The building at 1507–1513 E. 7th Avenue in Ybor City was constructed in 1918 and originally housed the Postoffice Grocery Store, serving the bustling cigar district as the neighborhood thrived in the early 20th century.

In 1927, the W. T. Grant Company signed a 20-year lease with Adolph Goldstein, a downtown Tampa merchant. Goldstein and his associates had purchased the building for $72,000. Known simply as “Grants,” the store was part of a national discount department store chain founded in 1906. In 1920, Grants opened its first Tampa location in downtown Tampa at Franklin and Cass Streets. The Ybor store was one of what would eventually become ten Grant locations across the Tampa Bay area, offering shoppers more than 30 departments filled with thousands of affordable household goods, clothing, and everyday items.

After nearly 50 years in business, the Ybor City Grant store closed in the late 1960s, as retail in the district declined. Beginning in the mid-20th century, many residents and businesses had moved away from Ybor, leaving once-busy storefronts struggling.

The building found new life in 1972, when the El Rastro Flea Market began operating inside. The bustling indoor market ran through 1974, reflecting a brief attempt to revive commercial activity in the district.

By the 1990s, Ybor City was reinventing itself again—this time as an entertainment district. In 1995, the 940-seat, two-level nightclub “The Rubb” opened in the building. Focused heavily on music and nightlife, the venue was owned and operated by Michael Tubbs, an heir to the Gatorade fortune, who had purchased the property in 1993. The club closed around 1999.

In the years that followed, the space hosted a rotating cast of nightlife venues, including Fun, Twilight, Lotus, and De La Sol, reflecting Ybor’s transformation into Tampa’s late-night playground.

In 2008, Honey Pot, a burlesque and drag nightclub, opened and quickly became one of the district’s most popular LGBTQ-friendly venues. After more than a decade of operation, it closed in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic when a county ordinance prohibited gatherings on club dance floors.

Another attempt followed in 2023 with the opening of PTL Nightclub, though it lasted less than a year.

Today, the historic structure houses Zodiac Club and Last Call Liquors, and despite its many transformations over the past century, the building still proudly bears the “W. T. Grant Co.” name across its façade—a quiet reminder of Ybor City’s once-busy retail era.

Note: The USF Digital Collection has the top Robertson and Fresh image incorrectly titled "W.T. Grant Co. in Downtown Tampa." The downtown store was on the corner of Cass and Franklin Streets, and had a rounded front.

  © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved