W. Truman Green patented his formula for Celo, a celery-flavored soft drink, and sold it in his drugstore on North Franklin Street around 1915. At the soda fountain in his store, Green would squirt the sweet syrup into an ice-filled glass for customers to enjoy. Although he wanted to begin selling his product outside his store, the syrup was stored in barrels and didn’t keep very long, making distribution difficult. He sold the patent for $50 and considered himself lucky. The Celo Company of America started in Tampa in 1928 and bottled the 6 oz. drink, marketing it as putting a little “pep in your step.” People claimed it calmed their nerves. It turns out there was never any celery in the product, even though advertisements showed large stalks of the vegetable. Only the extract from a flavor company was part of the mix. Celo was produced and bottled in Tampa during the 1930s and distributed around Florida. It vied for the top spot against Coca-Cola and Pepsi in the city for several years but never gained national traction.  In 1944, the company was sold to Vernor's Ginger Ale.

The Southern Brewing Company, which opened in 1934 with a capacity to brew 100,000 barrels annually, can be seen behind the Celo Building. Both structures were demolished, and the land is now a private parking lot for Frontier Communications across the street. The former Tampa Fire Station #1, built in 1911 and now the Tampa Firefighters Museum, can be seen in the background.

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