New Art Gallery Opens, Downtown St. Pete

A new art gallery has made its way to the Edge District in downtown St. Pete.

The Basement at Downtown St. Pete — which, yes, is actually a basement — is a new 3,000-square-foot exposed brick space, featuring work by up and coming Tampa Bay area artists. Sponsored by local restaurants and bars, The Basement plans to host monthly events.

“The space is so unparalleled it just oozes creativity,” says The Basement’s Nicki Odato. “It brings a surge of uniqueness to an already eclectic city.”

Odato, who runs The Basement with friend Sam Renick, says they weren’t looking to open an art gallery when they came across the space at 1000 Central Ave. Instead, they were in the process of looking for a studio space for their local furniture design business, Sotted Design, but saw huge potential for an art gallery.

“Everything just happened organically: We came across the space, it made sense and everything fell into place,” Renick says. “We hope that when people visit The Basement, the same feeling we get every time we go down there, transpires to them.”

In addition to displaying local art, The Basement space is available to rent for photoshoots, videos, yoga classes, etc.

“We love out of the box ideas! Nothing is off of the table when it comes to an idea for the space.”

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Nicki Odato, The Basement