The Independent

History

Veronica Danko, who had opened a craft-beer bar called The Independent in St. Petersburg in 2005, bought a 1937 filling station in Seminole Heights and opened the Tampa location in 2009, adding a kitchen. She modeled it on European beer halls, with a wide beer list, boutique wine, and cafe food. Live music grew into the room anyway, including a First Saturday jazz jam started in 2010, though Danko has said she never intended a club on the scale of a dedicated concert hall.