King- Greco Hardware - 1901 N 15th St
King- Greco Hardware - 1901 N 15th St . Date unknown. Robertson and Fresh.. Courtesy of Garrett Greco
Disco Pony Nightclub. 2026. © Chip Weiner
King-Greco Hardware was incorporated in 1926 by Italian immigrant Domenico Greco. More than just a hardware store, it became a neighborhood gathering place where residents discussed the issues and politics of Ybor City. It also served as a launching pad for several political careers, including that of Domenico's son, four-term Tampa mayor Dick Greco.
The store's most famous feature was a wooden keg of nails—once a common way to sell carpenter's nails in bulk. According to local legend, the keg possessed king-making powers. Any politician who sat on it while campaigning was destined to win. The story began in the 1940s when gubernatorial candidate Spessard Holland stopped by the store while campaigning. Domenico was so impressed that he promised to encourage his customers to vote for Holland and jokingly remarked that he was sitting on a "lucky" keg that would carry him to victory. When Holland won, the legend was born.
From that point forward, only candidates Domenico personally endorsed were invited to sit on the keg. Among those who reportedly benefited from its good fortune were Tampa mayors Curtis Hixon and Dick Greco, Governors Holland and Farris Bryant, and Hillsborough County Superintendent Crockett Farnell. All won their elections after making a pilgrimage to the hardware store. King-Greco Hardware closed in the late 1960s.
King- Greco Building 2008. © Chip Weiner.
King Greco building for sale or lease, December 2009. © Chip Weiner
Like many historic Ybor City structures, the building reinvented itself numerous times. In the mid-1970s, the Ensemble Theater Company staged productions there. During the early 1980s, it became West of the Moon Studios, an artist workspace. Stained-glass craftsman Bruce Cottle occupied the building, operating a glassware shop on the first floor while living upstairs. In 1991, noted Ybor artist Theo Wujcik and his wife, Susan, made the building their home. By 2000, co-owners Tom Kaplan and David Barclay were operating their decorative puppet business, Creatures of Delight, from the property.
In 2007, the block became a focal point of GaYbor, the nickname for Ybor City's LGBTQ+-friendly entertainment district. Central to that district, MC Film Fest, a video rental and Pride-themed outlet, opened in the former hardware store and remained there until 2015.
Store window of the LGBT specialty store MC Film Fest. 2010. © Chip Weiner
Kevin Lilly and Tony Casoria in the raw space during Rock Brothers construction. 2016. © Chip Weiner
Rock Brothers Brewery and The Attic music venue. 2016. © Chip Weiner
The property's next major transformation came that same year when Kevin Lilly and Tony Casoria, owners of Rock Brothers Brewing and Attic Records, undertook a complete renovation. After extensive work gutting the building and numerous permitting delays, the venue opened in 2016 and quickly became known for music-inspired craft beer and quality live entertainment. Its sudden closure in July 2023 surprised many in the community.
The building's latest chapter began on July 10, 2025, when Disco Pony opened its doors. According to the travel website misterb&b, "Disco Pony is one of the newest headline spots in Tampa gay nightlife and is now one of the main anchors of the modern Tampa gay scene."
Nearly a century after Domenico Greco opened his hardware store, the old building continues to evolve while remaining an important part of Ybor City's cultural landscape.
©Chip Weiner. All Rights Reserved
Disco Pony nightclub 2026.© Chip Weiner
Disco Pony nightclub daytime 2026.© Chip Weiner.
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