Category: Business

Total Wine & More Coming Soon, Chicken Salad Chick Later

*Finally! Total Wine & More is coming to Wesley Chapel.*

When it comes to surveying our readers about what they would like to see next in Wesley Chapel or New Tampa, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods always top the list, but Total Wine & More is always pretty close behind.

Well, cheers everyone — Trader Joe’s is about to lose its toughest non-grocery competition for that most anticipated title, because Total Wine & More is on its way and opening pretty soon.

While no grand opening date has been revealed, construction is ongoing to convert the failed 24,000-sq.-ft. Earth Fare store on S.R. 56 to the area’s first Total Wine & More, or America’s Wine Superstore, as it dubs itself.

Started in 1991, Total Wine & More has more than 200 stores in 26 states, and a typical store carries more than 8,000 different wines, 2,500 beers and more than 3,000 different spirits.

It’s been more than three years since Dilip Kanji, who was building the Hyatt Place Hotel on the north side of S.R. 56, told local business leaders at a meeting that Total Wine & More was coming to Cypress Creek Town Center North.

This may not have been the exact original plan for the store, but locals will be happy that it is finally almost here.

CHICKEN AND MORE CHICKEN: While the Zaxby’s in front of Costco just south of S.R. 56 has finally gone vertical, another chicken joint is on the way right next door.

Chicken Salad Chick will soon be under construction in the parcel right next to Zaxby’s, according to county permitting records. A 2,665-sq.-ft. restaurant is planned.

While both restaurants serve chicken and are concentrated primarily in the south, Zaxby’s focus is on chicken wings, chicken tenders and chicken sandwiches, most of which are fried.

Chicken Salad Chick specializes in chicken salad served in varieties that include chopped pecans, cranberries and Fuji apples, to name a few.

The menu has more than a dozen different kinds of chicken salad served on bread, lettuce or atop a salad. Pimiento cheese, broccoli and grape salad and other salads also are available.

Chicken Salad Chick has nearly 200 locations in 17 states, mostly across the south, including a few in Tampa.

Stacy Brown, a stay-at-home mom in Auburn, AL, started the business by perfecting her recipes and dropping off samples door-to-door. Demand became so great, she and husband Kevin opened their first restaurant in 2008.

ALSO COMING: Just a few doors down from the Total Wine & More, a Badcock & More Home Furniture store is currently under construction at 25665 Sierra Center Blvd.

The long-awaited Ferman Harley Davidson also is finally ready to begin construction on it’s 37,000-sq.ft. dealership on the west side of Wesley Chapel Blvd. north of S.R. 56 and the Tapestry at Cypress Creek apartments. The new Harley dealership was approved last Nov.

With a BMW dealership under construction on S.R. 56 and ready to join other luxury car dealerships like Audi, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz already with locations in Wesley Chapel, a Harley-Davidson dealership is another feather in the cap for our area. Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson is not only one of the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturers, its brand is absolutely iconic.

AND, ON S.R. 54: On S.R. 54, just west of the entrance to Saddlebrook Resort, a BayCare Medical Group office has opened in a new plaza, called Clearwater Crossings. BayCare, of course, is building a new hospital expected to open on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. just south of S.R. 54 in 2023.

Michelle Spencer, M.D., a family medicine doctor, is the first physician to be located at the new office, and she says she sees patients 2 years old and up.

A dental office and a restaurant (which Dr. Spencer says is rumored to possibly be a breakfast chain) also are scheduled to open in the plaza, which is nearing completion.

For more information about BayCare Medical Group (28864 S.R. 54), call (813) 998-2870 and tell Dr. Spencer and her staff that we sent you.

And, a little west of Clearwater Crossings in the Publix-anchored Hollybrook Plaza shopping center at the corner of BBD and S.R. 54, Banfield Pet Hospital is in the midst of a $680,000 renovation job, as it takes over the 5,500-sq.-ft. space previously occupied by Mattress1One.

Chicken Salad Chick Total Wine & More

Tiger Woods-backed mini-golf concept coming to Wesley Chapel

PopStroke Entertainment, a mini-golf and restaurant concept owned by golfing legend Tiger Woods and entrepreneur Greg Bartoli, is coming to Wesley Chapel’s Cypress Creek Town Center on S.R. 56.

According to the PopStroke Entertainment website, and first reported by the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Wesley Chapel is just part of a major PopStroke Entertainment expansion that will also include seven new locations in across three states. In Florida, new locations also include Sarasota, Orlando and Delray Beach.

Its two current locations are located in Port St. Lucie and Fort Myers.

And these aren’t your daddy’s putt-putt golf courses. There are no windmills to hit around, just specially designed holes meant to mimic real putting on a real course. Woods and TGR Design, his award-winning design team, will be building two 18-hole putting courses — at the Fort Myers PopStroke, for example, one course is called the Cub and is more for beginners, while and the other more challenging course is called Tiger.

The courses have synthetic turfs, incorporate fairways into the design, and the primary obstacles — replacing windmills and ramps — will be the same bunkers and rough you face on a real golf course. The undulation changes will bring the course to life.

“I am very excited about our expansion plans,” Woods said in the statement on PopStroke.com. “Putting is a universal part of golf that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels. It has been rewarding to see the broad and diverse group of guests enjoying their experience at PopStroke, and I look forward to seeing players make those long putts in locations throughout the South and Southwest. Each new location will have a different course design and layout giving players unique putting challenges as they travel across the country.”

PopStroke was founded in 2018, and uses technology to enhance the putt putt experience. A customized app will track scores on a digital scoreboard, as well as allowing customers to order food and drinks to be delivered directly to you on the course. There will be an outdoor dining area with a full menu, a variety of craft beer and wine, ice cream, outdoor games and a playground.

The Port St. Lucie location also has three golf simulators, allowing you to play more than 200 courses worldwide.

A mini-golf course is also under construction at The Grove Entertainment Complex, next to the movie theater. It is expected to be completed this year.

Family Bonds Drive Growth At Family Of Christ

When Covid-19 first hit in March of 2020, the mad scramble was on at area schools. Administrators and teachers were harried as they looked for solutions and the Hillsborough County School Board struggled to fund solutions.

That’s when New Tampa’s Sarah Combs decided the indecision was unhealthy for her soon-to-be 3rd grader, and started exploring her options.

Right before school was set to begin this past fall, she discovered Family of Christ (FoC) Christian School, located off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Tampa Palms. It was during a visit that she says she found the school environment to be warm and welcoming, not cold and confused. She liked the idea of instilling the value of the Bible and saying the pledge of allegiance, “all the things that are missing in schools today.”

Combs says it was an easy decision.

“I think it’s the best-kept secret in New Tampa,” she says.

Combs shares the same view as many of the parents at Family of Christ, which has a monument sign showing its entrance on BBD, just south of Tampa Fire Rescue Station No. 20.

“It really is a family here,” said Catherine Walton, the school’s operations director and business manager. “We’ve had almost all of the same teachers for 17 years, and they are happy. The students are happy. I think we do a really good job here.”

*Family of Christ Christian School in Tampa Palms continues to grow, and will add four more classrooms next fall and a gymnasium after that.* ***(Photos: John C. Cotey)***

The roots of the Family of Christ (FoC) Christian School were planted in 1999, when Family of Christ Lutheran Church started a popular Pre-K and kindergarten class, which would later become the church’s Child Development Center (CDC). Proceeding gradually by adding one class per year, Family of Christ grew into New Tampa’s only K-8 Christian school, offering core academic subjects like math, science and language, as well as art, music and technology courses as well.

Principal Jennifer Snow says the school isn’t overly focused on test scores, like most public schools are, but in challenging students in a wide range of subjects.

It is more important, says Snow, to nurture students, to have parents involved in the education of their kids and provide an environment that is conducive to learning.

FoC parent Joyce Hapscher says she, “just had a feeling when we walked in the place that we were meant to be here” when she visited the school for the first time.

She says the curriculum has been challenging for her 4th and 6th grade daughters. Hapscher notes that she did check out other middle schools when her daughter was old enough.

“We toured some middle schools to do a comparison and, in the end, saw that the things our daughters had been learning were more advanced than what they would get at a different school,” Hapscher says. “We decided to stay put.”

FoC is fully accredited by the National Lutheran Schools Association (NLSA) and by the district of the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod. The school was recently accredited, a process it undertakes every five years.

The school also complies with and, according to its website, “exceeds the Florida Sunshine State Standards as well as the Hillsborough County Benchmarks for each grade level.” All teachers hold and maintain a Professional Educator’s Certificate.

It’s important to note that despite its Lutheran Christian roots, students of all religious denominations are welcome at FoC.

Snow, who became principal in 2005, says the school now has 175 students — many of whom started out in pre-K and have stayed through middle school — but continues to have to turn many families away due to a lack of space.

But, FoC is addressing its growth. By the start of the new school year, there will be four new learning modules added behind the school, making room for 100 more students, primarily fifth and sixth graders, as the school tries to create more classroom space in the post-Covid world.

“We don’t want to have to turn anyone away,” says Walton, who adds that half the money has already been raised for the new modules.

Walton also says the school will soon begin a fund-raising campaign to build a gymnasium in the next few years, which will serve as home for FoC’s athletic teams, provide space for recitals and other performances and host the school’s annual “Night of Knights” fund raiser. Right now, FoC has to rent space for its athletic teams from the nearby New Tampa Family YMCA for its basketball and volleyball teams, which was difficult during Covid, due to the Y’s limited access.

After the gymnasium, there are plans to add 11 more classrooms and, well down the road, there are even visions of eventually building a high school on the campus, which currently is shared by the CDC, the school and the church.

“I always said no to the idea of a high school,” Snow says, “but after seeing what Covid did and seeing the number of families that would like so much more, deep down in my heart there’s a possibility. It’s a long-range goal. This is the place it can happen.”

*Safety measures like the shields above have helped Family of Christ navigate the Covid-19 pandemic seamlessly, says principal Jennifer Snow.* ***(Photo: John C. Cotey)***

While Covid hurt the CDC, dropping its enrollment from more than 100 to around a dozen students, the school retained all of its students and teachers. Snow and another teacher drew up an emergency guide, and the principal says everyone simply followed the rules.

The school purchased plastic shields to put between desks, but paid a little more so they would be “framed.” Now, when the younger students look at each other from their desks, it’s like looking through a window and doesn’t scream “germ protection” like plain floppy plastic sheets.

The school also invested in air scrubbers for its AC system.

While Covid may hopefully be getting behind us, Walton says the school will continue with its Covid regimen until an all-clear is issued by the experts.

Not only has FoC returned 99 percent of the teachers and students it had before Covid, it also held its annual Night of Knights fund raiser virtually, and raised more than $100,000.

That is a testament, Snow says, to the strength of the families and the community at her school.

“Everybody was buying in,” she says. “I think the parents see what we do for the kids, the nurturing and making them our No. 1 priority. In return, they have been supportive, kind and loyal. We love our families.”

Dealing With Growth

With the school year winding down, FoC is preparing for its popular summer camps. Last year, Covid led to extremely restrictive camps, but Walton hopes they are able to return closer to normal this summer.

There are three summer camps offered — one for students entering 1st and 2nd grade, another for students entering 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, and a camp for students entering 6th, 7th and 8th grade.

They all begin Monday, June 7, and run five days a week from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. for eight weeks through July 30 (at a cost of $195 a week), and feature cooking and movie days and field trips to places like Urban Air Adventures, Main Event and Lettuce Lake Park.

There also is a Vacation Bible School June 21-June 2, from 9 a.m.-noon each day.

You can learn more about the camps and Family of Christ Christian School by calling (813) 558-9343 to register or to arrange a tour of the school and its campus, located at 16190 BBD Blvd. For more information, visit FOC-Knights.com.

Family of Christ Christian School

Honesty & Integrity Make Leiva’s Jewelry Sparkle Even Brighter

There are a number of jewelry stores where Pebble Creek resident Larry Savage can bring in a watch to be repaired, or to buy a nice bracelet or ring for his girlfriend.

However, he says, there really is only one place he trusts for those things — Leiva’s Jewelry.

Located a few doors down from the Publix in the New Tampa Center plaza at the corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and New Tampa Blvd., Jonathan Leiva and his father Transito have run Leiva’s Jewelry since 2012, and have developed a large base of loyal customers who enjoy the Leivas’ friendly and honest approach.

“I’ve always been a champion of him and his business,” says Savage, who refers to Jonathan as Johnny. “Ever since I started going there, I feel like I am talked to in a straight manner and with honesty. That’s a big deal to me.”

Transito, who goes mostly by just “Leiva,” has been a master jeweler for more than 40 years, often bringing Jonathan along to work and showing him the ropes.

“That’s when I fell in love with the business,” Jonathan says.

At Leiva’s Jewelry, a wide selection of jewelry is offered, as well as a number of services for those who already own pieces, like repairing expensive watches or custom designs of family heirlooms.

Custom jewelry is a big part of Leiva’s Jewelry’s business. Jonathan and Transito can help design something for you or, if you have a design in mind, they can make it a reality. They use computer-aided design (CAD) to help create 2D or 3D models that allows customers to view their jewelry designs before they are created.

“If you have an idea to design something, we can do it,” Jonathan says.

Because jewelry, especially heirloom pieces, have such sentimental value, some customers like to have them converted into something more current or meaningful that they can wear. A gemstone in an outdated piece of jewelry also can be re-featured in a newer, more modern-looking ring, or converted into a pendant to be worn around the neck, as an example.

Even old engagement and wedding rings can be transformed into shiny new pieces, altered and refurbished for a new look or simply resized.

“Jewelry is usually very sentimental, so whether you’re getting it repaired or making something different from it, it’s important it’s done right,” Jonathan says. “Everyone has that special necklace or special ring.”

Don’t Forget Mom!

And, if they don’t, Mother’s Day is the perfect time to pick up something special for those looking for a gift for their wife or mom. Next to Christmas, Jonathan says Mother’s Day is the biggest holiday for jewelry buying. And, while most jewelry stores seem to have one price range — expensive! — Leiva’s Jewelry offers both pricey and more affordable options, and everything in between.

Jonathan showed some of his favorite pieces as Mother’s Day suggestions, including a custom opal and diamond pendant (top middle) and a sapphire and diamond ring (bottom left).

Each piece is set in 14 karat gold.

The Leivas just about do it all. They can check the stones on any ring to make sure they are still secure, adjust a watch, clean jewelry and they will even buy any gold and silver you might be looking to get rid of, offering cash.

Being family-owned and a small business, Leiva’s Jewelry thrives on trust. Not only do customers want honest prices and recommendations, but when they are dropping off thousands of dollars worth of items to be repaired or something special and irreplaceable, they want peace of mind. It’s not a responsibility Jonathan takes lightly.

He says the ability to deliver on that trust is why his customer base continues to grow and Leiva’s customers keep coming back. Sometimes, something as simple as changing a battery in a watch for half the price of other places can be enough to earn a customer for life. Watch repairs — new batteries, replacing links, etc. — are a big part of what the Leivas do and are often the gateway to new lifelong Leiva’s customers.

“We have a pretty loyal following,” Jonathan says. “We have people that have been coming here for a while. Sometimes, they just stop by to say hi.”

Savage is one of those regulars. He has a horror story for practically every watch repair he has taken elsewhere, including one time when he says his 1966 Rolex GMT was mined for parts by a jeweler who was supposed to be doing a repair, and another time he got the run-around on repairing the bracelet on a different watch that was still under warranty.

Since discovering Leiva’s Jewelry, Savage says he has left those annoyances behind. Not only does he get his watches repaired there, but it is now where he makes all of his jewelry purchases.

“The repairs I have done there are always done quickly and with excellent quality,” Savage says. “It’s the honesty and integrity that I care most about. When I walk in, I know I’m going to be dealt with in a respectful manner. I’m tired of the way the bigger chains do things.”

Leiva’s Jewelry is located at 19020 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in the New Tampa Center. You can reach them at (813) 972-0417 or online at LeivasJewelry.com.

Leiva's

AllergyTampa.com Provides Old-Fashioned Care & Cutting-Edge Research

The doctors of AllergyTampa.com include (left to right) Dr. Amber Pepper, Dr. Richard Lockey, Dr. Mark Glaum and Dr. Seong Cho. In addition to seeing patients, all four also participate in clinical research and teach at the University of South Florida.

When Richard Lockey, M.D., founded his allergy and immunology practice in 1984, he brought in and trained Roger Fox, M.D., and Dennis Ledford, M.D.

While Dr. Fox and Dr. Ledford have both recently retired, Dr. Lockey has no plans to slow down. He has always struck a balance between old-fashioned good practices and cutting-edge technology.

“I have no plans to retire,” Dr. Lockey says. “I like medicine, and I like what I do.”

And, while a new generation of doctors comes up behind him, his practice continues to move forward and grow, with Drs. Glaum, Cho and Pepper, all of whom have been part of the practice for several years.

The doctors are a team of Board-certified allergists and immunologists found online at AllergyTampa.com. They treat patients in private practice and also conduct research at the University of South Florida (USF) Division of Allergy & Immunology Clinical Research Unit (CRU). The private practice office and CRU make up the top floor of a medical building near the corner of Fletcher Ave. and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd, just south of New Tampa.

“We all want to be in academics to push the window forward,” says Dr. Lockey, who says he has written 800 papers and 50 books. “We want to be innovative and learn, and participate in studies.”

He says that there’s nothing wrong with a doctor who chooses only to focus on seeing patients, but that physicians join his team because they want more than that.

“We also want to do academic research and teaching,” he says. “All of the doctors here are fantastically excellent at that.”

Drs. Lockey, Glaum, Cho and Pepper manage a variety of disorders related to allergies, asthma and immunology, including food allergies, rhinitis (inflammation and swelling of the mucous membrane of the nose, often referred to as hay fever), cough, laryngitis, headaches and immune disorders. These specialists also treat allergic reactions and immune responses resulting in rashes and dermatitis.

As members of the USF Division of Allergy & Immunology, they meet weekly via conference call with about 30 members of the division, all of whom are experts in their field.

“We all have our areas of specialty and interest,” Dr. Lockey explains. “That’s what makes us so powerful.”

For example, he says, Amber Pepper, M.D., is an expert on food allergies. All the physicians within the division know to call on her when they have questions about their patients struggling with food allergies.

“It’s shared knowledge,” Dr. Lockey says, “Know what you know, know what you don’t know, and know who to know. That’s the secret to being a good doctor.”

Decades Of Quality Care

Dr. Lockey says that the practice of medicine has changed over the past several decades, and that’s not always a good thing. While the doctors in his practice are committed to research that keeps them on the cutting edge of advancement in their field, they also adhere to some old-fashioned techniques that are forgotten at some other practices.

“I always take a new patient’s history and do a physical,” explains Dr. Lockey. He gets frustrated to hear that patients are shuffled from doctor to doctor, being given a test and then referred to the next doctor.

He says that there are some conditions that can only be diagnosed through spending time talking with a patient.

He says it’s a problem within his specialty that physicians aren’t paid for their time, but for procedures they perform. As a result, they often order a test and move on, when what a patient really needs is someone to listen to them.

When Dr. Lockey trains physicians, he says he always tells them to treat patients like they are their own next of kin.

“If it was your mother, father, sister, brother, son or daughter,” he says, “what would you do?”

Covid Repercussions

He also says that there have been repercussions of Covid-19 that many people don’t realize.

“Covid has caused so much anxiety and upheaval,” he says. “There’s been a lot of weight gain, and patients delaying seeing their doctors.”

In fact, some of Dr. Lockey’s patients were so fearful, they wouldn’t come in to see him. One had pneumonia and died from that, rather than from Covid.

Dr. Lockey says he protects himself by wearing a mask, but never considered not working, even though many people told him he was at-risk and shouldn’t see patients.

“I was more scared in the 1980s when we were dealing with HIV patients,” he says. “As immunologists, we set up a clinic. We were afraid because we didn’t know how (HIV) was transmitted and it was universally deadly. If you survived during the first 10 years, it was an enigma. We thought it was viral, and knew it was sexually transmitted, but we didn’t know if it was transmitted other ways, too.”

He says he treated patients and worked to advance medicine through research despite the risks, and will continue to do so.

“As long as I am physically and mentally capable, I will practice medicine,” he says. “We’re doctors. That’s what we do.”

About The Doctors…

Richard Lockey, M.D., founded the practice in 1984 as Academic Associates in Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. He earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the Temple University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Lockey served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, then subsequently joined the faculty of the USF (now the Morsani) College of Medicine as a Professor of Medicine. He currently is the director of USF’s Division of Allergy & Immunology. He also volunteers at the James A. Haley Veterans (VA) Hospital, where he was previously Chief of Allergy & Immunology. Dr. Lockey also has served as president of the World Allergy Organization and is a past president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), of which all of the practice’s specialists are members.

Mark Glaum, M.D., Ph.D., earned his M.D. at Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. He completed a fellowship in allergy and clinical immunology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, also in Philadelphia. His areas of interest include how the body responds to substances that cause allergic reactions and advancing diagnostic techniques, such as rhinoscopies (examining nasal passages with specialized instruments).

Seong Cho, M.D., received his M.D. degree as an otolaryngologist — an ear, nose and throat doctor — from Kyung Hee University School of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea. His allergy and immunology training was completed at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL.

Amber Pepper, M.D., joined the practice in 2018. Dr. Pepper earned her M.D. from USF in 2013, then completed her residency in internal medicine in 2016 also at USF, where she was in a once-weekly rotation at the practice. She then completed a fellowship at the practice through USF’s Division of Allergy & Immunology.

To learn more about Drs. Lockey, Glaum, Cho and Pepper, visit AllergyTampa.com or call (813) 971-9743. The office is located at 13801 BBD Blvd., Ste. 502, Tampa 33613.

Dr. Lockey