After closing its downtown Orlando location in April, full liquor sports bar and dog park Pups Pub is opening a new location in Clermont.

Pups Pub signed a 10-year net lease deal on the property at 898 W. Montrose St. in downtown Clermont, the site of a former automotive shop, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. Property owners Issam and Nadia Harb bought the location for $1.05 million in a transaction brokered by Orlando real estate firm Settineri Group.

“I think the use is incredibly interesting, it adds some vibrancy to a portion of downtown Clermont that I think has been relatively quiet for a long time,” Chris Settineri said.“That corner and that intersection really needed a driver for the afternoon to evening hours and I think this is it.”

Sheila Suhar, co-owner of Pups Pub with her husband Alex Wright, said their focus has been to continue their business in a growing community.

“That’s kind of why we picked Clermont, first and foremost, seeing all of what’s existing there and the plans for the future,” she said. “I think Pups Pub will be a great addition to the growth of that community. Excitement is an understatement, to say the least.”

Suhar and Wright opened their first location in Tampa in December 2020 with help from Wright’s close friend Trevor Trackett.

The trio founded Pups Pub as an off-leash location for dogs to roam free while their owners and other patrons relax with a drink or play with the dogs.

Following early success with their initial Tampa offering, Suhar opened a second Pups Pub in downtown Orlando in June 2022.

The downtown Orlando location, at 317 N. Orange Ave, closed in April with Pups Pub citing rising challenges, including “crime, homelessness, drug activity and what feels like near-weekly shootings”.

Just over a month later, in early June, the original Pups Pub location in Tampa closed after a lengthy legal battle with the Florida Department of Health.

After receiving approval from FDOH and being allowed to secure a Small Business Administration loan under their purview in 2020, Pups Pub’s business got hit with a new state interpretation of the rules governing indoor dog bars in 2022. It prohibits dogs from “any indoor area that shares the same structure as the bar — even in spaces where no food or drinks are served”.

The Florida Department of Administrative Hearings ruled in favor of Pups Pub in its 2023 challenge of the rules, but and FDOH appealed the ruling. A state appellate court reversed the state administrative court’s decision in April this year, forcing Pups Pub’s Tampa location to close.

In an effort to move on through the shifting state mandates, Pups Pub began looking for other locations to operate out of and was one of several businesses offering to lease the Montrose Street location in Clermont.

“We got a few offers to lease and Pups Pub was one of them,” Settineri said. “But given where they were in life, the (former) owners were really not interested in doing a long-term lease.”

After pitching the property to different prospective businesses and individuals in their network, according to Settineri, he and his firm secured a buyer for the property, then returned and offered a long-term lease deal to Pups Pub.

Suhar said a major difference between the forthcoming Clermont site and previous Pups Pub locations will be in the building layout, which will include more outdoor space.

“Essentially, we’re going to be open-air outdoor, but with the covered outdoor patio, so there isn’t going to be particularly any indoor space,” she said. “It’s going to be climate-controlled, there’s a big emphasis on that, on the covered outdoor patio part.”

According to Suhar, guests can anticipate numerous community events at the new Pups Pub throughout the year, including adoption and charity events, local pet markets, holiday gatherings, special themed events, dog birthday ‘pawties’ and more.

Pups Pub Clermont is “shooting for” a December 2025 opening, Suhar said, with tentative plans to open in January 2026 at the latest.

“Pups Pub Clermont will serve as a vibrant social hub, providing a much-needed ‘third place’ where people and their pups can connect, enjoy a cold drink, catch the game, meet new friends, and make amazing memories together,” Suhar said. “Equal parts dog park, sports bar and unmatched vibe, we are beyond thrilled to bring Pups Pub to downtown Clermont.”

Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at jwilkins@orlandosentinel.com or 407-754-4980. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.