One of Anastasia Island’s best-known eateries is preparing for a major move as BlackFly’s owners finalize the purchase of the former Mellow Mushroom building at 410 Anastasia Boulevard, The Citizen has learned.
After more than a decade in their current leased space, the owners plan to shift operations into the new building and open there in early February, marking one of the biggest restaurant reshuffles St. Augustine has seen in years.
BlackFly’s current home at 108 Anastasia Boulevard, which the restaurant has occupied for 13 years but does not own, is now on the market for $2.795 million.
The former Mellow Mushroom property—where the local staple operated for over ten years—had been listed at $3.75 million, though the sale price under contract remains undisclosed.
Mellow Mushroom has confirmed it will relocate to a nearby site, but the new address has not yet been announced.
The BlackFly ownership group includes Vaughn and Jean Cochran, Cindy Stangby, Doug and Charles Bunnell, and Nick Massie.
Vaughn Cochran, a well-known oil painter whose artwork shapes the restaurant’s distinctive brand, said he’s brimming with optimism over the move.
“We do not own the current building—we’ve been leasing it for 13 years,” he told The Citizen. “This new building, we’re actually buying. We’re moving in the middle of January and will open at the new location in early February.”
Renovation work begins soon as the team focuses on bringing BlackFly’s trademark intimate atmosphere into a space that is brighter and more open than their current digs.
“Our challenge is to move the feeling we have now,” Cochran said. “Everybody likes the intimacy of our bar and the coziness of the whole thing, and that’s what we’re going to create. We’ll lower the ceilings and make it more cozy and intimate.”
Several signature elements will be rebuilt from scratch, including the restaurant’s pizza oven, which cannot be moved and will instead be recreated in the new venue.
BlackFly updates its menu quarterly, and Cochran expects new dishes to debut with the February opening.
Despite the changes, he emphasized continuity: “We’re not rebranding—we’re just moving. Our goal is to have it be BlackFly, but better.”
