The Dekle building at 1616 E 7th Ave on what was known as the Kaunitz block was in the thick of things when Ybor City was in its retail heyday in the early 20th century, but it stuttered to a start. Furniture dealers Dixon and Williams expected to move in when the building was finished in September 1907, but delays halted construction after only the foundation was poured — and the planned opening quietly slipped by. They were forced to dispose of the pre-ordered inventory at a considerable loss. Around 1909, Dominico Demmi and Frank Napoli opened the Demmi & Napoli Co., which sold men’s clothing and shoes, as well as ladies' and children's shoes. The store was located next door to the national retailer S.H. Kress. In the late 1920s, the name was changed to Superior Store. Likely a victim of the Great Depression, the company closed its doors around 1930, and a final order of bankruptcy was issued in 1933. In 1930, Queen Quality Shop, which sold women’s wear, opened after Demmi’s closed, but it also went out of business in 1933.

In the late 1930s, retailer J.C. Penny took over the spot at 1618 Broadway, complementing its downtown branch at Franklin and Polk. For many, it was a popular destination for shopping. By the late 1950s, postwar suburbanization drained Ybor City’s commercial vitality, and Penny’s, like many other retailers in the district, suffered and closed in 1960. In the 1940s, another retailer, Russell’s Women’s Wear, opened next door at 1616 E Broadway, but also closed in 1959 as people moved away from Ybor City.

In 1959, Jack and Jill Fashions moved in and remained until 1967, when they moved to 3610 N. Armenia.

By 1968, the block was primarily empty and an eyesore. As the mid-1980s Gandy photo shows, it remained that way for decades.

As Ybor City began its rebirth as a party bar, cigar store, and tattoo parlor hub in the mid-1990s, Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co. opened a shop here. Joffrey’s brought a vintage coffee shop experience to the block, hosting art shows and poetry readings, and kept that weird writer's-and-artist's-ball vibe alive by lining the back wall with odd mannequins. It is also where the original Ybor Ghost Tour launched in 1997. Joffrey’s succumbed to the success they helped bring back to Ybor when the store closed in 2003 due to skyrocketing rents in the district. Joffrey's made a return when they moved into Centro Ybor in 2010, replacing Starbucks, and that lasted until around 2015.

In early 2004, Rick and Floran Thomas opened Sweet Serennah Bakery (named after their daughter) in the spot, paying $3,200 a month. The store continued the coffee shop trend by hosting live jazz and poetry readings and serving Barnie’s Coffee. A freak flash flood from a summer storm that August brought near-waist-high water into the store, forcing Thomas to close.

Since the early 2000s, the building has hosted a variety of retail tenants, including the long-running Ybor City Supermarket and Revolve Clothing Exchange, which closed in 2022 after many years in the space. Today, the block is home to Monster Pizza (1616), Ybor City Supermarket (1618), and DRIP Ceramic Gallery (1620)..

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved