Write Around Tampa

The Book Lounge

631 Central Ave

St. Petersburg

This place opened last fall and it is a gem of a bookstore. I could extol their virtues as just a visitor/book lover. Check out their website for the full magic at thebooklounge.com. This is about how they fare for a writer.

Quality and pricing of food and drink:

Interesting menu, in that they do “boards:” charcuterie, vegetarian, and fish, served up for parties of one or more. I got the vegetarian for $12.99 and a fruity iced tea, with a tip for my barista $20. Not bad for a coffee shop in downtown St. Pete for a full lunch. The plate is adorable and full of variety. Enough to satisfy and not bore my mouth. Plus my number order was the number 4, Vinny Lecavalier’s number. All is well.

Are there enough outlets?

Yes! Outlets in the wall, outlets built into the table.

How’s the wifi?

Password protected WiFi, the URL name TBLGuest which I know is The Book Lounge but in my neck of the woods is Tamba Bay Lightning. The Vinny references abound. Of note, once you sign on the internet it says you can use it free for an hour. Not sure what that entails once the hour is up. I guess I’ll find out if I’m still here an hour later. (An hour later I was prompted to sign on again)

Will my muse come out?

Oh yes, honey. She’ll even read words of wisdom from muses past; there’s a Ripple of Love program where you are encouraged to take a note of inspiration and also leave one of your own.

How long can I park it?

From open to close, which is 11am to 8pm Sun-Wed (closed Mondays), til 9:00 on Thursdays, open til 10:00 Fri-Sat. You’ll have to park along the street, six-hour max in the same spot. If the question is, will you want to, the answer is yesyesyes. Great atmosphere for writing, whether you sit at the one long table with chairs, the bar, the sofas, the cushiony stools. The books, the games, the activities. All will keep you busy and amused.

Amended 2/26/26
You can actually only park it to write until 5:00 pm. After that laptops are banished per the sign on the wall.

Final rating: 5 of 5 laptops (Another 10! 10 laptops!)

Rachel Remick’s fiction and non-fiction stories have appeared in various magazines, among them Rosebud, Bluestem and ellipsis . . . literature and art. A frequent contributor to women’s magazine Sasee, her writing has also been published in several volumes of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books. She lives in Tampa, Florida.