A 736-square-foot storefront at 907 Central Avenue that sat empty since 2021 is about to get new life as August Mae, a jewelry and lifestyle shop hoping to open its doors by the end of the year. Owner Cory Lawler is relocating from Buffalo to St. Petersburg this month to launch her first brick-and-mortar location, tucked between Fusillo Pasta and Sunshine City Paint in the city's EDGE District.
The space previously housed Now and Then before that shop closed in 2021, according to St Pete Rising. August Mae will specialize in water- and tarnish-proof demi-fine jewelry crafted from 14-karat gold-filled and sterling-silver materials, offering shoppers a higher-quality metal option that's more accessible than fine jewelry. The lineup includes permanent bracelets and necklaces, custom charm jewelry, and personalized pieces finished through an in-house engraving service.
From Pop-Up Pivot to Full Storefront
Lawler describes the shop as something bigger than a jewelry counter. Per the same account, she said the store will be more of a lifestyle shop, carrying apparel, accessories, beauty and self-care products, candles, glassware, gifts, and small home items alongside the jewelry cases. She wants the shop to function as an experience, offering custom-fitted pieces, jewelry-making, and occasion-based purchases rather than a simple transaction. The interior will lean into a mauve-and-gold color palette with what the report describes as a contemporary coastal feel.
Lawler's path to Central Avenue wound through several cities. A Buffalo native, she moved to Sarasota for a sales and marketing job in 2019, then relocated to Miami, where she spent three years before returning home to Buffalo. It was there that she launched Buffalo Permanent Jewelry in 2023, later rebranding the business as August Mae and expanding into e-commerce last August.
Snowbird Stint Turned Into a Business Decision
Lawler and her boyfriend had already spent three months in St. Petersburg as snowbirds before she decided to put down roots and open a physical location, the article notes. She said she was ready to take her business to the next level. That instinct lines up with broader patterns in the jewelry trade: global demi-fine jewelry sales hit an estimated $2.8 billion in 2025 and are projected to climb to $3.1 billion in 2026, with brick-and-mortar stores generating 85.4% of total revenue, according to Grand View Research.
August Mae also plans to weave in a charitable component. The shop often donates a portion of profits to animal charities and shelters, and Lawler hopes to host events with local shelters, rescues, and other charities once the storefront is up and running. Shoppers can follow the brand's progress on Instagram and Facebook ahead of the opening.
A Changing Corridor Around Central Avenue
August Mae is landing in a stretch of Central Avenue near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North that's seeing rapid change. The EDGE District, designated a Florida Main Street Community in 2014, spans roughly nine blocks bounded by 1st Avenue North and running from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street to 16th Street, per the Florida Department of State. Directly across the street, the building at 900 Central Avenue was identified in a 2016 historic resource survey as the EDGE District's oldest structure, dating back to 1918, according to Preserve the 'Burg.
The neighborhood has also become a magnet for construction and density. Demolition began in August for EDGE Collective II, a 20-story tower rises nearby with rooftop pool set to add 330 apartments and up to 18,000 square feet of ground-floor retail by 2028. A few blocks east, move-ins began in December 2025 at 400 Central, a 46-story luxury condo tower, as reported by St Pete Rising. In May, city council members approved a transit-oriented zoning overhaul along the SunRunner rapid transit corridor, eliminating parking minimums and permitting greater building density along Central Avenue.
Growth Comes With Rising Costs
That growth hasn't been painless for every business on the corridor. Longtime EDGE District eatery Brooklyn South closed its storefront at 1437 Central Avenue in September after 12 years, citing escalating commercial rents and food costs — a shift Hoodline covered in its report on the deli's closure after rent hikes. Retail trends in the district have leaned toward hybrid lifestyle and boutique concepts this year, exemplified by French-inspired floral boutique and wine bar Bouquet & Bordeaux, which took a 2,700-square-foot footprint in the neighborhood.
The EDGE District's retail incubator strategy, launched through the Edge Collective Urban Marketplace in February 2021, was designed to give early-stage retail and food concepts entry-level storefront space before scaling up, according to Forbes. The 10.3-mile SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit line connecting downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach along Central Avenue continues to drive ridership and foot traffic across the corridor, per Econolite. For Lawler, that mix of new density and foot traffic is the backdrop against which she's betting a Buffalo-born jewelry brand can find its footing on Central Avenue.
