General Automotive Supply, 1104 Florida Avenue

General Automotive Supply, 1104 Florida Avenue at Royal Street (two-story brick), with posed employees. 1932. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

PP+K Advertising, 1104 Florida Ave, 2021. © Chip Weiner

General Automotive Supply at Royal Street and Florida Ave was situated one block from the section of north Franklin Street nicknamed Auto Row in the 1920s for its car dealers and suppliers. They sold auto and motor supplies both wholesale and retail. The car business dwindled in the early 1930s, and Seminole Furniture Co. opened a branch store there in 1941. The company was expanding and had opened a new 6-story store on Lafayette St (now Kennedy Blvd.) in Hyde Park.

In the 1970s, Newsome Wholesale Co. did business here selling ceramics, figurines, and toys. In 1980, Porter Temporary Help expanded operations to the building that became Tampa Bay Personnel and Tech Staff. In 1990, the building sold for $162,500. In 2004, PP+K (Pyper Paul + Kenny) a full-service advertising agency moved in and still works in the building. The structure's signature feature is its vintage postcard-inspired mural of Tampa, a favorite icon for city promotors and Instagram selfies. It was created in 2003 by artist Carl Cowden III. In 2012, it was removed due to fading and old age. Due to its popularity, the city paid the artist $6,000 to recreate a replacement mural with the same theme.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved

From Burgert Brothers: Look Again, Vol. 1