Downtown Gentlemen’s Club Owners Opening Bar In Grand Central District

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The owners of a downtown St. Petersburg gentlemen’s club are opening a new bar in the Grand Central District, taking over the space formerly occupied by Punky’s Bar & Grill, city and state records show.

Deltwaine and Jermaine Holmes, who own Omnia Blue Gentlemen’s Club at 3401 1st Ave. N. under the name The Holmes Group LLC, are behind the project.

Registered under the name The Holmes Project LLC, they’ll open the bar, 31 Grand, at 3063 Central Ave., according to the Florida Division of Corporation records.

City records also show that The Holmes Project took over the business permit previously held by Punky’s for 31 Grand.

• Also Read: Punky's Bar & Grill Sold In St. Pete, Sports Bar Moving In

Punky’s Bar & Grill, a restaurant that opened in December 2015 and served as an integral part of St. Petersburg’s LGBTQ+ community, abruptly announced its immediate closure in early August, surprising both regulars and staff.

At the time, Punky’s owners didn’t share what was in store for the space, but an employee told Patch that the new owners planned to open a sports bar with a full liquor license and food.

A Facebook user posting about employment opportunities at 31 Grand under the name Ashley Elizabeth told Patch that the business “is a sports bar and cigar lounge that will also offer food.”

31 Grand is hiring bartenders, servers and barbacks, she shared. It will open daily from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., though no opening date has been announced.

According to its Facebook page, Omnia Blue, which is categorized as an “adult entertainment club,” opened in January 2021 and held its grand opening party in April of that year.

On Twitter, Omnia Blue is described as “the only upscale Gentlemen's Club in downtown St Petersburg, Florida. Beautiful entertainers, champagne rooms, cigar lounge, bottle service (and) hookahs.”

David Foote, executive director of the Grand Central District Association, told Patch that how quickly Punky’s sold this summer “set off the alarms” for him. He was also concerned when he learned that the new owners operate a gentlemen’s club downtown and reached out to the city’s zoning department.

Though he hasn’t heard firm details about the plans for 31 Grand, yet, if there is an adult entertainment aspect to it, “people are going to be really upset.”

Patch reached out to the owners of Omnia Blue and former Punky’s owner, Lynn Deibert, for additional information. This story will be updated when they respond.