After three years as a popular LGBT hangout, the Banyan Tree Coffee and Tea shop closed its doors quietly in July. The once-popular restaurant owned by Erica Allums, attracted numerous members of the city's arts community, including LGBT luminaries. Its location along the 600 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. was attractive to many urban dwellers in the active St. Petersburg neighborhood.
Allums, who is straight, opened her coffeehouse in 2008 and soon a local following gushed over her homemade soups and fancy fiestaware. On many mornings, locals would crowd the comfy nooks of the small restaurant to read local and national publications or share poetry with friends.
Allums could not be reached for comment about the closure but the tough economy is suspected for the closure.
