Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelcy Coleman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My husband is typically the face of Bayboro, and rightfully so. He is there every day, deeply integrated into the day-to-day operations, and has built so many of the relationships that have shaped what Bayboro is today. When we were given the opportunity to share our story, though, I decided to take it and tell it from my perspective. It’s not a different story, necessarily, but maybe a slightly different lens on how we got here and, more importantly, why we’ve kept going.
My husband, a Marine veteran, and I, a St. Petersburg native, started with a dream of creating a business that could also be a vessel for being part of our community—and a way to show our kids, through action, what being part of a community really means.
The initial idea was a craft beer taproom. I won’t bore you with every detail between that idea and opening day, but challenges and disappointments were present from the very beginning. We actually started construction just days after our son, our second child, was born. After a lot of perseverance, we finally opened the doors to Bayboro Brewing on March 17, 2020.
We were open for about three hours before the COVID stay-at-home orders were officially put in place.
Like so many small businesses at that time, we had absolutely no idea what to do next. We started selling crowlers until seemingly the entire country ran out of cans. Then we filled personal growlers, containers and even pickle jars—pretty much anything our new customers showed up with that we could safely fill.
At the time, our taproom was connected to a kitchen and a large event space, neither of which we leased. As ordinances evolved, we took our first major pivot and risk: we leased the kitchen so we could serve food and reopen. Looking back, that experience shaped who we are today, both as a business and as a family.
We couldn’t afford to hire many employees. I was home with our two very young children while my husband was at the brewery building relationships with customers—many of whom ultimately became what we now call our Bayboro family. Our next big investment was creating the Biergarten, which allowed me to be at the brewery with our kids and gave us an outdoor space that became another important part of Bayboro.
As life and business slowly started feeling more normal, we began thinking more intentionally about the reason we had wanted to create this place in the first place.
In November, we held our first Veterans Day event. We partnered with another local business to provide meals and started a “Buy a Vet a Beer” program for Veterans Day. We had no idea at the time how much need existed in our own backyard. We quickly learned about the number of veterans in Pinellas County experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, and we felt compelled to do more.
We began working directly with the VA, and in November 2021, our Thanksgiving tradition was born.
It started with my husband and my dad smoking chickens and turkeys overnight while my mom and I cooked the sides. Friends and family joined in. That first year, we provided around 80 Thanksgiving meals. By November 2025, that had grown to approximately 800 meals for recently housed veterans, veterans living in transitional housing, and their families—and we hope to do it all again this year.
Caseworkers pick up meals, and others are delivered the day before Thanksgiving. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, our own family, friends, and any patron looking for a loving place to spend the holiday gather at the brewery for Thanksgiving together.
I spend a lot of time talking about those Thanksgiving meals when I tell our story, but that’s because, to me, they really represent the identity of Bayboro.
Over the years, we’ve continued finding ways to be part of our community, building relationships with local nonprofits, veterans organizations, artists and other small businesses. Bayboro itself has grown too. What started as a craft beer taproom has evolved into a brewery, restaurant and full-liquor bar with a large event space that hosts nonprofit and community gatherings during the day and early evening and becomes a live music venue at night.
We’ve had some incredible moments along the way. We’ve also experienced more challenges, pivots and disappointments than we can count.
People ask us all the time: **Knowing everything you know now, would you do it again?**
The answer is yes.
Because ultimately, the business became what we hoped it would be. Our kids are growing up inside a community. They get to see what giving back looks like, what it means to show up for people, and why we should care about people outside of those we already know.
Bayboro may have started as a craft beer taproom, but that was never really the whole dream. The dream was to build a place where community could happen.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth would definitely not be the word I would use!
We opened our doors in March 2020, so our introduction to small business ownership was COVID. In some ways, that set the tone: adapt quickly, figure out what you can control, and keep moving.
Coming out of COVID didn’t necessarily mean things became easier. We moved almost immediately into rapidly rising costs, staffing challenges, inflation, and an unpredictable economy. As a brewery and restaurant, we’ve watched the cost of everything from ingredients and supplies to insurance, utilities and labor increase, while also being very conscious that our customers are experiencing those same pressures at home. There is always a balance between what it actually costs to operate a small business and what you can reasonably ask your community to pay.
Then came the hurricanes. Those affected us directly, but they also affected our patrons, neighboring businesses and tourism throughout our area. When your business is rooted in a local community, what happens to that community happens to you. You don’t operate in a bubble.
Most recently, one of our greatest challenges has been navigating changing City requirements and ordinances as our business has grown and evolved. We absolutely understand the importance of safety, compliance and responsible growth. At the same time, navigating changing interpretations, requirements and timelines can be incredibly difficult for a small business. Delays don’t just exist on paper—they affect whether we can book an event, schedule employees, pay a vendor, make an investment or confidently plan several months ahead.
That’s probably been one of the harder realities to reconcile. St. Petersburg has long celebrated its identity as a city built around small businesses, artists and entrepreneurs. As a St. Pete native, that’s part of what I’ve always loved about this city. At times, though, it feels like operating and growing a small business here has become increasingly complicated. I hope we can continue finding ways to protect the things that regulations are intended to protect while also creating a path where responsible local businesses can continue to grow and survive.
Every one of these challenges has changed us. Some have made us more resilient, some have forced us to completely rethink how we operate, and some we’re still working through today.
But I think that’s also the reality behind a lot of the small businesses people love. You see the beer, the music, the events and the community gathering around a table. Behind it is a family and a team constantly adapting, problem-solving and deciding to keep going.
We’ve been impressed with Bayboro Brewing Co, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Bayboro is a little hard to put into one box—and I think that’s one of the things we’re most proud of.
At our core, we’re an independent, family- and veteran-owned brewery in St. Petersburg, but over the years we’ve grown into much more than a traditional brewery. Today, we’re a craft brewery, full-service restaurant and bar, live music venue, event space, and community gathering place all under one roof.
You can come in for a beer and dinner with your family, sit outside in the Biergarten, catch live local music, watch a game, attend a nonprofit fundraiser, celebrate a retirement or birthday, or buy a ticket to see an incredible touring artist. On another day, you might walk in and find a veterans organization gathering, a local artist being celebrated, or a community group hosting an event.
Our live music program has become a huge part of who we are. We love supporting local musicians while also bringing regional and national touring artists into St. Pete. There’s something pretty special about being able to see an artist in an intimate, independent venue rather than a huge concert setting—and we love being able to provide that experience.
But what really sets Bayboro apart isn’t necessarily any one thing we sell or offer. It’s the way all of those pieces come together.
We genuinely want Bayboro to feel like a place where people belong. We’re family-friendly, dog-friendly outside, veteran-friendly, artist-friendly and community-driven. Our kids have grown up here. Our regulars have watched them grow up. Employees have become friends, customers have become family, and people who first walked through our doors for a beer have ended up volunteering beside us at Thanksgiving or supporting another organization we’ve introduced them to.
Brand-wise, that’s probably what I’m most proud of. We never sat in a marketing meeting and decided that “community” should be part of our brand. It became our brand because it was genuinely how we operated.
Of course, we’re incredibly proud of the beer we make, the food coming out of our kitchen, the cocktails we’re serving, the musicians who take our stage and the events we’re able to host. We want all of those things to be great.
But if someone walks away from Bayboro remembering how they felt while they were here, that’s the bigger win for us.
We’re not trying to be the biggest brewery, restaurant or music venue in St. Pete. We want to be one of those places that feels distinctly St. Pete—a little eclectic, very local, welcoming, creative and built around the people who walk through the door.
If there’s one thing I’d want readers to know about Bayboro, it’s that you don’t have to already be part of our community to walk through the door. That’s kind of how you become part of it.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I think we’re already seeing the shift happen. Craft beer has been trending down, drinking habits are changing, and there’s a growing movement toward moderation and alcohol-free lifestyles. That’s one of the reasons we made the decision years ago that Bayboro couldn’t just be a taproom.
I think the next five to ten years will be increasingly about the experience rather than any single product.
We’re already seeing it with our own customers. People aren’t necessarily saying, “Let’s go get a beer.” They’re looking for something to do. They want live music, trivia or a game night, a themed event, a place to watch a game, great food, or simply somewhere interesting to gather with friends and family. The beer, cocktail or non-alcoholic drink becomes one part of that experience rather than the entire reason for going out.
At the same time, the rising cost of living is making people more intentional about where they spend their disposable income. If someone is going to leave their house and spend money with you, you have to give them a compelling reason to choose your business that day. You have to be what they’re craving—not just in terms of food or drinks, but in terms of the experience they want.
I think that will require businesses like ours to keep evolving. We’ll continue expanding what we offer beyond beer, creating more inclusive options for people who don’t drink, investing in food, live entertainment and events, and constantly finding new reasons for people to gather.
For us, that doesn’t mean moving away from craft beer. Brewing is part of our foundation and something we’re proud of. It means recognizing that the future of a brewery like Bayboro probably isn’t just about what’s in the glass.
It’s about giving people a reason to come through the door—and an experience that makes them want to come back.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bayborobrewing.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bayborobrewing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BayboroBrewing
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BayboroBrewingCo
