What we first reported in 2015 is about to become a reality.
Chick-fil-A will open its second Wesley Chapel location, at 28295 S.R. 54, on Thursday, May 2.
In its traditional, 15-year fashion, Chick-fil-A will hold a First 100 event, allowing the first 100 customers in line at the Grand Opening to win free meals (consisting of a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, medium waffle potato fries and a medium beverage) for a year.
There will be a First 100 Campout party, with games and Chick-fil-A food, leading into the morning opening. You will be able to register in the new store’s parking lot beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1.
The event is open to guests who live in the vicinity of the restaurant, so make sure you check out the eligible zip codes RIGHT HERE.
Prizes will be awarded shortly before 6 a.m. on May 2, and the restaurant will open shortly afterward.
Jim Larreau, a Tampa native, will operate the new Chick-fil-A. He is transferring from St. Petersburgâs Chick-fil-A at Tyrone Blvd. restaurant, where his team earned the Symbol of Success â Chick-fil-Aâs highest honor for its Operators.
Larreau is partnering with Bridging Freedom to combat domestic minor sex trafficking during his grand opening celebration. He is encouraging First 100 participants and guests taking part in the Wesley Chapel event to bring items such as individual craft kits, toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, healthy snacks and gardening seeds during the grand opening week to be donated to Bridging Freedom.
Chick-fil-A always seem to have long lines, but Larreau says, âI hope to be the quickest Chick-fil-A drive thru in the Southeast.â
Dr. Shahida Choudhry and her Palms Pharmacy have moved…but donât worry, itâs only next door in the same Shoppes at The Pointe plaza in Tampa Palms, in a bigger store to accommodate the independent pharmacyâs ongoing growth. (Photos: Gavin Olsen)
At the Palms Pharmacy, located at The Shoppes at The Pointe in Tampa Palms, Shahida Choudhry, Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), promises personalized service you wonât find in a typical chain drug store.
Dr. Choudhry wants customers to see and feel the difference from the moment they walk in the door, with a warm, welcoming space where coffee is offered and natural soaps lightly scent the air.
âIt even smells nice,â Dr. Choudhry laughs. âPeople who come in expect concierge service, which they get and we enjoy.â
That means Dr. Choudhry and her staff get to know their customers. Not only do they learn their names to be able to greet them personally and start getting their prescriptions ready as theyâre walking in the door, they also learn about their patientsâ medications to be able to provide the best possible care for them.
âWe ask questions and we get to know them,â she says. âItâs a cool process.â
The pharmacy celebrated the third anniversary of its “first” Grand Opening on April 15. Late in 2018, Palms Pharmacy moved, but just next door to its former space in the same plaza. The new location is larger, allowing more room for pharmacists and technicians to work, a separate room for prescription compounding, and another separate room where durable medical equipment (such as walkers, crutches and nebulizers) is sold and fittings for compression garments are done.
The new Palms Pharmacy is larger, more attractive and has more inventory.Â
Dr. Choudhry received her Bachelorâs degree in Pharmacy, then went on to receive her Pharm.D. degree, both from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY, in 2001. Before opening Palms Pharmacy, Dr. Choudhry was the pharmacist at the Publix in Tampa Palms for 10 years. She loved her job and her customers, and enjoyed working with pharmacy technician Naivis Valdez.
âIt was comfortable and I learned so much,â she says. However, Dr. Choudhry also says she was looking for a better balance to her work life and home, where she had two small children, and thought she could help patients more if she had her own pharmacy.
So, she says, she took classes and read books and asked questions of many people who served as mentors to her, eventually opening Palms Pharmacy and hiring Naivis to work alongside her.
Success Spurs Growth
As the business has grown, so has the staff at Palms Pharmacy. Today, there are six employees, including a second full-time pharmacist, two pharmacy students and a pharmacy clerk.
âNow that weâve been here more than two and a half years, hopefully people realize weâre here to stay,â Dr. Choudhry says.
âWe do exactly the same as every other pharmacy,â she continues, âbut we do it better.â
She says this includes a wait time that is usually ânext to nothing,â along with compounding medications and selling durable medical equipment not sold at typical big chain pharmacies. She and her staff also provide immunizations such as flu shots, vaccines for pneumonia and shingles, and travel vaccines.
They also thrive on helping patients with especially complicated health or insurance issues.
Dr. Choudhry says that when insurance companies decline to cover a patientâs medications, thatâs when she picks up the phone.
âI know the doctors and the medical assistants,â she says. âI work with them to get their patients what they need, usually within the day.â
This is in huge contrast to other pharmacies, which may take 7-10 days to come up with a solution when an insurance company wonât cover a medication.
In fact, Dr. Choudhry says many of her patients find Palms Pharmacy through their doctors. âDoctors are supportive of us because we take care of their patients,â she says.
Clarence Williams is one patient who found Palms Pharmacy when his doctor recommended it. He drives to Tampa Palms from his home off County Line Rd., passing several big chain pharmacies along the way.
He says the personalized attention he receives is worth it.
âThey know all the medications youâre taking,â he says, and will suggest alternatives âif thereâs one thatâs better for you or cheaper.â
Clarence says Palms Pharmacy has great communication with his doctor, checking with the doctor before making any changes, and he appreciates the phone calls he gets when his medications come in or when heâs due for a refill.
âThe people working there are friendly and reliable and they just do a good job,â he says. âThey go one step further than everyone else.â
Dr. Choudhry says thatâs the commitment Palms Pharmacy has to all of its patients.
âWe recently had a patient come in who is in his early 30s. We saw that he had been prescribed diabetic medication,â says Dr. Choudhry, explaining it was a red flag for someone so young. Dr. Choudhry found that the patient hadnât really paid a lot of attention or given it much thought when his doctor suggested the medication because he is pre-diabetic. She says she challenged him to make some lifestyle changes, such as exercise and diet, to avoid having full-blown diabetes.
âI scared him,â she says, âbut sometimes people need that, especially if theyâre pre-diabetic in their early 30s.â
Dr. Choudhry says that at another pharmacy, they would just hand you your medication and you would leave. âWe donât want to do that,â she says.
Dr. Choudhry has also taken classes to specialize in hormone balancing for women and men. She reviews lab work provided by a patientâs doctor, prescribes the appropriate hormones and gets approval from the doctor for them.
She says itâs gratifying to have the doctorsâ trust and help patients in this way.
Unique Gifts, Too!
Palms Pharmacy also sells natural vitamins and supplements, from companies such as Pure, Nordic, Metagenics and Mason. The store also sells LovePop pop-up greeting cards and all-natural products in the Zum line, such as Zum Bar all-natural soaps, Zum Kiss lip products, Zum Body lotions, Zum Rub moisturizers with shea butter and Zum Mist aromatherapy & body mists.
Palms Pharmacy patients also can use a free app, called âRxLocalâ to refill their prescriptions, receive reminders and interact with the pharmacy staff.
Dr. Choudhry says opening her own pharmacy has been extremely rewarding.
âI love it,â she says. âFrom the clinical side, I have a say in patientsâ health care. Physicians listen to me and they ask me what I recommend. This is why I went to school, to affect my patientsâ health care.â
In addition to helping patients, Palms Pharmacy works in the community, from supporting the Parent Teacher Associations at Chiles and Tampa Palms elementary schools to providing over-the-counter and prescription medications for medical students from nearby University of South Florida who travel around the world on medical mission trips.
âWeâre growing every day and itâs a blessing,â Dr. Choudhry says. âI wake up every morning and Iâm excited to get to work every day.â
Palms Pharmacy is located at 17008 Palm Pointe Dr. and is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, call (813) 252-9063, or visit ThePalmsPharmacy.com.
In campaign meetings with New Tampa community leaders and residents, former City of Tampa Police (TPD) Chief and mayoral candidate Jane Castor said the usual concerns were raised by those groups. But, along with traffic congestion, the conditions of roads and the affordability of homes, the topic of New Tampa businesses came up often.
âOne of the main issues was concern over a lack of sustained retail along Bruce B. Downs,â Castor says.
Castorâs thought was that while no single reason was given for what might be causing what some see as an exodus of restaurants and retailers â although congested local roads, access and the growth of Wesley Chapel were mentioned â she also says New Tampaâs business climate was worth looking at. âIâm excited about the study,â Castor says.
In a chance meeting shortly thereafter with Karen Kress, the director of Transportation and Planning for the Tampa Downtown Partnership, wheels were put in motion for a study that is now being organized by the University of South Floridaâs School of Public Affairs and director Ron Sanders, says Sam Becker, an intern for Kress, who attended one of Castorâs meetings with local groups. Afterwards, Becker had a discussion with Castor and Kress, and brought up the idea of a study to Sanders, who conducted a poll of graduate students working towards their Masterâs degree in Urban and Regional Planning.
Four students volunteered to conduct the study, which also will include input from local business leaders, District 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera and the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.
According to Sanders, the study, which is still being defined, will take place this summer and in two phases â one will be a âlistening tourâ that will be conducted through meetings held with focus groups of citizens and business owners, and two, there also will be a field study.
âWeâre still trying to find the parameters of the study, but the basic premise is to try to look at what is happening in New Tampa, the outmigration of some of the stores, and see if thereâs anything that can be done about it,â Sanders says.
District 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera has been pushing for some kind of study, and he says he was pleased to learn USF would be involved.
Too Much Ado About It?
While there are some who feel the issue is overblown and that the current outmigration is simply part of a national trend thatâs the result of the cyclical nature of business combined with the ever-changing effect of e-commerce, Viera hopes the study will root out any potential underlying issues.
As weâve reported in previous issues, the Market Square at Tampa Palms plaza has seen HH Gregg, Staples and Bed Bath & Beyond close; restaurants like Casa Ramos in Tampa Palms and Ruby Tuesday on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd just north of I-75, also have been shuttered.
There are signs of life, however. The old Dairy Queen on BBD is now a Jamaican restaurant (see ad on page 43), the Beef OâBradyâs on Cross Creek Blvd. is expected to reopen soon as an Italian eatery, and Las Palmas has re-opened in a different New Tampa location after the original location closed in 2018.
Also, The Village at Hunterâs Lake project will bring more than a dozen new businesses to New Tampa when it is completed.
âI think it is not clear how much (of the business closings) are consistent with national trends, or if itâs cyclical, or part of it is technology,â Sanders says. âIf itâs part of a macro trend, or national, itâs not clear how much can be done about it. But, weâll also look for local circumstances and conditions that may be driving it. Those are more addressable.â
Sanders also says the study will be ideal for his students, and that USF wants to be a good neighbor and lend a hand. If the study does produce something concrete, it could lead to the city conducting something âmore extensive and sophisticated.â
The study is still being developed, so how long it will take and when results will be published are unclear.
New Tampaâs first green grocer, Sprouts Farmers Market, is prepping construction on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. across from the main entrance Hunterâs Green, and according to the developerâs listing on its website, it already has some neighboring businesses waiting to move in as well.
Regency Centers, which is developing The Village at Hunterâs Lake project along with Harrison Bennett Properties, shows the 29,257-sq.-ft. Sprouts as the anchor of the much-anticipated mixed-use project, although there also are 12 other tenants ready to fill the retail shopping strip.
And, six of the retail spaces are still available. A map on the Regency Centers website lists a row of businesses that have apparently already signed leases, ranging from health and beauty businesses to a few places to grab a bite to eat or have a coffee.
The Village at Hunter’s Lake across from the Hunter’s Green entrance is starting to take shape.
The Village at Hunterâs Lake, which in total will have 71,397 sq. ft. of commercial space, will have â not surprisingly â a Starbucks, according to the website.
Three other places in the development will offer food and drink. Poke Island Plus, featuring traditional Hawaiian dishes of cubed raw fish and other fresh ingredients, is among them.
Poke is one of the hot, trendy food items in the country at the moment, and another similar restaurant, Poke Point, recently opened on the west side of BBD, a couple of miles north of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel.
It wonât be the only eatery offering healthy bowls of food in The Village at Hunter’s Lake. Grain & Berry, a quickly growing local chain that hopes to have 100 stores statewide by the end of the year, is also scheduled to lease a location in the commercial project.
Founded in 2017, Grain & Berry has seven locations in the Tampa Bay area (the nearest being on E. Fowler Ave.) and specializes in acai bowls.
Dubbing itself a superfoods cafe, Grain & Berry offers fresh pressed juices, hearty avocado toasts and international coffees, in addition to bowls filled with acai â a purple berry rich in antioxidants â and varieties of different fruits and grains.
But Wait, There’s More!
And, if youâre going to be looking for something maybe a little more hearty, Via Italia Woodfired Pizza & Bar is also listed on the Regency Centers website (as Double Zero Pizza) as headed to New Tampa.
Other spaces are leased by chains like Pure Beauty Salon, T-Mobile, Heartland Dental, Hair Cuttery, Pink & White Nails and Nationwide Vision Center.
The Coder School, a franchise founded in 2014 and headquartered in Silicon Valley that teaches computer coding to children year-round, also is slated to be located in the The Villages at Hunterâs Lake.
Permit requests also have been submitted to Hillsborough County to build two monument signs and a screen wall, as well as a 3,200-sq.-ft. Banfield Pet Hospital.
The Haven at Hunter’s Lake
Voicemail messages left at Regency Centers we’re not returned.
The Village at Hunterâs Lake project, originally approved by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners by a 7-0 vote in 2014, will be built on an 80-acre parcel that also will include a 30,000-sq.-ft. New Tampa Cultural Center, a dog park and a four-story, 241-unit multi-family project to be called The Haven at Hunterâs Lake.
The project, located in the heart of New Tampa, has long been referred to as a potential âdowntownâ for our area, as well as the areaâs version of the popular and trendy Hyde Park development in South Tampa.
A self-described âlifelong thrifterâ who has always wanted to open her own business, Amber Wattâs dream has come true with her upscale resale boutique, Uptown Cheapskate, located in the former Ellenâs Hallmark space in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center.
Uptown Cheapskate opened on Nov. 8. Since then, the store has been growing in popularity, as men and women discover they can not only buy trendy, brand-name clothes at prices that are 70-90 percent off of retail prices, they also can sell their unwanted clothes for cash or store credit.
The store is part of a national franchise that started in Salt Lake City in 2009, and now has 70 locations across the U.S., including three in Florida. At 4,800 square feet, the Tampa Palms location is larger than most Uptown Cheapskate stores, which are typically about 3,000 square feet.
The large store means lots of inventory for shoppers, and itâs all kept organized and neat, to feel more like an upscale boutique.
And, the way Amber and the storeâs nine employees treat customers is boutique-like, too.
âCustomer service is our top priority,â says Amber. âWe greet every customer and will pull items out of back stock to help a customer find the perfect piece. Our staff continues to receive five-star reviews (on social media) for customer service.â
Angela Tamecki is one customer who has taken notice. âIâve shopped at resale shops for a long time because you get great deals,â says Angela, a Pebble Creek resident who says she used to drive to South Tampa to go to thrift shops, but now visits Uptown Cheapskate more than once a week. âItâs a different environment. I donât even think of it as a thrift store, because itâs more upscale.â
Angela says the storeâs staff members are warm and welcoming, coming out from behind the counter to help her.
âEven after Iâd only been there a couple times, they seem to know what brands I like,â she says. âIt really shows that they want to take care of their customers.â
Amber says that out of necessity, she shopped at Goodwill and other thrift stores growing up. After high school, she attended West Virginia University on a full academic scholarship, where she studied engineering.
She then worked as an industrial engineer in the aerospace industry for Boeing and Honeywell for 12 years.
She says, âI enjoyed the challenge of it and was proud of what I was working on,â including Chinook helicopters for the military. âBut it was always my goal to open my own business, and being an engineer was my stepping stone to get here.â
Clothes For A Good Cause
Uptown Cheapskate in Tampa Palms owner Amber Watt wants your old clothes before they end up in a landfill. Sheâll pay cash or give you a store credit, plus donate anything she doesnât buy.
Amber and her husband Zach have three elementary school-aged children. She says they are all supportive of her dream to own this business. She adds that Uptown Cheapskate is a perfect fit for her, with her love of fashion, experience with resale, and even her passion for caring for the environment.
âNorth America sends 9.5 million tons of clothing to landfills each year,â explains Amber. âRecycle them to Uptown Cheapskate instead! Even if you buy it used from us and then wear it a couple of times, if itâs still in great condition, sell it back to us. We donât want it to end up in a landfill.â
Sell Your Clothes, Too
Uptown Cheapskate accepts clothes for all seasons, all year long. That means you can sell your winter items now, even though no one is interested in buying them. Amber stores them until they are back in season and ready to go out on the sales floor.
Amber also says she is always in need of more clothes, especially menâs clothes. She promises the process is quick, and you can even drop off clothes and come back later for your cash payout or store credit. Sellers receive 25 percent more for their items if they choose store credit instead of cash.
Shoppers can save even more money if they both sell and buy on the same day. Because of tax laws, Amber says if you sell your clothes to Uptown Cheapskate and then use the store credit to make a same-day purchase, you donât have to pay the 8.5-percent Hillsborough County sales tax.
If your purchase amount exceeds the store credit offer, only the difference will be taxed. Unused store credits remain on your account for three years, but purchases made on future days do require sales tax to be paid on them.
Partners In The Community
Uptown Cheapskate gives back to the New Tampa community in several ways.
The store has a partnership with the Salvation Army. When you bring your clothes to sell to Uptown Cheapskate, any âno-thank-you itemsâ that the store doesnât purchase can be donated directly to Salvation Army, and you get a receipt, without having to make a second trip.
Amber also notes that Uptown Cheapskate partners with several local schools, including Wharton and Wiregrass Ranch high schools and Chiles Elementary, to offer gift certificates to a teacher or other staff member each month. She also provides gift certificates for a student recognition program at Wharton. Teachers and students also get a 15-percent discount every Monday.
The storeâs next popular âfill a bagâ sale is scheduled for Friday-Saturday, April 26-27. On those days, Uptown Cheapskate will provide a bag for customers to stuff all the specially-marked product they can fit, then take the entire bag home for $15. Anyone who participates in the sale also gets 15-percent off the rest of the items in the store.
âThe deals are amazing,â says Angela. âTheyâve got such a great inventory, including things I couldnât afford to splurge on in a retail store. Iâve seen everything from mall brands to Prada. I donât know how many people realize you can get those kinds of deals on things like that.â
