Felipe "Fil” Bergson says that when the owners of Haslam’s Book Store in St. Petersburg condemned his plan to hold an unsanctioned concert in their parking, it was “the best thing that could have happened."
The St. Pete artist has been selling t-shirts and zines for months with the goal of raising enough money to purchase the beloved community bookstore, which closed during the pandemic and never reopened.
But despite his best efforts, and significant media coverage, Ray Hinst and Suzanne Haslam Hinst never responded, not even to direct attempts to contact them.
That is, until he planned an unsanctioned concert in the bookstore parking lot. That finally got their attention, and they issued a statement to St. Pete Catalyst.
ALSO READ: Haslam’s owners break their six-year silence to condemn unauthorized parking lot concert
"It was like finally, finally, we know that like they're at least watching us do this,” Bergson said. "They thanked us for the love, or at least the community, not us specifically."
He said what they didn’t do was tell him to stop his mission.
"They just said, 'Hey, the parking lot is private property. This is a liability issue,' which is true. Like, totally true. And, honestly, makes my job easier now. Instead of throwing an illegal show, now I'm throwing a legal show on September 13."
The "Haslam's Parking Lot Show,” which is retaining its name, will take place at The Nest at St. Pete Brewing Co., time to be determined. It’ll feature performances by Delaney Staack, Little Giver, and the Haslam's Family Band, a group of Bergson’s friends.
He said the next goal is to get the owners to respond to him directly.
"At this point, I see it as a giant game of chicken in a way, where, OK, you stopped us when things became a liability. Totally respect that. And now, we need to figure out how we actually get you to to talk with us without becoming a bully, 'cuz that's a line, as well, that we're trying not to cross,” Bergson said.
The last time Haslam’s was for sale, the asking price was about $3.9 million. It’s likely to be double that now.
ALSO READ: A St. Petersburg artist's 'hopelessly optimistic project' to reopen Haslam's Book Store
“The goal was never really to buy the store. Anyone who's watching this project can see that 500,000 T-shirts for $12 million is a big ask,” he said.
Bergson said the real goal is simpler. To convince the owners to reopen the bookstore.
“Whether that's us running it, them running it, or some third party that they really like? But really the idea is like why is this property sitting vacant when it is such a great third space for the community?" Bergson said. "The community obviously misses it."
As of two days ago, Bergson has sold 1,312 t-shirts and an unknown number of zines.
This story was compiled from interviews conducted by Matthew Peddie for "Florida Matters Live & Local." You can listen to the full episode here or watch the segment in the YouTube player below.
