Known as the Potato Capital of Florida, Hastings is an unincorporated, census-designated place and agricultural hub in St. Johns County about 18 miles southwest of St. Augustine.
The community’s historic Downtown is now seeing a resurgence.
In 2024, a series of businesses opened along the mile-long district, including Main St. Pizza, bakery Chocolattes, juice bar and smoothie shop Hastings Nutrition, Hastings Coffee Co. and auto detailing products seller Anything EC.
Downtown Hastings’ business occupancy surged from an 80% vacancy rate in 2023 to a 90% occupancy rate in 2025, according to a news release from Hastings Main Street, a group working to revitalize the downtown.
More are on the way
St. Augustine-based cafe Juniper Market will open in the former Hastings Medical Clinic building. It will be its second location. The build-out permit was issued Aug. 12, 2024, at a cost of $148,190.
The Venue at Historic Stanton Ford is planned as an event space that will host weddings, receptions, concerts and corporate events. It was formerly a Ford auto dealership that opened in 1929. St. Johns County issued a build-out permit Aug. 2, 2024, at $732,644.
Jena Dennis, a real estate broker and owner of Great Expectations Realty, is overseeing the project with her husband, Alyn.
She is also chair of Hastings Main Street, which was established in 2024.
It is a participant in the Florida Main Street program, an initiative affiliated with the National Main Street Center founded in 1985
It is a technical assistance initiative designed to revitalize historic downtowns.
According to the Florida Historical Resources website, the program has supported more than 50 communities across the state, with reported investments of nearly $7 billion, more than 51,000 completed projects and 11,000 new or expanded businesses.
As part of her role as the Hastings chair, Dennis works to attract new businesses. As a broker, she helps with the sale of available buildings and negotiates leases. Dennis also owns area properties.
Dennis said she has personally reached out to potential tenants to fill available spaces.
Hastings Main Street uses a four-step approach centered on committees made up of community volunteers with a focus on economic vitality, design aesthetics, event promotion and supporting and attracting new businesses.
Hastings Main Street has so far received a $10,000 grant from the Florida Main Street program for technical assistance and website development, according to Dennis.
Why Downtown Hastings?
Lisa Dellaire, Sarah Boger and Brooke Williams are partners at Chocolattes. Dellaire opened the original location in downtown St. Augustine in 2018 but decided she no longer enjoyed the hectic pace of being in a touristy area and wanted to slow down.
“It was so much work. We were exhausted,” she said. “I got to the point where I was like, ‘I’m done. I’m done.’”
The bakery doesn’t have regular hours. It specializes in wholesale baked goods and custom cakes. It also offers public and private baking classes.
It will also be the exclusive bakery for The Venue when it opens.
“That was a big allure for our move,” Williams said.
Dellaire still owns St. Augustine Coffee House.
Chamane Williams, proprietor of Hastings Coffee Co., worked at the St. Johns County Property Appraiser’s Office for 17 years and wanted a change.
She and her husband, Marcus, were presented with the idea of buying the shop from its owner when they weren’t even looking.
“My husband and I live about two blocks from here and like to go on 2-mile walks in the morning. The shop is on our route,” she said.
The couple both got messages the same day on Facebook from the former owner, Ashton Hodge, asking them to meet. Hodge also is owner of Palatka Coffee Co.
“We had no idea what it could be about. We thought that maybe he wanted to sell it, but we really didn’t know. It turns out he did,” Chamane Williams said.
She said she wants to explore having special events and to refine the shop’s menu.
Bronx, New York-born Mike Pauly operates Main St. Pizza out of a house he owns and lives in.
“It’s a really good area,” he said. “It’s growing really fast and I just like this community. It’s been really good. When we opened up a lot of other people started opening up.”
Serving pizza and sub sandwiches, the pizzeria is open daily for lunch and dinner.
Kristi Register, who owns Hastings Nutrition, calls Hastings her second home. She grew up in Palatka but has family in Hastings.
“We were looking for a space and knew I wanted to be somewhere where the market isn’t saturated,” she said. “We’re trying to bring Hastings back. A lot of people drive down Main Street every day and don’t know there are actual businesses here.”
Growing pains
Not everyone is in favor of the area’s redevelopment. Dennis said some residents are fearful of urban sprawl.
“As we revitalize the Downtown district and redo the buildings and preserve the historic structure and put new buildings in, a lot of the locals are worried about that,” Dennis said.
“They’re worried about development coming this way, but the reality is, in 2018 when the town was dissolved and it became a part of St. Johns County, a lot of developers started buying land in the area. They’re just waiting for the right time to start developing it now that we have improved utilities going in," Dennis said.
“We’re going to see growth out here, I just think it’s a matter of managing that growth. Having a good local organization and hearing the locals’ voices are critical.”