'The Bricks' Skates Through First Year

After Skate Park of Tampa opened in 1993, skateboarders from around the world descended upon it to navigate the hills, half-pipes and pyramids at the indoor arena on Columbus Drive. Last year, owner Brian Schaefer took the next step – opening a bar/restaurant/coffee shop on the edge of Ybor City.

Perhaps not a logical step to most folks, but Durke Schmidt said establishing The Bricks of Ybor made perfect sense. Schmidt, now a bartender there, was an early customer of the skate park.

“I went there the second day it opened,” he said. He became friends with Schaefer, and eventually they started talking about opening the bar. Schmidt said he had run a few restaurants in the Melbourne area, so he had that experience to offer.

Before the Bricks, Schaefer would point contestants from the skate park's international competitions toward Ybor City for partying, Schmidt said. But because there are so many clubs and bars, the skaters did not find a venue to adopt as their own.

Schmidt jokingly describes the culture as athletes who got into the scene as “punk kids.”

“We’re still punk kids,” he said. “But now we have jobs and pay taxes.” Still, he said, “we’re a rowdy bunch.”

The Bricks of Ybor opened in July 2010 and offers the groups a place to congregate, talk shop and drink after the tournaments. The hip hideaway at 1327 E. Seventh Ave. offers a menu of American cuisine with a bit of artistic flair that includes many vegetarian options. The bartenders create specialty cocktails and martinis, and serve beer and wine. Gourmet coffee is available.

Craft beer lovers should enjoy the draft list: 10 taps that include Florida-brewed offerings from Tampa’s Cigar City Brewing, Saint Somewhere in Tarpon Springs and Gainesville brewery Swamp Head. Even more are featured on the 25 or so beers on the bottle list. Some of the taps are rotated, so the brands might vary from week to week.

The beer selection also includes the standard hipster favorite Pabst Blue Ribbon, and some other mass-produced megabrews.

“It’s so hard for us to go all craft, though we’d like to,” said Seamus Gallagher, general manager. “People like to drink what they’re familiar with.”

The décor is typical Ybor: Exposed bricks, copper ceiling panels, a long oak bar and simple tables scattered about the venue.

The place gets crowded with skateboarders and locals alike on weekends, Schmidt said. “There are plenty of weekday nights when the bar is packed…the lunch crowd is solid…and sometimes local business people will pop in for some java from the coffee bar or a mid-day martini,” he said.

The restaurant embraces social media channels, with daily posts on its Facebook page and Twitter account.  Before The Bricks opened, it held a pre-opening party for its Facebook fans, Gallagher said, and about 350 to 400 people showed up.

Drink specials are offered each day. Local artwork graces the walls, and there’s live music Friday through Sunday.