Corey Avenue Business District
at St Pete Beach, FL

There are two requisites for a successful business district. These are (1) location, which includes accessibility, and (2) the quality and grouping of the merchants who make up the district. These two factors are extremely important.

Location is more or less a physical condition. Its value depends on accessibility to surrounding population, location of traffic arteries, transportation, and the topography of the land.

The Corey Avenue business district is particularly well located. It is the geographical center of the area between the tip of Pass-a-Grille at First Avenue and the Welch Causeway at One Hundred Fiftieth Avenue. The center of population for this area would also fall approximately on Corey Avenue. It has maximum accessibility as it is practically impossible for any residents to travel either up of down the beach, or to St. Petersburg without passing Corey Avenue. As 66% of all traffic to the islands passes over Corey Causeway, the Corey Avenue business district becomes a natural focal point for shopping purposes. All beach bus lines serve this area. The island at this point is wide enough to have cross streets for several blocks in each direction, which increases accessibility and provides necessary parking space.

The quality and grouping of merchants is the human factor in a business district. It is the least recognized yet one of the most important qualities of a successful business district. We know that the most valuable, or so called 100% block in any business district is that block having the highest pedestrian traffic. This pedestrian traffic is highest in that block where the combined pulling power of the merchants therein exceeds the pulling power of the combined merchants of other blocks. Therefore it is evident that each progressive and successful merchant is an asset to his neighbor.

In a new business district the selection of merchants is particularly important. Not only the ability of the individual merchant must be considered bur also the type of merchandise and service rendered. For the new business district should offer the public a well balanced variety of services, without overcrowding in any one field.