Water Street Tampa getting new ice cream, coffee shops and gym

Jay Cridlin, Tampa Bay Times
·2 min read

Three new retail tenants are moving into Water Street Tampa. Among them: An ice cream shop, and a gym where you can work off what you eat.

Orangetheory Fitness, Chill Bros. Scoop Shop and Shortwave Coffee have signed leases in three different areas of Water Street, a $3.5 billion mixed-use development in downtown Tampa.

“We pride ourselves on bringing national, regional and local businesses into our retail spaces, as our vision for creating a true downtown experience wouldn’t be the same without a great mix of both established and emerging concepts,” Lee Schafffler, chief portfolio officer for Water Street developers Strategic Property Partners, said in a statement.

Orangetheory Fitness already has one location in the Channelside area, at the Pierhouse at Channelside apartment complex. The Boca Raton-based boutique fitness studio chain will open along the street of a parking garage next to the development’s first office tower, Thousand and One.

Chill Bros. Scoop Shop will sit at the base of Cora, a 23-story apartment tower that recently began pre-leasing at 1011 E Cumberland Ave. Opened in 2019 in Ybor City by Tampa-native siblings Patton, Maximilian, Patton, Nash and Hadley Chillura, the ice cream shop specializes in locally inspired flavors, from Plant City strawberry to cafe con leche made with Buddy Brew Coffee.

Columbia, Mo. roastery Shortwave Coffee is a newcomer to Tampa, with its first local shop coming to Sparkman Wharf. The restaurant offers espresso bars and catering, as well as breakfast, lunch and pastry options.

Orangetheory is expected to open this fall, while Chill Bros. and Shortwave will follow in early 2022.

Chill Bros. and Shortwave continue to round out Water Street’s rapidly expanding slate of food and drink options. Among other recent announcements: A third local Naked Farmer restaurant opening this fall, and a Publix GreenWise Market opening Aug. 19.

Water Street Tampa is being developed by Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Bill Gates’ Cascade Investment. Vinik is a partner in a investment group that has loaned $15 million to the Times Publishing Co., owner of the Tampa Bay Times.