Business Notes: Is Something On The Horizon In The Old Vuelo’s Spot?

The site of failed Mexican restaurant Vuelo’s — which was previously Señor T’s, which was previously Romano’s Macaroni Grill — and which has been vacant since May 8 of last year, may soon be showing some signs of life.

According to Curtis Rorebeck, the managing broker at Hybridge, the site, located right on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. just north of the Home Depot, has drawn the interest of a handful of suitors since going dark.

While stopping short of calling a deal imminent to sell to a group that would open a new restaurant at the location, Rorebeck did say there is an offer under review. “We are going through the process,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of interest on that property.”

Rorebeck even said that on more than one occasion since Vuelo’s closed, the property was under contract, but those deals fell through. The current negotiations, however, are “promising,” he says.
While the location has been blamed in years past as not being ideal, it will be across the street from (and a little south of) the new Villages at Hunter’s Lake planned for 2019-20, which will feature the New Tampa Cultural Center, 241 apartments, a “green” grocer and other retail stores.

MORE FOOD, MON: A few steps south Chili’s (next to Oakley’s Grille), the space formerly occupied by Dairy Queen is being renovated and expected to open as a Jamaican restaurant.

NEW TAMPA PIANO & PEDAGOGY’S NEW HOME?: New Tampa Piano & Pedagogy Academy (NTPPA), which is currently operating adjacent to the New Tampa Dance Theatre on Cross Creek Blvd., is expecting to break ground on its own building near the end of the summer.
Just a few steps west of its current location, developer Abhishek Jain has filed for a permit to build a 4,000-sq.-ft. building, 2,810 sq. ft. of which will be the NTPPA’s new home.

Considering the new location is next to a dance studio, music academy and Creative World School, Jain would like to lease the remaining 1,200 sq. ft. to a youth-oriented business, or perhaps a pediatrician.
Jain’s wife Judith is the founder and executive director of the NTPPA.

S.R. 56 BUSY AGAIN: On the north side of S.R. 56 (across from the Tampa Premium Outlets) in the Cypress Creek Town Center Development of Regional Impact (DRI) in Wesley Chapel, things are going to start heating up again, as a flurry of building permits are working their way through Pasco County.

Just this month, permitting requests have been made for the beginnings of a 20,000-sq.-ft. Home Goods store, a 40,565-sq.ft. Burlington Coat Factory, and a 24,254-sq.-ft. Earth Fare, the first green grocer to land in Wesley Chapel (as we reported last issue).

Permits for four shell buildings, ranging between 1,919-sq.-ft. and 3,000-sq.ft., are being processed as well, although no tenants had been publicly named at our press time.

Those buildings could be homes for some businesses that Dilip Kanji, the Impact Properties president and developer of the Hyatt Place Hotel & Convention Center, said previously were on their way. As previously reported by the Neighborhood News, those include Chipotle Mexican Grill, Total Wine & More, Walk-On Bistreaux and Golf Galaxy.

Let Scrub-A-Dub Bin Cleaning Clean Your Stinky Trash & Recycling Bins 

Jennifer Trudel has lived in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area since 1996. While serving the community as a pharmacist in Tampa, she dreamed of one day owning her own business.

When the stress of her job pushed her to consider early retirement, she started researching what to do next. An acquaintance in another part of Florida raved about Jennifer’s sparkling clean trash bins on social media, and Jennifer recognized the opportunity to bring an innovative business that would be totally new to Wesley Chapel — and the perfect fit for her admitted neat-freak personality.

That’s when Jennifer launched Scrub-A-Dub Bin Cleaning, a service that comes to your home as often as you desire — from just four times per year up to once a month — to make sure the trash and recycling bins you drag back into your garage aren’t stinky and nasty, but immaculately clean and smelling fresh.

It all happens with Jennifer’s custom-designed truck, which was delivered to her last December, allowing her to begin serving clients since January of this year.

One of her first customers was Joshua Green, who lives in Seven Oaks.

“I saw an ad and thought it seemed like a really good idea,” he says. “Our trash cans are always in the garage and smelling. It’s gross and no one wants to deal with it.”

He says he figured, “Why not try it? Let’s get them cleaned.”

The results? “They’re nice and clean and look brand new,” Joshua says.

The Process

Scrub-A-Dub’s customers leave their bin out on trash day, after the truck has picked up their trash and/or recycling. That’s when Jennifer comes by, opens the bin and uses a grabber to pull out any trash left behind, then loads the bins into her truck, and the “magic” begins.
The bins are raised above the truck and centered around a head that spins and blasts 190-degree water. “It’s basically a high-pressure power wash that lasts about 30 seconds,” explains Jennifer.

For an initial cleaning, Jennifer then uses a scrub brush and biodegradable degreaser to clean the inside of the bin, then runs it through the truck again.

She pressure sprays the outside of the lid, wipes the handles and the inside and outside of the lid — anywhere your hand might touch. Then, she says the bin no longer smells, but she wants it to smell good, so she adds a deodorizer, then wipes out any excess water.

“It’s overkill, but I do it because I’m a type-A person,” she laughs. “I want the bin to look beautiful, and want every customer to be wowed.”
Jennifer says some people might say, “It’s a garbage can. It’s supposed to be dirty,” and she says she can understand that. But, she counters, “Who wants to deal with a nasty garbage can? There’s a concern about germs, too.”

Environmentally Friendly, Too?

Jennifer explains that Scrub-A-Dub bin cleaning is not only easier on you, it’s also better for the environment.

All of the cleaners that Jennifer uses —including degreaser, disinfectant and deodorizer — are biodegradable.

“Let’s say you use vinegar; that doesn’t kill bacteria,” she explains. “Bleach kills bacteria but it’s super toxic and bad for the lakes and ponds.”
With Scrub-A-Dub, all water for cleaning comes from a 525-gallon tank inside the truck, filled with fresh water. It’s heated to a temperature much higher than you would use in your home.

The dirty water that is rinsed out of the inside of the bins goes into the truck and is disposed of according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines.

Getting Started

To sign up, go online to ScrubADubBins.com. You pay an annual fee up front, based on how often you want your bins cleaned and whether you have one or two bins. Prices start at just $55 for the year. Jennifer generally schedules your initial cleaning within one week of signing up. One-time cleanings also are available.

She emphasizes that there are no contracts and you can stop your service at any time. If you move or change your mind about the service, she will prorate your refund.

“I haven’t had to do that yet,” she says, because so far, she says, her customers have been thrilled with their service. “People pay for all kind of things, like mowing the grass or pulling weeds,” Jennifer’s client Joshua says. “It’s just stuff we honestly don’t want to do, and I think it’s worth it.”

He adds that the service has been easy, and not something he has had to think about. “She comes on trash day when the bins are already out there, so it’s not like I have to do anything extra.”

Jennifer sends a reminder text the day before, giving customers the opportunity to confirm their appointment or to let her know if they need to postpone their service due to going out of town or for any other reason.

Not Just A Job

“This is not a job for me,” says Jennifer, “it’s my life.”

She says that while she always loved serving her community as a pharmacist, being a business owner is different.

“I moved to Cross Creek in 1996 and then to Seven Oaks in 2003. I feel connected to the area and I’ve seen it explode. Now, I feel more a part of the community.”

As a pharmacist, she says she used to sit in a room all day and, at the end of the day, she would leave the same four walls and experience the shock of being outside for the first time each day.

Now, she says she loves driving around Wesley Chapel and New Tampa, meeting people at their homes, and she especially loves driving the truck. “It’s so fun!” she beams.

Jennifer’s husband Jeff now helps her with the business, while also working for a pharmaceutical company. Their grown children are now 26, 21, 19 and 18.

As she works to build her four-month-old business, her online customer reviews are already sky-high. Every one of her Facebook and Google reviews are 5 stars (out of 5), such as Andrea DeNoble-Cormier’s review on Facebook:

“Unique service – one you don’t realize you need until you start using it. Excellent, personalized customer service!”

Jennifer’s goal now is to build her business. “I just want to get the word out,” she says, and has done so by joining the North Tampa Bay Chamber, attending and even taking sponsor/exhibitor booths at community events like the Taste of New Tampa and the Fresh Market at the Shops at Wiregrass, and advertising in the Neighborhood News.

“It’s a personal service,” she says. “It’s not just some company that cleans your bins; it’s Jennifer from Scrub-A-Dub.”

To sign up for Scrub-A-Dub Bin Cleaning or for more information, visit ScrubADubBins.com. You can also call Scrub-A-Dub at its toll-free number, (844) 727-8229, or 844-SCRUBBY.

American Wood Flooring Offers The Newest Products & All-Inclusive Pricing

Decorating trends change over the years and American Wood Flooring, located next to Marshall’s in the Super Target-anchored Northwoods Plaza, is always adapting to those changes. For example, formica cabinets and linoleum floors are pretty much things of the past. CEO Andy Dunning’s showroom reflects those changing trends and more.

“We’re always bringing in more samples and getting with manufacturers to fit the new demand for the most current styles,” he says.

The family business has been around for 25 years and started out exclusively in wood flooring, based out of anothr small storefront in New Port Richey. A little less than 12 years ago, Dunning opened the shop in Wesley Chapel. The showroom floor, crowded with sample displays, reflects how quickly trends have changed and how American Wood Flooring has changed along with them.

“When we started out, it was mainly wood flooring,” Dunning said. “Then, we had customers that wanted their whole house done, so we expanded into carpet. When we had customers who also wanted their bathrooms re-done, we expanded into tile, too.”

American Wood Flooring can cover the entire house — with wood, laminate, tile and carpet.

“We want to be your one-stop shop,” Dunning says.

“We just had carpeting installed on the second floor of our home,” says customer Jacqueline DeRoze. “They did such a superb job that we just ordered flooring for the entire main level.”

Everything-Included Pricing

Dunning says that customers sometimes get sticker shock when they look at American Wood Flooring’s prices per square foot when compared with other installers. But, that’s because every square-foot price at American Wood Flooring is all-inclusive — which means sub-floor preparation, underlayment, removal and disposal of old carpeting and padding, transition pieces, material and install of quarter-round trim. Even things like moving furniture in and out of the room are included in the price per square foot.

What’s more, American Wood Flooring offers a Lifetime Warranty on the installation, and that is offered through the store, not the installer. That means that if American Wood Flooring no longer uses a particular installer, the warranty is still valid, regardless of who did the installation. The only additional costs a customer might incur outside of the square foot quote is if old tile flooring needs to be torn out or if the project includes covering a staircase.

“It happens all the time when the customer is holding a quote from a big box store or competitor that’s for something like $2.99 a square foot,” Dunning said. “But, once they nickel and dime you to death, it often ends up that our quote is less than theirs and I stand behind what I sell.”

So, What Are The Latest Trends?

Color scheme-wise, Dunning says that grey- and white-wash tones are the newest trends. For laminate flooring, LVP, or Luxury Vinyl Plank, is the latest craze.

LVP is a hybrid of laminate and vinyl flooring that’s completely waterproof. Most laminate flooring is water-resistant but water can still seep into the cracks where the pieces fit together and saturate the fiber board, causing swelling and warping. LVP panels have a vinyl veneer that protects both the panels and the joints from water intrusion. The sub layer of the LVP is actually made from Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), a thermoplastic known for its rigidness.

A layer of cork separates the top layer of PVC from the bottom layer.

Flex Core Naturals is one of the five different brands of LVP flooring that American Wood Flooring has available.
“We brought it (LVP) into the store about 16 months ago and we were installing three to five floors a month with it,” Dunning said. “Now we’re putting in 12 to 15 LVP floors a month.”

LVP falls in the middle price range with regard to the different types of flooring, coming in between $5.99 and $7.99 per square foot. As a comparison, Dunning says some hardwood flooring can go as high as $17 or even $18 per square foot.

He adds that another benefit to LVP flooring compared with other types of laminate is the sound. Dunning says an air pocket exists between laminate flooring and the subfloor. This can make that knocking sound when walking on it with shoes, especially hard-soled shoes. LVP flooring lays flush with the subfloor, so it is quieter.

Another growing trend in flooring is the demand for American-made product.

“When we started in Wesley Chapel in 2008, about 40 percent of the product we sold was made domestically,” Dunning said. “This year, I would say that 75 percent of our product is made here in the U.S.”

Dunning says he enjoys this trend.

“Typically, the domestically-made products are better quality,” Dunning said. “Most are made from American lumber anyway. It puts Americans back to work and brings jobs back to the United States.”

Another bonus to ordering through American Wood Flooring is that there is no sales tax if American Wood Flooring also does the installation.

“The State of Florida considers flooring a permanent home improvement and customers can save the sales tax if we do the install,” Dunning says.

“American Wood Flooring installed all of the hardwood flooring in my house,” says another satisfied customer, Janet Noblett. “They did such a fabulous job. Andy is very professional, dependable and extremely knowledgeable. I have recommended him to many of my family and friends and they have all been so pleased.”

Right now, American Wood Flooring is offering a promotion for waterproof flooring for just $5.99 per square foot. The store also has a $3.99-per-square-foot laminate flooring special, as well as a $1.99- per-square-foot carpeting special.

American Wood Flooring also offers a refer-a-friend incentive. Customers who refer a friend receive $50 gift cards to restaurants like Bonefish Grill, Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba’s Italian Grill.

The American Wood Flooring showroom in Wesley Chapel is located at 1285 BBD Blvd. and is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday. For more info, visit AmericanWoodFlooringFla.com, or call (813) 991-7999.

900Âș Woodfired Has A Lot More Than Just Two Kinds Of Delicious Pizza!

MOST Neighborhood News readers recognize how much I enjoy doing our dining reviews, especially when I get to do stories about my favorite local eateries and their restaurateurs.

Case in point: 900Âș Woodfired Pizza, located in the Shops at Wiregrass, which is owned by someone I’ve really only known since he and a former partner opened it in the mall seven years ago.

Today, long-time New Tampa resident Steve Fallabella is the sole proprietor and Steve is a very hands-on kind of owner (like a certain newspaper editor) and he has an authentic Italian heritage and knowledge of good food honed in New York. Steve says he also enjoys being the “delivery boy” for 900Âș Woodfired’s growing catering side of the business (more on that below).

Even though I’ve never been a New York sports fan myself (I root for the Rays, Bucs and Lightning), Steve is a lifelong Yankees fan who also is a past president of his subdivision in West Meadows.

And yes, 900Âș Woodfired, which isn’t a chain and is one of the most successful places to eat at the mall, is a really good restaurant, even though its primary business is still pizza — both New York-style and the 900Âș woodfired Neapolitan style that gives the place its name.
But, I told Steve that even though a pic of each kind of pizza will likely slip into this article, I really wanted to focus on everything else there is to eat at 900Âș Woodfired.

For Starters…

I’ve mentioned in previous stories about 900Âș Woodfired how much I enjoy the caprese appetizer (fresh mozzarella, sliced tomato, oregano, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh basil served on a bed of mixed greens), and the entire Neighborhood News staff recently got to enjoy a variety of other starters, including the fried, cheese-filled raviolis (served with a marinara dipping sauce), the fried calamari (also served with marinara) and the homemade bruschetta.

My favorite appetizer that we all sampled this time around, however, were the oven-baked naked wings. We split an order of ten wings — five with no sauce and five with garlic and parmesan — and they come out crispy outside, moist inside and the garlic parmesan sauce wasn’t overpowering, as it can be at some places.

The wings went down easy with my 23-oz. Peroni Italian beer on draught, and bottled beers and a variety of house wines also are available.
But, my favorites at 900Âș Woodfired are the pastas, and I’m not talking about baked items like lasagna and baked ziti, although those also are on the menu — and they’re pretty darn tasty, too.

My favorite pasta combination on the menu is the beef-and-veal-filled tortellacci, which are pasta “pockets” (some call them “purses”) filled with ground beef and veal in a classic Bolognese (meat sauce). So good. I also enjoyed the tortellini della casa, which are spinach-and-cheese-filled tortellini in a sautĂ©ed tomato sauce with black olives, chopped garlic and fresh spinach.

It’s probably also not too surprising to our readers that I often take advantage of 900Âș Woodfired’ “Create Your Own Pasta” option. I almost always choose the penne pasta with pesto Genovese sauce, grilled chicken and sautĂ©ed spinach. It’s such a huge portion that I usually have it as a side dish with every meal for several days and the penne always comes out al dentĂ© (firm), as I prefer it, without having to ask for it that way.

Pizzas, Catering & More!

OK, yes, 900Âș Woodfired Pizza does have pizzas, too (having won “Best Pizza” in our annual Reader Survey in 2015-16), but I’m going to be honest again — I’m biased as to which style of pizza I prefer. Although the 900Âș F, wood-burning oven (photo, left) is awesome to watch, I’ve never liked wood (or coal)-fired, Neapolitan-style pizza as much as I do true New York-style options. I’ve never been to Naples, but I grew up on Long Island and lived in Manhattan in my 20s, so the more authentic, the better.

Steve knows that using the best ingredients (never mention the words “Papa” and “John” in the same sentence to me) makes the best pizza and his New York crust is legit and his blended pizza sauce and mozzarella are the real deal, too.

So, I still prefer regular ol’ NY-style cheese pizza the best, but for the pics for this story, I wanted to show 900Âș Woodfired’s delicious toppings, so the photo above right is a large (16”) NY-style pizza that is half-pepperoni, half-”Mega Meat,” with ‘ronis, sausage, bacon and ham. To no one’s surprise, none of it was left over.

As for the woodfired pizza that gives the place its name, we decided to try a couple of pizzas other than our usual (and super-delicious) Neapolitan-style margherita pizza and went a little exotic.

Several in our office went crazy over the 12” medium-spicy Buffalo chicken pizza, but I was stunned at how much I loved the Ortolano pizza, which is a veggie lover’s dream — a sauceless pie with fresh mozzarella, sliced cherry tomatoes, marinated zucchini and eggplant, artichokes and fresh basil. The pieces of artichoke were huge and a little overpowering, but this is one delicious and unique pizza. And, for those who want or need gluten-free pizza, every pizza on 900Âș Woodfired’s extensive menu is available as a 10” gluten-free.

“Our newest growth area is catering,” Steve says. “Through the EZcatering Network and word of mouth, our catering has doubled over last year. And our online catering reviews have been awesome. We will soon be publishing a new catering menu, and eventually buying a vehicle dedicated for the catering business.”

Steve is one of those techie people who jumps all over the latest industry trends. In fact, 900Âș Woodfired was the first Wesley Chapel restaurant to use Ubereats.

“I helped Uber recruit more restaurants in Wesley Chapel, so they would deliver into more subdivisions,” Steve says, “and our delivery business just took off. We’re part of the industry shift to the convenience of dining at home vs. dining out.” ” He also offers online ordering for takeout.

For more information about 900Âș Woodfired Pizza (28152 Paseo Dr.), which is open every day for lunch & dinner, visit 900DegreesWoodfiredPizza.com or call (813) 527-6940.

Storage Wars

It Seems That Even With All Of The 2- & 3-Car Garages In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel, The Need For Storage Facilities Continues To Grow With The Community. How Many Is Too Many? 

Wesley Chapel is its own little boomtown.

New restaurants are popping up on every corner. There is shopping everywhere you turn. Major sports facilities are breaking ground. Hundreds of new hotel rooms are almost ready to be booked. An avalanche of houses and apartments is under construction.

Wesley Chapel is a sexy place for developers.

But, the seemingly most popular business in the area these days might be the least sexy of them all: Self-storage facilities.

Within one roughly 10-mile radius, five storage facilties have landed on the local map the last two years.

A three-story, 80,000-sq.-ft. CubeSmart (with 94,000 square feet of storage space in all) on S.R. 54 recently opened, with another three-story, 80,400-sq.-ft. CubeSmart facility under construction, on S.R. 56.

Morningstar Storage, another three-story unit boasting 100,000 sq. ft. of storage, is currently being built in Wiregrass Ranch, behind the new Fairfield Inn.

The Storage Center In Wesley Chapel — arguably the most straightforward name of any local business — was putting the finishing touches at the end of May on a four-floor, 76,500-sq.-ft. facility off S.R. 56 and Trout Creek Dr. (behind WaWa).

And, developers have already met with the county about yet another 110,000-sq.-ft. storage facility, to be located behind the Walgreens on S.R. 54 and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.

Why the explosion? It’s simple.

“There’s tons of money to be made,’’ says Patrick Rairigh, managing partner of Rairigh Realty & Investments, LLC, “and they are a great business to own.”

The facilities are inexpensive to build, have low overhead costs, require few employees — some can be run by less than a handful of workers — and have great profit margins, Rairigh says.

When it comes to investments, self-storage has proven to be safe and reliable.

It is a $38-billion industry, according to SpareFoot, a company that covers the storage industry. While the vast majority of the facilities are mom-and-pop owned, it’s no wonder that many are backed by Real Estate Investment Trusts, also known as REITs.

Nearly 1- in-10 Americans pay an average of $91.14 per month to store their overflow in more than 50,000 self storage facilities across the U.S., offering more than 2.3 billion square feet of total rentable space. The average price in Florida is closer to $88 a month.

The five aforementioned new storage facilities in Wesley Chapel offer roughly a half-million square feet of previously unavailable storage space.

Those facilities, which offer a variety of unit sizes (a 5’ x 10’ unit, for example, is the most popular size in Florida, which would run you $100 a month at the recently opened Cube Smart on S.R. 54) generally operate at an 80-90 percent occupancy rate.

The industry even spawned a hit reality television series on the A&E Network, “Storage Wars,” which followed professional scavengers who would bid on storage lockers that had been abandoned or were no longer being paid for.

According to SpareFoot, the self-storage industry as we know it today got its start in the Midland-Odessa area of West Texas in 1964, when two local oilmen constructed a building for customers to house their belongings.

Russ Williams and stepson Bob Munn called it A-1 U-Store-It U-Lock-It U-Carry-the-Key, which today sounds like someone trying to get their business web hits with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but back in the 1960s it was merely a ploy to get listed near the front of the Yellow Pages.
The two men built six more facilities around Odessa, and expanded to places like Austin and Houston. The bigger players in the “biz,” like Public Storage Inc., currently the largest self-storage company in the U.S., didn’t arrive until 1972.

Storage facilities may be money makers, but they aren’t exactly the kind of businesses that excite county planners or chambers of commerce.
North Tampa Chamber of Commerce CEO Hope Allen has been a happy promoter and champion of new businesses coming to Wesley Chapel and creating excitement in the community, but she is more muted about the recent proliferation of storage facilities.

“Demand is going to drive the market,” Allen says. “If that is what is driving the market, then so be it.”

While there is no doubting their money-making prowess for investors and developers, there are areas around the country that are now recoiling in the face of the self-storage industry’s impressive growth, as saturation becomes a major concern.

Last year, Collier County commissioners considered placing a year-long ban on some businesses, like storage facilities, along a 7-mile stretch of U.S. 41 to encourage, “more desirable land uses, such as restaurants, hotels and stores,” according to the Naples Daily News.

“We don’t have any rules like that,” says Ernie Monaco, acting planning and development director for Pasco County. “If there was no need for them, believe me, they wouldn’t be building them.”

Besides, there is currently nothing the county can do to stop developers from building them.

“At the end of the day, people are investors and want to make money,” Monaco says. “We don’t own the land.”

Monaco says the self-storage expansion is, however, yet another indicator of Wesley Chapel’s growth.
The more houses and apartments that are built, and as more businesses move here — Raymond James Financial, for example, is expected to add more than 700 jobs to the area — more people will be moving in.

And, with new homes getting smaller and smaller, they will need a place to store their things. Plus, many baby boomers are downsizing. Over-55 adult communities are in the works in Wesley Chapel, and older residents relocating to the area from the Midwest and Northeast will need to find replacements for their attics and basements.

Storage solutions aren’t just for families who have outgrown their homes or apartment-dwelling downsizers — or even people who are trapped in the consumerist cycle of ordering things they don’t need from Amazon and other easy-to-buy-from websites — but small businesses as well.

Allen and Monaco’s greater concerns center on the storage units taking up valuable space in prime areas they feel could be better used for commercial or industrial projects that create more jobs.

To meet demand, storage facilities have evolved from rows of garage-like units in discreet locations to accommodating and comfortable buildings offering free Wifi in more convenient and high-profile locations.

Monaco says more and more developers of self-storage facilities “want the visibility.”

The two CubeSmarts have roadside locations on the area’s busiest roads, and the Storage Center In Wesley Chapel, while more tucked out of sight, is directly behind a popular and heavily-trafficked Wawa.

However, these aren’t your Daddy’s self-storage places, either.

The recently opened CubeSmart on S.R. 54 looks like a large office building, and the Storage Center In Wesley Chapel could almost be mistaken for a small hotel.

When New Tampa was still in its development phase, like Wesley Chapel is today, it was almost impossible to get approval to build a self-storage facility.

“Years ago, Bruce B. Downs was the hardest spot you could find to put a storage unit,” Rairigh says. “They were ugly and no one wanted them.”

Rairigh Construction built the second self-storage unit ever located in New Tampa, and then sold it to Metro Self Storage in 2003. The first facility was built on Doña Michelle Dr. before also being sold to Metro Storage.

Another CubeSmart, the fourth-largest self-storage company in the U.S., is under construction in New Tampa behind Christian Brothers Automotive on BBD.

Rairigh thinks New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, when the self-storage units currently under construction or planned are all built, is approaching saturation. But, the interest in building more hasn’t waned.

He says that over the last three years, he’s had a steady stream of investors and developers knocking on his door looking for sites. Price, he says, is not an object for potential suitors.

“The model has changed,” he says. “You used to need a lot of land to build them, but now you have climate control buildings that are more vertical. They take up less space because they can be built on smaller parcels of land. And, the builders are putting some money into them. They have nice facades, they look like they belong.

“Honestly, some look better than some of the office buildings.”