The brothers who own the coffee cafes inside UF Health facilities have bought two city blocks on the edge of the Porters neighborhood with hopes of drawing people to new shops and events in the area.
Bret and Tim Larson of Opus Coffee bought the property at 307 SW Fourth Ave. in 2012 to house their coffee roasters and supplies in a vacant storefront that abuts the International Grocery Convenience Store and Deli.
Last year, they added the strip center to the west, extending their reach along the south side of Southwest Fourth Avenue from Third Street to Fifth Street.
The strip center includes Czar’s Barber Shop and the Starlight Temple House of Refuge Community Center. Humble Pie moved in recently for a food prep and storage space for its food truck. BakerBaker — which has sold pastries at the Haile Village Farmers Market since 2012 — is in the process of opening next door to bake pastries for Opus Coffee locations and other wholesale accounts.