Businesses in Tampa Bay often come and go, but some have withstood the test of time for more than 100 years. Some families have worked in the same line of business for more than a century even if their current company is younger, some long-established firms began elsewhere before settling in Tampa Bay, and some small operations eventually grew well beyond their origins.
Most people would be hard-pressed to name the oldest continually operating business in the Tampa Bay area. That business — the Tampa Bay Times — has been in print since 1884. The paper was founded in Dunedin nearly 30 years before Pinellas County was created, which is part of the reason why it was first known as the West Hillsborough Times.
Two other entities were founded in the 1880s that are still in business today, and they, too, have changed names over the years. Tampa’s Board of Trade (now the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce) was established in 1885. Four years later, young attorney Peter O. Knight opened his law office. Today, the Holland & Knight firm is one of the country’s largest.
The 1890s was an era of incredible growth for both sides of the bay, but Tampa in particular came into its own. The decade saw the founding of three Latin mutual aid societies and two Cacciatore family markets, all still operating today. Fred Ferman launched what became Ferman Motor Car Co., and J.C. Newman opened his cigar business, which later moved to Tampa and still rolls cigars in Ybor City’s historic Regensburg building. Tampa Electric Co. also began operations in 1899.
Moving into the 20th century, our list continues to grow with the addition of the Lykes Bros. company, a dominant meatpacking and citrus company that continues to thrive in today’s changing agricultural and real estate-driven world. Two more mutual aid societies opened during this decade — Centro Asturiano (1902) and Sociedad La Union Martí Maceo (1904). Another club, Tampa Yacht & Country Club, also opened in 1904, followed by the iconic and enduring Columbia Restaurant, which opened as the Columbia Saloon in 1905.
Two other businesses famous for their food — in this case, their baked goods — were founded in the 1910s. West Tampa’s Alessi Bakery opened in 1912, and Ybor’s La Segunda Bakery dates to at least 1915, if not a year or two earlier (the family isn’t sure). Another company with Latin roots is Arturo Fuente, whose founder began rolling cigars in West Tampa in 1912.
Golf was growing in popularity during this time, and South Tampa’s Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club (1916) opened to provide a closer club than the one located at Rocky Point (1912). Tampa’s businesses also formed their own organization at this time. The Tampa Merchants Association (1916) was created to coordinate pro-business efforts but soon evolved to include bill collection, which it still does to this day under the name Sherloq Solutions.
The Tampa Bay area was transformed following World War I, particularly during the frenetic years of the Florida Land Boom. Many of today’s Century Club members were founded during this time, and they cut across a wide variety of business endeavors. John Jiretz and G.H. Leavitt opened Tampa Sheet Metal in 1920; that same year, Malcolm Eugene Wilson founded his namesake insurance company, the M.E. Wilson Co. Café Naviera has been fueling the area’s caffeine needs since 1921, WDAE radio has been on the air since 1922, and the City of Tampa’s water department plant has kept the city hydrated since 1924.
In St. Petersburg, the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club (1924) has hosted teams, tournaments and general shuffleboard fun, while the Vinoy Hotel (1925) has been a luxurious home away from home. Keeping those St. Pete residents and tourists looking good since 1926 is Tim’s Barber Shop, founded the same year George Turner and his wife, Eula, built the first building and entrance to their botanical garden, now known as Sunken Gardens.
Rounding out the list is Tampa Theatre, which also opened in 1926. The grand, atmospheric theater was designed by noted architect John Eberson. It was the first building in Tampa to have air conditioning, and its iconic blade sign and marquee have become a symbol of the city.
Rodney Kite-Powell is a Tampa-born author, the official historian of Hillsborough County and the director of the Touchton Map Library at the Tampa Bay History Center, where he has worked since 1995.
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