Max’s Natural Pet Market & Salon Opens Third Location

When Paul Spalvieri opened the first Max’s Natural Pet Market & Salon in 2019 on S.R. 54 (about a mile east of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., near the entrance to Saddlebrook Resort), he brought a boutique concept in pet care and grooming that is completely different from the big box pet stores to Wesley Chapel.

In just three years, Max’s has now grown to three locations, proving that people want and appreciate the premium nutrition and impeccable grooming in cage-free facilities that Max’s offers.

Last December, Paul’s business partners Gregg and Gabriel Clavijo-Hopper opened a franchise location in New Tampa in the shopping plaza on the southeast corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and County Line Rd.

On July 1, Paul opened a new store in Mirada, a new master planned community just north of Wesley Chapel in San Antonio, FL, that will offer a 15-acre lagoon and dog parks, which Paul believes will be a good fit for his business.

“We’re following the same model of being cage-free for grooming, focused on diet and nutrition for dogs and cats, and having pets at the forefront of what we do,” Paul says. “And the grooming area at the new store is also 50-percent bigger than the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa salons.”

The Mirada location provides convenient access to Max’s for customers who live in the northern portions of  Wesley Chapel, such as Epperson and Watergrass, as well as nearby communities such as Tampa Bay Golf Country Club in San Antonio and Lake Jovita in Dade City. 

Paul and his wife Martina live in Watergrass and are pet parents to both Max, a Bichon Frise, and Missy, a Havanese, as well as three human kids — Matthew, Martinka and Kristinka.

Paul opened Max’s Natural Pet Market & Salon when he couldn’t find the type of store he wanted to shop in locally with the kind of grooming he desired for his pup. He set out to create what he was looking for, but now, he’s become passionate about helping all pets, not just his own.

“When we first opened the store, it was all about Max, but our focus has changed,” says Paul. “Now, it’s all about your pet. We offer the highest-quality advice, products and grooming that you can get in the New Tampa or Wesley Chapel areas. We have your dog or cat’s best interest at heart, and they are the number one reason why we open our doors every day.”

Cage-Free Grooming

At all three locations, the cage-free grooming environment means your dog will never be locked up. Appointments run strictly on time to avoid pets feeling stressed and anxious in a cage while waiting to be picked up.

The new store has the same high-tech features that Max’s customers have come to love at its other locations — customized for small to large dogs. Bathing tubs are oversized to accommodate very large dog breeds — even those more than 150 pounds — and are walk-in and electronically raised and lowered for comfort and safety. Those same tubs also have a sizing adaptor to be comfortable for tiny dogs, such as Chihuahuas and Yorkies.

Groomers have the technical expertise to give breed-specific cuts, with certifications such as National Certified Master Groomer, as certified by the National Dog Groomers Association of America.

The groomers are led by Misty Garcia, services director, who is responsible for both grooming and in-store dog training. Misty has 26 years of experience as a groomer, and also been training dogs for more than 20 years. She has two Australian shepherds, including one she shows competitively.

In-Store Dog Training

As a one-stop-shop for pets, the Wesley Chapel and new Mirada locations both offer pet training in the store (although the Mirada store has not yet begun its in-store training). The five-week program is geared toward new puppies or beginners with no training. It lays the foundation to teach both owner and dog commands, which they practice in store. Then, the pet parent continues the training at home.

“The following week we do a review and build on those skills with new skills,” explains Paul, “such as sit, stay, watch me, how to walk on a leash and avoid distractions.”

Advanced training also is offered. The training schedule is on the store’s website at MaxsPetMarketAndSalon.com. Sign up online or call the store to register. The next beginner class starts July 28 in Wesley Chapel and will be held on consecutive Thursday nights from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Pet Nutrition

In addition to grooming and training, Max’s Natural Pet Market is focused on providing highly nutritious food and treat options, along with educated sales associates who can help customers make the best decisions for their pets’ diets.

Scott Kresh discovered the original Max’s shortly after it opened. He and his wife, Lorri, have two pit bulls — 14-year-old Maya and Niko, who is 3 — and a cat named Kara.

Maya had always had allergy and skin issues, and the staff at Max’s offered some ideas to help. Over time, Scott tried various diet changes suggested by Paul and his sales associates, and he says that Maya’s issues have been almost completely resolved.

“It’s too bad she’s so old because this is the best she’s ever looked,” says Scott. “In the past, she would get bumps that would ooze, but now she gets no bumps and no yeast flare ups, and I credit that to Paul’s food knowledge.”

Scott says every issue he’s had with his pets — from needing a specialized harness for his strong, young Niko to trying to address spraying with his older cat — Paul has been able to address. 

“He’s got an answer for everything,” says Scott. “It’s amazing. I’m not exaggerating at all. I credit him with helping us so much.”

Future Growth

Paul says his business will continue to grow as he is working toward potential franchises across the state and country, including in Fort Myers, Sarasota, Jacksonville, and even as far west as Arizona. 

“We’re looking at future growth,” says Paul, “and I will continue to be very involved in both our corporate and franchise stores.”

Anyone interested in Max’s franchise opportunities can get more information and submit a request for details on the store’s website.

Max’s Natural Pet Market & Salon has three locations that are open every day from 8 a.m.–7 p.m. The original Max’s is located at 28838 S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel and can be reached at (813) 649-3939. The New Tampa store is located at 6431 E. County Line Rd. and can be reached by calling (813) 591-5368. The Mirada location is at 30945 Mirada Blvd. and can be reached at (352) 437-6677. For more information, visit MaxsPetMarketAndSalon.com or see the ad on page 26 of this issue.

Three Generations Of Painters Set Topash Apart

Cole (left) and K.T. Topash of Topash Painting are part of three generations of Topash men who have been painting homes in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa dating all the way back to 1978. (Photos: Charmaine George)

When K.T. Topash of Topash Painting is out working on a job with his son, Cole, it reminds him of when he was younger, painting the exteriors and interiors of local homes and businesses alongside his dad, Paul, before K.T. bought the company from Paul in 2009.

Cole became part owner when he turned 18 and, over the past few years, has grown into a partner his dad trusts to carry on the family name with the same commitment to excellence and customer service that he and his dad built a generation ago.

That’s three generations of Topash men who have been painting homes in Wesley Chapel and the surrounding areas since Paul started the company in 1978.

So much has changed since then, but K.T. and Cole still hold on to the values that have helped them build a business with a stellar reputation and customers who have been loyal to them for many years. 

First and foremost, K.T. and Cole always do the work themselves. When you hire Topash Painting, you know exactly who will be painting your home, and it’s never going to be a subcontractor. 

Typically, both father and son will be on the job site together. But, even if they bring on another employee to help the business, either K.T. or Cole will always be on site with them, and you can be sure their helper will be someone who is trustworthy, reliable, safe and will do the job with excellence.

“So many times in this industry, the customer hires a company, but the company subs it out to someone who has no responsibility,” says K.T. “That’s not who we want to be.”

That’s why Jason Christiano says he continues to hire Topash Painting for all of his painting needs at both his home in Grand Hampton in New Tampa and for his business in Wesley Chapel.

“The work is very high quality and the pricing is fair,” says Jason. “What’s most important to me is who you’re hiring. It’s just K.T. and his son, so I don’t have to worry about my daughters or be concerned with day laborers or background checks.”

Jason was first introduced to Topash Painting close to 10 years ago when he saw the trailer in his neighborhood. He says K.T. painted his house then, and has been his go-to painter ever since. 

Despite rising costs, K.T. says Topash Painting will not skimp on its always-high-quality paints just to save a buck. 

Topash Painting has painted Jason’s home and office, both inside and out. In fact, Jason hired him to paint the exterior of his house again, even though K.T. told him his previous paint job was still holding up and he didn’t need to do it.

“I like to be proactive, so I told him I wanted to get it done,” says Jason.

Jason also says that he has always found Topash Painting’s pricing to be appropriate for the market. “He’s not high, he’s not low,” Jason says. “He’s fair.”

K.T. says that he always tries to give the best possible prices and that he has absorbed many of the cost increases that have happened over the years. However, right now, the cost of materials is extremely high.

“Our paint and materials costs have gone through the roof,” K.T. says, “and we’ve seen at least a 45% increase over the last 18 months or so.”

He says that he keeps costs down as much as possible, but won’t skimp on the quality of the products he puts on (or in) your home.

“A lot of customers don’t know that there’s good, bad, and ugly in the painting product world,” he says. “Even Sherwin Williams offers so many lines of paint, from new construction paint that is cheap and won’t last long, to paint that currently costs $100 a gallon.”

K.T. says his experience means he knows exactly how to purchase the right products and do the work in a way that will allow you to enjoy your paint job for many years to come.

“We use a lifetime warranty paint,” K.T. explains. “If the painter does the prep work right, you’ll never have to worry about the warranty. It’s definitely not enough to just slap some paint on a wall.”

It’s always been hard for professional, high-quality painters such as Topash Painting to distinguish themselves from the guys who just want to get paint on the wall and collect their payment. 

Topash Painting has always distinguished itself by being licensed, insured and bonded, so K.T. and his wife Hollie, who handles the bookkeeping for the business, were shocked when they learned that the state of Florida no longer offers painting licenses. In the past, K.T. had to take a test and pay a fee to be licensed, but now there is no licensing available. That means it’s even harder nowadays to distinguish the true pros from the non-pros. 

Topash Painting continues to carry liability insurance to protect its customers.

“As a consumer, you have to ask those questions,” K.T. says. “Most people’s biggest asset is their home, and it’s in your best interest to protect it.”

So, while they feel like doing away with licensing just makes it more difficult for consumers to find the best professionals for the job, K.T. and Cole are committed to continuing their family tradition of providing quality paint jobs at the best possible prices for homes and businesses, year after year.

“It’s more important than ever to do your due diligence,” K.T. says. “Check references and be sure the painters are using the materials they say they are. You don’t want to hire some weekend warrior who is just trying to make a buck.”

K.T. says he loves working with Cole, who makes him very proud.

“He is a huge asset to me,” says K.T. “And, it’s a lot of fun.”

K.T. says Cole knows everything about the business and represents Topash Painting well.

“Sometimes better than I do,” K.T. says. “You find out truly who your kid is when you’re working with him. When I see Cole talking with a customer and handling himself the way an adult does, it’s very rewarding.”

For estimates or appointments, call Topash Painting at (813) 780-2511 or e-mail topashpainting@gmail.com. For more info, search for “Topash Painting” on Facebook.

The Fat Rabbit Celebrates Five Years In Tampa Palms!

Congratulations go out to The Fat Rabbit Pub, located at 16029 Tampa Palms Blvd. W. (in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center) for celebrating its fifth anniversary. Always near the top of the New Tampa rankings in both our Reader Survey and with yours truly, Jannah and I visited Fat Rabbit for its anniversary celebration on July 16.

Executive chef Cole McBride, who has been coming up with the Fat Rabbit’s unique better-than-bar-food dishes from Day One, offered a number of specials for the day, including those top-rated wings topped with “Apocalypse” wing sauce (which has earned an 8/10 on the “heat” scale), a red velvet cake/cheesecake dessert special (photo, bottom, shown with the Rabbit lager special served in a 5-Year Anniversary glass, while supplies last) and a new burger that Cole says is being added to the menu: “The Rabbit 13 (photo below),” which is a short rib and brisket patty topped with tortilla strips, roasted poblano peppers, pepper jack cheese and pico de gallo (shown on the side), topped with a creamy queso cheese sauce and served with your choice of the greatest tater tots in our area, crispy fries or the awesome, super-crisp onion rings shown here for just $1 more.  

Perhaps best of all (at least for me) is that Cole says he should soon be bringing back his weekly fresh fish specials. So good!

For more info, call (813) 252-3004 or visit FatRabbitPub.com. — GN 

Chamber Up For National  Award

CEO Hope Kennedy has had a hand in putting Wesley Chapel on the map with her stewardship of the former Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, now known as the North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC).

Hope Kennedy

Later this month, Wesley Chapel, and its massive growth, could play a hand in putting the Chamber itself on the map.

On July 26, Allen and Board member Michael Berthelette will be in Indianapolis answering questions from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) judges in a final test to see if the NTBC is named the Small Chamber of the Year for the entire country.

The extensive application process got the NTBC to the finals, but the 45-minute Q-&-A session on July 26 will account for 2/3 of the NTBC’s score.

The following night, at the Awards Show at ACCE’s annual convention in Indianapolis, the winners will be revealed.

“When I first looked at the application I giggled,” Kennedy says, referring to how difficult it looked. “But Javan (Grant, the current Board chair) convinced me to do it. (The application) ended up being 31 pages long. It’s very comprehensive. However, the end result is that we are a Chamber of the Year finalist.”

The NTBC touted two of its programs in 2020-21 in its application — a Road Show in which Kennedy went to businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic and filmed interviews for social media, letting people know which businesses were still open, and the Chamber’s reimagined Celebration of Excellence awards program, which was held both in-person and virtual last November.

The NTBC is a finalist in Category 1, the smallest category, along with the Mason City (IA) Chamber and the Zionsville (IN) Chamber.

The ACCE is comprised of more than 1,600 Chambers of Commerce from across the U.S. It will name four winners in four different categories (according to size, budget and location of the chamber).

“This is the Academy Awards for Chambers of Commerce, Kennedy says. “For me, this is the pinnacle of my career.”

The NTBC has 570 members, many of which are from Wesley Chapel and New Tampa, although there also are member businesses located in western Pasco and north Pinellas counties. Kennedy said when she started at the Wesley Chapel Chamber 11 years ago, there were roughly 200 members.

Awards are nothing new for the NTBC, which won the 2019 Small Chamber of the Year for the state of Florida from the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals (FACP).

Furniture Medic Can Make Kitchen Cabinets Look Like New

Furniture Medic by JFC Restorations owner Joe Rakocy says he can fix basically anything, but when it comes to wood, he is a specialist.

At his Furniture Medic franchise based in Wesley Chapel, Rakocy and his team have tackled a number of big projects but repairing and restoring is the No. 1 goal.

“We basically work on anything that’s wood,” Rakocy says. “We repair, restore, we build, we install, and we do a lot of furniture repairs, antique work and a lot of cabinet work.”

Furniture Medic is part of a 30-year-old national franchise based out of Memphis, TN, with locations in 42 states including nine in Florida, and is part of the Service Master Group, which specializes in franchising home service businesses like Merry Maids, Two Men & a Truck and others.

Furniture Medic’s specialty is, essentially, reviving your furniture. Not only does Rakocy’s franchise, which he has owned since 2014, focus on home services, it also does commercial work.

He says they have spruced up the desks at the Mayor’s office in Orlando, refinished the furniture in the State Attorney’s office and even gone in and fixed up the chairs in Rakocy’s cardiologist’s office.

Bob Wilson, a Land O’Lakes resident, says he has used Furniture Medic by JFC Restorations a number of times to fix up older Ethan Allen mahogany furniture he has in his home. Joe and his team fixed up some dog scratches, a table top damaged by an overflowing candle and about 15-17 pieces in all. One piece they took back to Roakocy’s shop because it needed to be sanded and color-matched.

“They did a beautiful job on every piece in the house,” Wilson says. 

Residential cabinet work, however, is an area of emphasis these days for Rakocy’s Furniture Medic. While technicians Frank and Chuck will still take the nick out of a piece of furniture or make an older, worn piece look new, cabinets have emerged as a high-priority area of expertise, due to growing demand.

A Different Approach?

While Furniture Medic can come in and install a whole new set of kitchen cabinets for you, they specialize in what can be a much more affordable option – refreshing your look. In fact, Rakocy says sometimes people will call for a second opinion of getting a whole new kitchen, only to find they can save a lot of money with Furniture Medic by taking a different approach. 

Joe’s team can come in and tackle any gouges or other imperfections in your cabinets, give them a new face, repaint them and have them looking like new again.

“We can basically come in and clean and repair and fill nicks and gouges and stuff like that,” Rakocy says. “We can bring your cabinets back to looking pretty close to new for a small fraction of what it would cost you to put in new cabinets.”

Furniture Medic can give your home an entire new look just by upgrading and refurbishing your existing kitchen cabinets, as owner Joe Rakocy and his team did above, or even restore a variety of different cabinet doors, like you see on the next page. (Photos courtesy of Joe Rakocy)

It can be as simple a job as fixing some drawers and/or drawer gliders to revitalizing doors that are falling apart.

If the cabinet boxes are still good, it can just be a matter or replacing the doors. But, if more work is needed, Rakocy says his crew can custom-build new boxes as well. 

“Nowadays it’s actually probably quicker for us to custom-build it than to order them,” he says, referring to supply chain issues that can make ordering the right cabinets a 10-week to 6-month wait for the customer.

But, Rakocy says that if the cabinet boxes are still in good shape, which is many times the case, Furniture Medic can do wonders with the doors. From refacing the doors or completely changing the wood to giving you an entirely new color — with high-quality, water-based paint and a hard surface topcoat for durability — “we can completely refresh your kitchen.”

Furniture Medic even offers a yearly program where Rakocy’s team will come out and clean and refresh your cabinets.

“You’d be extremely impressed with what we can do,” he says.

Furniture Medic can do the same with your kitchen or furniture set as well.

Another fix the team at Furniture Medic can provide in your kitchen is replacing the box under your sink, a problem area for some. If the shelves, walls or floor have been damaged by a leak, Rakocy says Furniture Medic’s disaster restoration can be a lifesaver.

In the case of the sink, the box can be pulled out and replaced without touching the rest of the kitchen, making it an easier repair that doesn’t involve gutting the entire kitchen. 

Almost all repairs are done onsite, so Furniture Medic doesn’t require a large office – unless you count Rakocy’s 1,000-sq.-ft. shop on his property in Wesley Chapel where he works on other projects like preparing to build a small office addition at his daughter’s home — and those savings are passed on to his customers.

Still More Expertise

While Furniture Medic doesn’t repair upholstery or re-upholster furniture made of fabric, it does repair everything else involving your furniture, like leather repairs (mending holes and rips, as well as restoration) and structural repairs like motor mechanisms. Rakocy even has built and installed a barn door in a home at the request of a customer.

Rakocy says recliner work is very popular these days, and he sometimes jokes that the business should be called “Recliner Medic” due to all the repairs his team does on the popular chairs.

Furniture that has been chewed or scratched by a pet also is a common repair. The Furniture Medic can fix bed posts or chair legs and do a color match to make them look like new (although deep scratches and gouges that go across the grain may not be repairable.)

Even chairs and tables that have stains, watermarks or are just showing their age can be buffed and beautified by Furniture Medic, and antiques and heirlooms can get spruced up with just a little TLC.

“It’s pretty amazing what we can do,” he says.

And, if you call the company and send them a photo, Rakocy and his techs can tell you whether they can fix your problem or not, roughly how much it would cost and whether or not it’s even worth the effort, like with cheaper wood or even faux wood.

Furniture Medic by JFC Restorations is open Monday-Friday, from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, visit the Furniture Medic franchise website at FurnitureMedic.com, or call locally at (813) 982-4192.