Obstacles in Opening Downtown Club Resolved

Angelo Proestopoulos is a new business owner trying to open in downtown Clearwater's Cleveland Street District.

He sunk about $70,000 into creating "The Loft," a Miami-style club in the space of the former Atrium martini bar, he said in a Letter to the Editor on Clearwater Patch.

And after a meeting with city officials recently, he says the Loft opens this weekend. 

"...We did what they asked so we can open," Proestopoulos said in an email. "We will be doing soft open this weekend."

Bill Horne, city manager, said in a comment posted with Proestopoulos' Letter to the Editor that the Jan. 28 meeting was to get the project back on track.

"For all concerned, Angelo used unlicensed contractors to get his building ready for occupancy and use. Our inspections revealed that most if not a lot of this work has to be redone to comply with building and fire codes. Our nmeeting (sic) this afternoon is to get his project back on track. He is now using a licensed contractor who will (sic) feel will pass all inspections."

If you go:

What: The Loft

Where: 601 Cleveland St

Call 727-446-5638 or visit theloftclearwater.com.

Related coverage: 

• Letter to the Editor: Obstacles in Opening Downtown Business