Paradise meets Deco with newcomer Paradeco Coffee out of St. Petersburg, Florida. We had a chance to check out their design as they continue to build out their cafe (check back here at Sprudge for Paradeco’s Build-Outs feature!) Paradeco’s style stands out with an emphasis on the unique 1920s Floridian Art Deco vibe. Gorgeous! We spoke with founder and owner Sonya Sarkar to find out more.
Congratulations on opening the cafe! How have the first couple of weeks been?
We were not 100% ready to open due to construction still being done but we got to the point where we just needed to get open so given that, the first couple weeks went very well! We learned a lot and adjusted accordingly and are still fine-tuning things. But luckily our entire team is amazing and has done such a great job! We are also fortunate to be busy from day one with very little marketing (aside from social media). St. Pete is all about supporting local, which means the world to us!
Your shop is gorgeous—tell us about the Art Deco design elements and style you’re going for.
We knew from the beginning that we wanted to create something truly unique. The “Paradise meets Art Deco” theme was our idea from day one and luckily it panned out amazingly, thanks to the help of local companies such as Hype Group that did our branding, Boyd Construction that did our build-out, and Place Architecture that designed our interior. We wanted very bright and fun colors, not only to reflect the types of coffee we serve but to compliment the downtown St. Pete area, which is very vibrant and fun!
We also made sure every detail was covered—we imported a multi-colored blue and greenstone on our coffee bar, custom branded our to-go drink cups, and worked with NYC-based ceramic artist Josephine Noel from Recreation Center to create custom ceramic service mugs. We also build a massive merch wall to sell our custom Katin shirts, Corckcicle tumblers, Fellow thermos’s and coffee canister, and our whole bean coffee!
We love art deco because of the curves and arches, which you can see throughout our shop. The “paradise” theme came about because both Tom and I love all things tropical, which is why we have a plant wall with over 150 live plants! St. Pete is also paradise to us so it all worked out.
Your website and branding is literally award-winning—who did you team up with to create your look?
We teamed up with The Brand Collective, based in Miami, to build out our website and e-commerce. We interviewed with several different companies, both locally and nationally, and The Brand Collective stood out to us based on truly understanding our vision, being extremely responsive, and have a great aesthetic eye. They also work with several companies in the service industry and have won several design awards for their work!
You recently launched fresh merch including whole bean coffee—how many coffee offerings do you currently have?
We have four origins currently: Peru, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Guatemala. We will have a consistent rotation of four to five different offerings.
Your packaging shares the Paradeco color palette—tell us about the colors.
Like our space, we wanted our coffer bags to stand out as well. Have a holographic effect was a must, only because I (Sonya) have a weird obsession with all things holographic and iridescent haha! We also wanted to tie in our branding with the palms, blue tones, and pink.
What information do you share on the bag?
We share the region, producer, elevation, process, roast profile, flavor notes, the date it was roasted, and brew method recommendations such as how to brew if you use a Chemex vs AeroPress.
What kind of bag is it?
Our bag was produced by Savor Brands, who was awarded “Best New Product in Packaging” by The Specialty Coffee Association at the 2019 World of Coffee.
Where is it available—will it be available online?
We are currently working on our e-com website, hoping it will be live in the next few weeks!
How should we spend a perfect day in St. Petersburg?
On a sunny Saturday morning—first, stop into Paradeco for coffee and brunch! Take in all the good vibes, food, and overall ambiance. Then, walk right down the street from us to the brand new St. Pete Pier, voted top 3 in USA Today’s Best New Attraction of 2020. Grab a beer from Hops and Props and head to the park or beach on the pier OR check out live music at Doc Fords and get your fix of tropical cocktails! Then take a scooter from the Pier to Central Avenue for some shopping! You will find tons of well-curated local boutiques (shout out to Ashe Couture, Shoreline Sugars, and Atlas!) and shops for miles on Central. If you get hungry and thirsty grab a bite and a beer at the new Grand Central Brew House or Intermezzo for great cocktails. For dinner, check out Wild Child—truly amazing and unique food and drinks. If you still have energy after dinner, watch live music and aerialists at the Floridian Social Club and call it a night!
Perfect! Thank you!
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