looking to make that special occasion even more special with cookies decorated to suit any personality or occasion. Offering cookie decorating classes was the next step in expanding her customer base, but she needed a suitable and affordable space that would accommodate her needs.

“It’s perfect. People love coming in here,” Kuslansky said, noting the high ceilings that lend to an open, airy feeling and the pull-down screen that makes it easier for students to follow along. “The concept is something we haven’t seen around before and it’s perfect for people like us where a brick-and-mortar store is out of reach. It’s a fabulous stepping stone in getting new businesses up and running and giving them a space to use.”

Derek Kuslansky hands out cookies to youngsters during a Seaside Sweet Shoppe cookie decorating class for kids at Studio NPR in downtown New Port Richey. PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

Jacqueline Elliott of Magical Memories Photography has her own studio but rents Studio NPR about twice a month for “mommy and me”, family and headshot photo shoots.

“I love the look of the studio and I wanted to bring some of that urban downtown New Port Richey feel to my photo shoots,” she said. “Families love the exposed walls and the lighting is so warm and there’s a place where you can serve coffee.”

“It’s great that I can show something brand new and exciting to my clients and they have been real receptive about that,” Elliott said, adding that plans are already in the works for a princess party in June and holiday pictures with Santa come December. “The possibilities are endless with this kind of space – from weddings to princess parties to photo shoots.”

“The team running it [People Places] are very downtown New Port Richey oriented and I love that about them. They want to keep the charm of the old building but they are bringing new stuff in. I think that their space is an awesome and vital source for our community and I love that about them.”

Information | Connect

Studio NPR is located at 5742 Main St, New Port Richey in downtown New Port Richey. Telephone (727) 213-8788 or check out the Studio NPR – website and Facebook.

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