When I lived in Manhattan, New York, in the 1980s, my apartment was a couple of blocks from the original TGI Fridays on 1st Ave. Not only was it the location where Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown served drinks in the movie “Cocktail,” it also was a truly great non-chain restaurant.
Then, when I moved to Tarrytown, NY, one of the first TGI Fridays franchises opened and I was disgusted by the “chain-ing” of this fabled eatery. My favorite potato skins on earth went from giant, crispy spuds filled with real cheddar cheese and topped with crumbled hunks of real bacon to mini-potatoes with low-quality American cheese and fake bacon bits. I swore to never visit a Fridays again.
But, when the Fridays on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Highwoods Preserve opened nearly two decades ago, I still visited fairly frequently, as it often had live music, a hoppin’ bar and the food seemed better than it was in Tarrytown, even though the potato skins were still less than overwhelming.
So, I wasn’t surprised to hear that the New Tampa Fridays was one of nearly 50 to close its doors on Oct. 24 (see notice, above), following a purge of 36 locations in January, leaving the chain with 164 remaining links and the parent company reportedly ready to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Hopefully, something good will replace Fridays in this prime BBD location, but can a mom-&-pop even afford to move in there?
The better news is that zip code 33647 is about to get its just desserts, as Nothing Bundt Cakes (NBC) will open a location about eight miles south of its popular location in The Shops at Wiregrass. Although NBC is limited to moist bundt cakes with amazing icing, it will still be a better choice in the former Subway location next to China City in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center.
The most interesting news is that Cookie Plug, which also is getting ready to open in The Grove at Wesley Chapel (next to the Ice Dreammm Shop), also is getting ready to open in the former Weight Watchers location about 11 miles to the south in The Walk at Highwoods Preserve plaza.
We had no further information as to when NBC or Cookie Plug were expected to open, but we will keep you posted. — GN
Everglow Jewelry in Tampa Palms is owned by Kayla & Derrick Pyke.
When Derrick Pyke and his wife Kayla (top photo) moved from Rio Rancho, New Mexico, to Tampa, Derrick already had years of experience, first working in his father’s jewelry manufacturing business and then in a retail jewelry store they had opened together.
After moving to this area, Derrick first worked “for a few years” as a store manager for another jewelry business in Tampa before going into finance for the last couple of years. “Then, I decided I wanted to get back into jewelry but I wanted to do it my own way again,” Derrick says.
The result is the new Everglow Jewelry, located at 17032 Palm Pointe Dr., in the former location of GPS Pools in The Shoppes at The Pointe plaza in Tampa Palms (at the end nearest to Stonewood Grill &Tavern).
One thing Derrick says that sets Everglow apart from any of its local competition is that other than his own custom-made designs (more on those below), there is only one brand sold in the store — Kendra Scott, which specializes in items for (primarily) $100 or less, making the brand perfect for everyone from young girls to “full-grown women,” he says. “We even have grandmas buying Kendra Scott for themselves, too.”
Kendra Scott is the primary brand of popularly pricedjewelry at Everglow Jewelry in Tampa Palms.
He adds that, “You kind of have to be picked by Kendra Scott to carry the brand. We are one of only two stores in Tampa that carry it.”
Everything else in the store, Derrick says, “are either pieces I’ve designed and created myself or I can. Our big thing at Everglow Jewelry is custom design. Let me make something for you in the size and color you want, with the metals and stones you choose. When you do that, you don’t need a ton of samples or display cases in the store.”
Derrick notes, however, that if you want something simple and don’t want to have to wait to receive it, “I do have catalogs I can show you or we can look on the internet together so you can find and order pieces that aren’t custom-designed, too.” He adds that even if you see something you like in a catalog or online, “I can usually get you a better price if I custom-design something similar, exactly the way you want it.”
And, best of all, he says, “Unlike most places that do custom, since I do the work myself, I don’t charge a custom-design fee. I price everything as though you found something in a case, loved it and wanted to buy it.”
As for lead time, Derrick says that custom pieces can take “from a few days to several weeks,” depending upon the design, the number of stones, etc. “We usually start with a hand drawing and then a computer-aided design. We can even create it as a 3D-printed wax first for you.”
He also is proud to be one of the only stores in the area to carry a laser welder, “because a lot of colored stones can’t handle the heat of using a torch. It changes their color.”
Everglow also offers laser-welded, “permanent” jewelry, so be sure to ask Derrick about that, as well as his on-site jewelry repairs.
For more info, call (813) 561-0055 or visit EverglowJewelry.com and please tell Derrick that I sent you!— GN
Everglow is a less-packed jewelry store than most in our area.
Franchise owner Khaled Alhamzawi is a long-time New Tampa resident who brings his Gotcha Covered of Central Tampa showroom to your home. (Photo by Charmaine George)
Local franchise owner says most people who call his Gotcha Covered of Central Tampa franchise say they’re looking for blinds for their homes. But, many are surprised to discover that blinds are actually not what they really wanted, as there’s actually a whole array of window coverings available from Gotcha Covered that have so much more to offer.
“Before I became a Gotcha Covered franchise owner, I didn’t know how many options there were,” Khaled admits. “But the options are unlimited.”
While custom blinds come in many varieties — from aluminum to vinyl to wood and much more — are cordless and can be motorized, people sometimes find what they really want are custom shades or even shutters, both of which also are available in a wide variety of options.
“Usually people are looking at style, functionality and price,” Khaled says. “It’s always about finding what the customer is looking for.”
Khaled launched his Gotcha Covered franchise six months ago. The company has been franchising since 2009 and currently has more than 170 locations in the United States and Canada, including 28 in Florida.
Although his franchise is labeled “Central Tampa,” Khaled is able to serve clients anywhere in the Tampa Bay area, including all of our readers in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel.
He has worked in leadership at a national corporation for more than a decade, but says he wanted to move in a new direction for his family’s future.
“In the corporate world, we’re constantly being asked to do more with less,” he says, sharing one difficult time when his company let go of 2,500 employees. He says that also made his job feel less secure.
“I wanted to change my career,” he says, “and choose something to build for myself.”
For Khaled, who migrated to the U.S. from Syria 24 years ago, owning his own business feels like the fulfillment of the American dream. He and his wife have three boys — ages 16, 12, and 11 — and have lived in Tampa Palms for the last 12 years.
Khaled says he enjoys remodeling and has done renovation projects on property that he owns, so when he learned about Gotcha Covered, it seemed like a good fit.
Before launching his business, Khaled completed extensive training to ensure he was fully equipped to help all customers – residential and commercial – with all of their window covering needs.
In addition to training from Gotcha Covered, the vendors he uses require that he completes courses to become certified to sell their products.
For larger projects or those that require a special touch, Khaled says he will collaborate with interior designers.
Gotcha Covered’s custom window treatments include blinds, shades, shutters, draperies and curtains.
“Our window treatments are custom-made, so they’re not something you’re buying off the shelf from a retail store,” Khaled says. “They fit the style of your home and are made specifically for that window in that home.”
Customer Rama Al Ghannam offered this 5-star review on Google: “I consulted with Gotcha Covered of Central Tampa for drapes in my formal living and dining spaces. I am very pleased with the results and the experience was seamless, beginning to end. Great customer service and high quality products! I will be using them again to install shades in my guest bedroom!”
Today’s Big Trends
Meanwhile, Khaled explains that automation is something that’s big in window treatments these days. Customers can control their shades using Alexa, Google Home, or even their smartphones.
“Programming your window coverings is trendy in this day and age,” he says. “People are looking for ‘smart’ everything.”
For example, he says, if you have a window where you get a lot of sun throughout the day and it gets too warm, you can put up a shade and program it to cover the window just for the times when the sun is beating down, having it automatically roll out of sight in the evening so you can enjoy the view.
This helps keep the room cool and allows families to avoid overtaxing their air conditioning units and save on their electricity bills.
An option Khaled says not many people know about is a dual shade with a roller that actually includes two shades – one to protect from the sun and one for design. You can have them both up or both down, or one up and one down, or vice versa.
Gotcha Covered offers curtains and drapes, too. “Shades are trendy now” Khaled says, “but people often do side panels, rather than full draperies.”
He says shutters are very common in Florida because they last many years and don’t go out of style.
“They become part of the structure of the home and can last 10, 15 or even 20 years,” he says.
Also popular are outdoor motorized screens for those patio areas that aren’t enclosed by a pool cage. Motorized screens go in tracks that allow families to enjoy their outdoor spaces while blocking some heat and intense light, while also limiting bugs, debris from trees and dirt.
He says these screens are especially popular not just with families, but also at restaurants with outdoor seating areas.
For anyone interested in learning more about products and options or what Gotcha Covered could customize for in your home or business, Khaled offers a complimentary in-home consultation.
“We bring the showroom to you,” he says. “That is an advantage over visiting a store. You want to look at the fabric and colors in your home so you can see if they match your furniture or paint.”
Once you’ve selected the perfect products to meet your needs and fit your budget, everything is measured, ordered and then installed, usually just two to three weeks later, by expert installers who ensure a perfect, custom fit and can help with any smart options.
“I enjoy working with people, explaining the different options that are available, giving them design tips, and explaining how to choose the right product for them,” Khaled says. “I’ve found it to be a very rewarding experience making homes nicer and more beautiful.”
Ricc Rollins, the owner of Riccardo’s Menswear, recently opened a new store in West Tampa.
“Gotcha Covered came in and assessed what we needed,” says Ricc. “I was very pleased that Khaled worked within our budget and was not trying to upsell us.”
Ricc explains that he had a list of wants and Gotcha Covered met all of them.
“We needed our window coverings to be energy efficient, in a color that was fashionable but not take away from the aesthetic of the historic building we’re in, and cost effective [for someone] opening a new business,” says Ricc. “Khaled checked all the boxes. He lives up to his name. He made sure all my bases were covered.”
Gotcha Covered offers a free in-home consultation. For more info call (813) 787-5550 or schedule an appointment online at GotchaCovered.com/Central-Tampa.
When Angela Silva called our office a week or before Hurricane Helene hit, the first thing that stood out to me was her New Yawk accent. That’s not always so important to me, but when that accent is telling you that her and her husband Hiram (photo below) had just opened a “new caw-fee and New Yawk bagel place called Silva’s Coffee Grind” (on S.R. 54, in a tricked-out trailer in front of One-Stop Landscape Supply at 34100 S.R. 54), I was suddenly even more interested in what she had to say.
The week after Helene decimated the Gulf coast, Jannah and I went to sample what the Silvas had to offer.
And, we both came away impressed. The coffee is delicious (they get their espresso for their cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos & espresso affogatos from Coffee Latitudes) and the bagels? Oy! Legit!
“We import them from New Yawk,’ Hiram says, “but I won’t tell you where from because I know you’re gonna write about it and I want us to be the only place that has them.”
I, of course, had my bacon, egg and Swiss cheese on a toasted everything, while Jannah opted to have her bacon, egg and cheddar on a toasted croissant. Both yum.
By the time of our next visit, a few days before Hurricane Milton hit, Angela was making sure they could get an ad in this issue of the paper and I prom- ised I would tell 105,000 or so of my closest friends in Wesley Chapel a little bit about them.
We opted for a lunch sandwich this time — a delicious turkey BLT on a toasted plain bagel, with lettuce, tomato and Angela’s zesty homemade pesto cream sauce. “I like it on everything,” Hiram says. And, who could argue with him?
Hiram, who does the on-site cooking, is all about giving the people outstanding breakfast and lunch items at a fair price and he is planning to expand the menu offerings in response to people’s requests. As seen in the ad below, Silva’s Coffee Grind also features iced coffee, cold brew, iced lattes and frappes, hot and cold teas, including green tea matcha, flavored iced teas and lemonades, bursting boba tea drinks and even smoothies and sorbets — all from that one little trailer? Ya gotta try it, yo!
Silva’s Coffee Grind is open Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. & 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sat. For more info, search “Silvas Coffee Grind” on Facebook or@Silvas.Coffee.Grind” on Instagram. — GN
