‘We Out’: St. Pete Wine Shop And Lounge Closes For Good

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — After five-and-a-half years in business, a St. Petersburg wine bar has closed for good.

CellarMasters, a retail shop and lounge at 1005 1st Ave. N. that specialized in natural wines, announced its closure in an Instagram poston Tuesday.

“Sorry folks, due to less than financially viable pass-thru and patronage… we out. Thanks for the party time, truly but!, also think about your commitments to others in the future … [because] it means the world to them and their employees,” owner Ryan Rugg wrote.

He added, “Really sorry I failed you all… won’t happen again.”

In the post, he also included the dates that CellarMasters was open. It opened on May 20, 2020, in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The post indicated that its last day in business was Oct. 15 of this year.

Rugg confirmed the business’ closure to the Tampa Bay Times and said it never bounced back following back-to-back Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year.

“There’s no one thing to blame, but after the hurricanes last year, you know, I lost a lot of clientele,” he told the Times. “The numbers are going down, and not up, and it doesn’t seem to matter what we do.”

An outpouring of appreciation was left in the comments on Rugg’s Instagram post.

“You built something worthwhile and have years of memories of amazing nights with wonderful people,” St. Pete Ferments wrote.

Another follower wrote, “Cellars will forever be in our hearts, cellars was such an integral part of the community constantly helping everyone, going above and beyond, even creating space for different chefs to host pop-ups, truly one of a kind! You will be missed.”

Meanwhile, another Instagram user called the closure a “huge bummer,” adding, “Too many businesses closing in St. Pete and this might be the worst loss yet.”

In a description on the Cellarmasters website, Rugg wrote that the bottle shop and lounge sold “wines like no other,” calling it “a comfortable space with three different and unique areas ... No wine list so you gotta talk to us but we’re damn good at it so don’t stress. Come party with us and drink better wine at a better price than Big Brand garbage…we promise it ain’t scary, it’s easy.”