A sampling of food items at SGD So Gong Dong Tofu & BBQ.
With the large population of Asian people living in both New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, there’s no doubt that a lot of folks in both of our distribution areas have been excited about the long-awaited opening of the Lotte Plaza Market, the latest link in the largest (with more than a dozen units) chain of Asian supermarkets.
Well, that wait is about to end, as Lotte (located at 17605 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.) has not only scheduled its Grand Opening to the public for Friday, November 3, at 9 a.m., yours truly got to walk around — and take pictures of all of the departments — at the nearly-finished store shortly before we went to press with this issue. And, even though I’m not Korean or of Asian descent, I am truly excited about this 49,000-sq.-ft. former (and long-vacant) Sweetbay (and Kash N Karry before that) store, which is much more than just another supermarket.
The interior of a Tous Les Jours bakery at another location.
Yes, there are massive bags of rice, a huge variety of Ramen noodles and many other Asian staples. But, the thing that got me most excited, as you might expect, is that our Lotte will have at least five different options in it sizable food court (called Eatery Sijang), all of which are serving different Korean cuisine, although there also is a renowned South Korea-owned French bakery chain, called Tous Les Jours. The other food court options, which are sure to be packed every day, include Luna Tea, BB.Q Chicken, SGD So Gong Dong Tofu & BBQ and JAWS Topokki.
Check the pics on this page for not only under-construction food court pics, but of the fresh seafood, butcher shop, grocery and Lotte’s unique gifts and housewares. For more info, visit LottePlaza.com. — GN
(Above, l.-r.) The ordering kiosk at the New Tampa Lotte’s Eatery Sijang & samples of JAWS Topokki’s food & galbi fried chicken from BB.Q. Chicken that may be on the kiosk.
Wesley Chapel, New Tampa and the surrounding areas are — fortunately or unfortunately — known for being overrun by regional and national chain restaurants, nail salons, multi-story self-storage facilities and, of course, huge car wash buildings.
And, while some of these car wash facilities are locally owned and/or regional chains. the trend in this industry is in the growth of large conglomerates offering you the opportunity to have your car washed by giant machines in just a few minutes while you stay seated in your vehicle with the gear shift in “Neutral” and the windows closed. Most of these car wash facilities offer recurring monthly memberships that the companies are hoping you’ll use like many people do gym memberships — meaning they hope you use them as little as possible or not at all as you continue to pay each month for the equivalent price of two or three jacked-up individual washes.
While they are obviously profitable, why do we already have — and seem to need — so many of them?
Pretty much anytime I’m on Facebook, I see someone in one of the many Wesley Chapel Facebook groups making a snide comment about how many car washes we have in and around our area.
Woodie’s Wash Shack, which opened on S.R. 54 in Feb. 2022, west of the Tampa Premium Outlets, plans to open a Wesley Chapel location on Oakley Blvd. near The Grove. (
So, why are there so many dang car washes? While some online critics believe they’re all money laundering (no pun intended) fronts, the fact is that they are hugely profitable, especially when they’re owned by a large national or regional company.
One industry official, who asked to not be identified for this story, says it’s because, “just as McDonald’s isn’t really in the hamburger business, but in the real estate business (at least according to the 2016 movie “The Founder,” starring Michael Keaton as McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc), these big car wash conglomerates are buying up valuable land, putting a car wash on them and, many times, selling the land at a huge profit a few years later.”
However, Glen Stygar, a partner in Woodie’s Wash Shack, which has 16 Florida locations, including one that opened in Feb. 2022 on S.R. 54 in Lutz (less than a mile west of the Tampa Premium Outlets), says there are more reasons why car washes keep popping up in affluent areas across the country.
“For one thing,” Stygar says, “people in today’s fast-paced world no longer want to have to wash their cars themselves or pay someone a lot of money and spend many hours detailing their vehicles, and they don’t have to as much anymore because they can get a membership at a local car wash and have their car washed as many times a month or a week as they want, for one low price.”
He adds that memberships are the biggest reason places like Woodie’s and big chains like Mister Car Wash (with more than 400 locations nationwide, including several in our area) and Tidal Wave Auto Spa (with nearly 200, including one between Zaxby’s and Aldi near Costco) continue to proliferate everywhere.
In fact, Woodie’s has another location planned (but not yet under construction) on Oakley Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, which will one day be a neighbor to the new Super Target store in The Grove.
Mister Car Wash has 400+ U.S locations, including this one in New Tampa and three more in & near Wesley Chapel.
As I mentioned on page 1 of this issue, it is very much like the fitness facility model that has worked for decades. Many people who buy a membership at an initially very low price (that goes up after a 1-3-month trial period) rarely or even never use that membership, but continue to pay month after month until they finally either cancel or begin using it enough to get their money’s worth. Stygar wouldn’t say that Woodie’s hopes you’ll never use your membership — and he did say that the company’s policy is to never give you a hard time to cancel — but as someone who paid for a membership for three months and only used it twice in that time, I certainly can understand how this can be a profitable business model.
Car washes also aren’t as labor-intensive as they once were — fewer people insist that someone dry their cars after they come out of the machine (and most offer you free cloths to dry your car yourself) — and while the vacuums also are free when you get your car washed, they no longer have people vacuuming your vehicle for you.
Mister Car Wash is the current local market leader, having taken over two local Clean Machine locations on BBD in New Tampa, and with two local locations on S.R. 54 (one in Wesley Chapel and one in Lutz), but there are currently ten drive-through membership-based car wash places in and around Wesley Chapel — and more are on the way.
Tidal Wave Auto Spa has 194 U.S. locations, including this one next to Costco and 12 total in Florida, with five more coming soon.
And of course, the list in the next column doesn’t include the wash-it-yourself car washes, hand auto detailing places or drive-through car washes at local gas stations.
As for pricing, the cheapest prices we found among the membership car washes were at The Palms Car Wash on Post Oak Blvd., where a single “Express” wash costs just $5 and an Express membership is just $14.95 a month. The most expensive prices we found were at Tidal Wave, with the cheapest single wash being $12 and the most expensive being the Graph-X4 wash for $30. Monthly memberships at Tidal Wave range from $23.97 to $49.97 per month.
We’ll look into another local favorite — self-storage places — in a future issue.
The staff of the Spinner Law Firm at the firm’s 20th anniversary party on Oct. 5. (All photos by Charmaine George)
As the owner of a hyperlocal business that will celebrate its 30th anniversary in February of next year, I have seen a lot of businesses come and go over the years and celebrated many anniversaries with dozens of those businesses.
One of the companies I feel particularly close to is the Spinner Law Firm, headed by Charles S. (“Charlie”) Spinner, Esq., which celebrated its 20th anniversary of serving the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel communities on Oct. 5.
North Tampa Bay Chamber president Hope Kennedy presents a Chamber Proclamation to Charlie Spinner.
In addition to a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cutting, the event included a proclamation given to Spinner by Chamber president & CEO Hope Kennedy, a short video created by Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel president (and local videographer) David Alvarez, a red carpet for Charlie and his staff, an appearance by a Pasco County Sheriff’s Office K9 therapy dog, free drinks and a huge crudité table…and something that hit a lot closer to home for yours truly.
Charlie talked about meeting his first employee, office administrator Vicki Portfolio, when both were walking their dogs in a park in early 2003. Vicki was in charge of the “Beer School” at the Busch Gardens Hospitality House at the time. Charlie was working for an insurance defense firm in downtown Tampa and told Vicki he was considering branching out on his own one day. Vicki told him that when he did start his own firm, “I want you to hire me as your legal assistant.”
“OK, what are your qualifications?,” Charlie replied.
“I don’t have any. I teach Beer School.”
Attorney Charles Spinner and his firm’s first employee, Vicki Portfolio.
But, when Charlie did start his firm in New Tampa, where he lived with his then-wife-to-be Carrie, he immediately took out his first ad in the Neighborhood News and, “The first call I got from that ad was from Vicki, asking me ‘When do I start?’ The rest is history.”
Jannah and I were among at least 100 people in attendance at the 20th anniversary event, so I got to hear that story, for the first time, in person, and I acknowledged that not only had Charlie been advertising continuously with us ever since, he definitely “helped send (my) kids to college,” as he quipped during his short speech.
Charlie thanked every member of his now-much-larger staff, as well as Carrie and the couple’s five kids, the Chamber and the local community.
Hope said that the Chamber was on hand when Charlie cut the ribbon at his new Wesley Chapel office five years ago, but noted that, “We wanted to do something better, something more deserving, to celebrate your 20 years of service to the community.”
The proclamation read that “Through the years, Spinner Law Firm has been committed to unwavering dedication and perseverance, making it a true pillar of our community…We commend Spinner Law Firm for this outstanding achievement, exceptional leadership and continuous growth.”
Charlie Spinner with his wife Carrie and three of the couple’s five children. More than 100 people attended the Spinner Law Firm’s 20th anniversary event.
Spinner then thanked every member of his outstanding staff, including community outreach director Jennie Yingling, who organized the event. He went on to thank Carrie and all of his children before watching Alvarez’s video on one of fellow Rotarian Troy Stevenson’s mobile billboard trucks.
“When I created Spinner Law Firm, I wanted to make a real connection with my clients, and with the community,” Charlie said during the video. That was followed by a number of clients and organizations who said the firm had helped them, all giving testimonials, including coaches from both Wiregrass Ranch and Cypress Creek high schools and Lisa Michaelangelo from the Emerald M Therapeutic Riding Center, all of whom thanked Charlie and his firm for helping them.
Pickleball Tournament
Eight days after the 20th anniversary party, the Spinner Law Firm hosted the Spinner 20th Anniversary Pickleball Tournament at the Land O’Lakes Recreation Center.
Although I wasn’t in attendance at the tournament, and had not yet received a recap of who played and won the various awards, I do know that Charlie and his brother John, as well as Spinner Law Firm attorney Patrick Barnes all played in the tournament and, according to our photographer Charmaine George, a great time was clearly had by all.
The Spinner Law Firm, located at 2418 Cypress Glen Dr., in the Cypress Glen Professional Park, specializes in family estate planning and personal injury law. For more information, call (813) 991-5115, visit SpinnerLawFirm.com.
The Spinner Law Firm group at the 20th Anniversary Pickleball Tournament on Oct. 13. Spinner Law Firm attorneys Charlie Spinner and Patrick Barnes played each other during the tournament.
The Neighborhood News was on hand for the ribbon cutting at the beautifully revamped & reopened Las Palmas Latin Grill at 6431 E County Line Rd, off Bruce B Downs Blvd, in the same plaza as Five Guys. Take a look & go check out our friends Ramses & Ana Garcia’s new & improved place…and tell them we sent you!
The friendly staff at Precious Paws Animal Hospital on W. Bearss Ave. (l.-r., Brenda Maniatty, Nicole Bradford, Amanda Donatello & Dr. Fantasia Maniatty) is happily accepting new pet patients.(All photos by Charmaine George)
Are you looking for a full-service veterinarian’s office that is accepting new cats and dogs and offering same day appointments? Come visit veterinarian Fantasia Maniatty, D.V.M., at Precious Paws Animal Hospital, located on W. Bearss Ave. (a little west of I-275) in North Tampa, where she has brought her love of pets — and a long-time family business — to our area.
Dr. Maniatty officially began her veterinarian career in 2018 when she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine in Grenada, West Indies, where she graduated as her class salutatorian. Prior to that, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology from Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, in 2014.
Dr. Fantasia Maniatty is continuing the family tradition started 20 years ago by her father, Dr. John Maniatty (at left in photo). (Photo from PreciousPawsTampa. com)
But, veterinary medicine runs deep in the Maniatty family, as Dr. Maniatty has been unofficially caring for pets since her childhood. Her father, John, has been a veterinarian for 26 years, and Dr. Maniatty still remembers tagging along with him as he started his own practice.
“When my father graduated (from vet school) in 1997, I was 4 years old,” Dr. Maniatty says. “I can remember being in scrubs since the days when the tops were more like dresses on me. I would follow him around the office [as he worked] when we lived in Pennsylvania.”
The Maniatty family later moved to Maryland. Dr. Maniatty’s father took over an existing practice that eventually became the first Precious Paws Animal Hospital in Ocean City, MD, in October 2003, exactly 20 years ago. It was there that a young Dr. Maniatty worked her way up the ranks.
“He started me as a ‘kennel girl’ when I was in middle school,” she says. “Then, I became a receptionist, and then I was allowed to be a [veterinary] technician. He wanted me to go through every step so I understood how everything works.”
Dr. Maniatty and, later, her brother Justin, both followed in their dad’s footsteps and became veterinarians themselves. The three of them first worked together as vets at the Ocean City practice as well as at a second location in Ocean View, DE, just 15 miles up the coast.
So, what made Dr. Maniatty decide to trade Ocean City for Tampa and open the third Precious Paws office in North Tampa?
“Ocean City is a lovely area, but there’s not as much city life,” she says. “Tampa, I feel, has the perfect mix of city and [suburban lifestyles] while still being close to the beach.”
Despite the distance, the three Drs. Maniatty still talk regularly about the ups and downs of their work and consult with each other for help when necessary.
“Nowadays, many veterinary offices are being run by large companies,” says Dr. Maniatty. “But, Precious Paws has always been family owned and operated and, for us, pets are truly part of the family.”
Services At Precious Paws
Dr. Maniatty and her team welcome you to bring in your cats and dogs for a variety of services. These include everything from routine wellness check-ups, dental exams, vaccinations, microchipping and parasite prevention to more specialized needs such as soft tissue surgeries, laser therapy, emergency care and even end-of-life care. Savannah, the receptionist, and Nicole, the office manager, will help with scheduling appointments and checking in your pets. Then, veterinary techs Amanda and Ashton will assist Dr. Maniatty during appointments.
Two areas of expertise are dental services and soft tissue surgeries.
“We are very comfortable with providing dental services to pets, such as cleanings, X-rays and extractions if needed,” says Dr. Maniatty. “Also, if your pets need to be spayed or neutered or even need other surgeries, like intestinal surgeries or mass removals, we can do those as well.”
Laser therapy is a great option for directly targeting a pet’s pain and inflammation with or without medications. Dr. Maniatty explains that laser therapy applies a red laser directly to affected areas to help pets with arthritis, back pain, gastrointestinal (GI) disease and more.
Pet owners also can bring in their pets during emergencies — with no appointment necessary. “Emergency care for pets can be very expensive at other facilities, but pet owners can bring their pets here and get that same care at a more reasonable cost,” says Dr. Maniatty.
Despite Precious Paws Animal Hospital opening its doors in Tampa just a few months ago (in July), Dr. Maniatty and her team have already won over many fur babies and their parents/owners, with a perfect five-out-of-five-star rating and 40 glowing reviews on Google. The office also is very active on social media, with timely tips for the 4th of July, hurricane preparedness for your pets and more. The office is quick to respond to reviews and questions and loves to build relationships with pets and pet owners on a first-name basis.
“We’ve tried many vet clinics, but we never got great results,” says a pet owner named Vioma in her five-star review. “After just the first appointment with Dr. Maniatty, it finally seemed like Daisy could have a normal life. The doctor and staff were very patient and kind to us and I highly recommend them.”
Outside of work, you may see Dr. Maniatty with her boyfriend AJ and their two rescue dogs, pit bulls named Maya and Chanel, at the beach or at outdoor events like The Market Elaine at The Grove in Wesley Chapel and the Bexley Market on the Lawn in Land O’ Lakes.
“We love meeting pets and their owners in person,” Dr. Maniatty says. “A lot of times we run into people who are new to the area like us and are having trouble finding a vet who is accepting new pets, so we are happy to help with that.”
In honor of her father’s original Precious Paws office’s 20-year anniversary, Dr. Maniatty is offering free wellness exams for first-time pet patients at the Tampa office — with no limitations on the number of pets per household. Also, if you mention the Neighborhood News, you can receive free flea, tick and heartworm prevention medications.
Precious Paws Animal Hospital is located at 326 W. Bearss Ave. The office is open Monday– Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with same day appointments and walk-in emergency care available. Call (813) 755-3855 or visit PreciousPaws Tampa.com 24/7 to book your pet’s appointment today, with free first exams for a limited time. Follow “Precious Pets Animal Hospital–Tampa” on Facebook and @preciouspawstampa on Instagram for great tips about pet care and special offers.
