Tokyo-style listening bar, In Between Days, opens this month in St. Pete – St. Pete Rising

Urban Development News
In Between Days will be located in a small blue house at 2340 1st Avenue South in St. Pete | Photo credit Skyler June
Walk too quickly down 1st Avenue South in the Grand Central District and you’d be forgiven for passing right by St Pete’s newest hub of art, culture, food, and drinks. The small blue house at 2340 1st Avenue South has no sign, no logo on the door, and limited web presence. It’s a destination to stumble upon serendipitously or seek out intentionally. However you find yourself inside, you’re in for an experience unlike any you’ve had in St Pete – or all of Florida for that matter.
In Between Days is a listening bar, a cafe with high-end audio equipment where attention to detail, quality, and intentionality are the focus. When it opens this summer, it will be Florida’s first such institution, a concept originated in Japan and popularized in places like New York, LA, and London by both music lovers and casual listeners alike. Audiophiles will delight in the pristine and perfect sound, but even those who think music isn’t “their thing” will find themselves immediately mesmerized.
“If you’re into food and have something that elevates your palate, you’re going to notice it’s really good. Imagine if you could do that with your ears. That’s what we’re doing here,” says co-founder and Pinellas County native Zach Ashton, a recording artist and music business consultant who recently returned home after fifteen years abroad.
Left to right, Zach Ashton and Elio Marini, owners of In Between Days | Photo credit Skyler June
“We don’t see music as something to just fill the silence. We see it as something gourmet. We are everybody’s demographic.”
Here, thoughtfully selected craft sake and natural wines converge with hi-fi, curated music of all genres on an always-changing menu. Attention to detail radiates throughout the space. There will be events, art, listening parties, and opportunities to connect with other creative types – all to be announced.
For Ashton and co-founder Elio Marini, a local film producer and fellow native Floridian, the idea is to create not just a bar, but as they call it, a “culture house.” It will be a place to slow down, to take everything in with all your senses.
“We want to inspire the community,” Ashton emphasizes. “When you come here, you don’t know what you’re going to get. The food is going to change. The music is going to change. The lighting at night, you can’t imagine. You’re going to walk in and think ‘where am I?’ Am I in Tokyo? Barcelona?”
“We want to capture the feeling of discovery, walking into a place that you’ve never been before that doesn’t feel like home,” adds Marini. “People will come in here and maybe hear things that they’re familiar with, but stuff that they aren’t hearing on the radio for sure.”
Both passionate entrepreneurs with a palpable reverence for craft and subtly, Ashton and Marini have been working closely with audio, food, and design experts around the world to bring their vision to life, including David Heath, the detail connoisseur behind one of LA’s most beloved listening bars.
Brilliant COrners, a popular listening bar in London | Photo credit Asahi Super Dry
“I’m back in Florida after twenty years in LA, and I’m seeing that the things I really appreciated and loved in a big city are starting to show up in St. Pete in a really considered and specific way,” says Heath. “All of this is an indication that you don’t need to live in a large city. We have it here, and it’s happening.”
From the glasses being used to how the drinks are served, and of course, the quality of the sound, at listening bars across the world, every element of the atmosphere is deliberate. When aligned, says Heath, that atmosphere creates an experience like no other.
“These nuanced, subtle, specific aspects of life is what a place like this is about. It’s an invitation to slow down, to have an intentional experience, to try something new.”
In Between Days will open its doors to the public sometime in early August, but don’t expect to see balloons on the door or even an official announcement post. To be one of the first to try it for yourself, you’ll have to go out of your way to try the door at 2340 1st Avenue South and see what happens – in other words: slow down, be intentional, and try something new. At In Between Days, it’s all part of the experience.
To stay informed, be sure to follow along on their Facebook, Instagram, and website.

St. Pete Rising is an online urban development publication covering retail, restaurants, and real estate news in St. Petersburg, FL
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