Karen Tillman-Gosselin & Renynold Gosselin Sell More Than Just Luxury Homes

The husband-and-wife team of Renynold Gosselin & Karen Tillman-Gosselin of Smith & Associates Real Estate can help you buy the luxury home of your dreams or help you sell your home.

According to long-time Tampa-area real estate agent Karen Tillman-Gosselin, whether a person is looking to sell or buy a home, it is most likely the most important and largest financial decision that they are making.

“Having a real estate agent who can listen to your wants and needs and help you find that one house you will make your home is crucial,” Karen says. “That agent needs to put you first, then properly coordinate all aspects — from negotiations and inspections to ensuring that the transaction becomes a reality.”

Karen knows what it takes to do that.

During her decades-long career in real estate, she has sold more than $150 million of real estate. She has been so successful, in fact, that she was named one of the top 25 agents in the Tampa Bay area in 2005 by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Karen currently is one of the top 10 producers at Smith & Associates Real Estate, a boutique firm based in South Tampa that has been in business 45 years and is the largest independent real estate office in the Tampa Bay area, with 245 agents and $1.2 billion in transactions in 2016.

Karen joined Smith & Associates in 2012.

“It’s a big company, but not as well known in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel as it is in South Tampa,” she says.

The Gosselins specialize in luxury homes (such as this one in Westchase that is currently listed by Karen and Renynold), although they can help you buy or sell virtually any home in any price category.

Prior to joining Smith & Associates, Karen worked for many years for local offices of Florida Executive Realty, Keller Williams and Casa Fina Realty.

“I find Smith to be a good fit for me,” she says. “It just feels right. I like their reputation and that the company is really big on giving back to the community, in both time and money.”

Smith & Associates’ commitment to the community is especially important to Karen.

She is highly involved in many community organizations that are meaningful to her, including the Rotary Club of New Tampa, the Board of Directors of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (as its current membership chair), and several other organizations, including some at the University of South Florida.

Although Smith & Associates is known as a luxury firm — and Karen does sell luxury homes and specialize in relocating executives to the Tampa Bay area — she also represents buyers and sellers at any price point, even first-time home buyers.

Karen’s husband, Renynold Gosselin, has worked with her “behind the scenes” since they both got their real estate licenses in 2000.

Renynold recently retired from a 30-year career with Verizon and is now Karen’s full-time partner in real estate.

While Renynold was born and raised in Tampa, Karen has also lived here nearly her entire life. She moved to the area as a child, when her father was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base.

“We know the Tampa Bay market so well from living here,” she says.

The couple bought a home in Tampa Palms more than 30 years ago, back when the closest grocery stores were either at S.R. 54 or in Temple Terrace, where their daughter attended school because there were no schools built in Tampa Palms yet.

“We’ve seen such growth in this area,” Karen says.

Setting The Stage Properly

Karen first got into real estate when she was working as an interior designer, often staging homes for sale for real estate agents. She uses that background in interior design to be sure her clients’ homes look their best.

“My experience as an interior designer means I can stage a house so it looks good and sells faster,” she says.

Karen and Renynold agree that one of the most important parts of selling a house is ensuring that it has great photographs online.

“First impressions are so important,” says Renynold, “and now, those first impressions are the pictures they see online.”

He adds, “So many people are moving into the area from up north, and buyers tell their agents which houses they want to see, based just on pictures.”

So, Karen and Renynold provide a 3D tour of each home they list. The tour is so comprehensive, it can even be viewed in virtual reality to feel like you’re actually walking through the home.

While they take a lot of photos themselves, they will hire a professional photographer — and will even do drone photography if it’s needed. And, with all of their years of success helping buyers and sellers, they know when it’s needed.

“We make sure we have the right price, the right pictures, and the right advertising,” Renynold says. “Each house is unique.”

Karen says she and Renynold are by their clients’ side throughout the entire process, paying attention to every detail.

“It can be very overwhelming to sell a house,” she says. “It’s not easy to put a house on the market, especially with kids and pets, and people often want to see it at the last minute, so we try to have a calming effect on all of that.”

Their expertise can make the entire process much easier on buyers and sellers.

“There are always new situations and you have to figure out what to do in that situation,” Karen says. “If something unexpected comes up, that’s why we’re there. We try to keep everything as simple and open as possible. An inexperienced agent doesn’t know what to do, but we know how to handle those problems.”

Dennis and Fran Loomis are currently working with the Gosselins to sell their home in West Meadows and buy a home in Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club, located just north of Wesley Chapel in San Antonio.

They are repeat clients who love working with Karen and Renynold, first selling their home in Tampa Palms in 2004, then moving to a new construction home in Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club (TBGCC), then selling that home and moving back to the New Tampa area, in West Meadows, in 2008.

“We’re probably the only people who moved into the same retirement community twice,” jokes Dennis.

He says he continues to work with Karen and Renynold because, “they do a fabulous job. We have a lot of trust in both of them.”

On a recent Monday, Dennis told us, “Our home in West Meadows went on the market on Friday, and we had five or six people look at it over the weekend, and we expect to have a contract today. Karen goes to all the showings, even when she’s not representing the buyer, and she also shows up at inspections.”

He says Karen also has been a constant advocate for him and his wife.

“In my experience, most real estate agents want to get the sale and get the commission, and aren’t really interested in what’s in the best interest of their client,” Dennis says.

Not so with Karen, he adds, citing how she helped him list his home at a higher price point than expected, and negotiate aggressively so the final price of the home remained high.

He says he also appreciates Karen’s attention to detail.

“During the construction of our first home in TBGCC, she went in and put tape on the wall everywhere the paint needed to be touched up,” explains Dennis. “Well, we walked in and saw 50 or 60 pieces of tape. The builder just repainted the whole thing.”

Dennis says the most important thing is that she treats everyone well.

“Karen represents larger transactions, but (even for smaller transactions) she spends time with you just like if you were selling an $800,000 home,” he says.

Karen says that’s a hallmark of her and Renynold’s business.

“We work with everyone, from CEOs to first-time buyers, and it doesn’t matter who the seller is, they all deserve to be treated the same,” she says, adding, “We love what we do, because it is all about making sure that the client’s needs are met.”

For more information, or to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation in your home with Karen Tillman-Gosselin, visit FineHomesOfTampa.com, call (813) 629-1502, or see the ad on page 2 of this issue.

More Eateries & Shops Getting Closer On S.R. 56 Across From The Outlet Mall

The long-dormant stretch of S.R. 56 from Wesley Chapel Blvd. to I-75 has been bustling the past two years. On the south side of 56, development has boomed with the Tampa Premium Outlets, Costco, Cheddars, BJ’s Brewhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse, Culver’s, Chick-fil-A and others, with more yet to come.

Now, it looks like the Cypress Creek Town Center North development across S.R. 56 is starting to catch up.

According to Pasco County building permit records, at least 10 other businesses — including Tex-Mex restaurant Chuy’s and psychedelic pizza place Mellow Mushroom, are in construction on the more than 200 acres of property on the north side of S.R. 56 owned by the Sierra family’s Pasco Ranch, Inc.

Wesley Chapel’s second Wendy’s restaurant has opened on S.R. 56, next to Pollo Tropical.

The coming businesses, all of which are located on Sierra Center Blvd. (which runs through the Cypress Creek Town Center North development), will join the recently opened Ford’s Garage, Pollo Tropical and Wendy’s (which opened the day we went to press), as well as the soon-to-open Taco Bell, all on the north side of 56.

Another popular restaurant, Bahama Breeze Island Grill, is planned a little further to the east of Chuy’s. The owners of that restaurant, which specializes in Caribbean-inspired food and tropical drinks, had their pre-application meeting with county planners on Jan. 30. Bahama Breeze is expected to be roughly 8,000-sq.-ft. with an outdoor seating area.

Mellow Mushroom and Chuy’s Tex-Mex will add to the area’s quickly growing chain food scene. Tennessee-based Hutton Development is building a strip center between the Taco Bell and Bahama Breeze site that will have seven tenants (including Mellow Mushroom).

While new to the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area, Mellow Mushroom is a chain founded in 1974 in Atlanta, and has more than 150 locations in the U.S., including Brandon, Clearwater and West Tampa.

It serves up a variety of specialty pizzas and dozens of different craft beers while specializing in creating an atypical vibe and unusual decor. It offers vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free alternatives as well. Some have referred to Mellow Mushroom as a “hippie” pizza place, as many locations pay homage to the tie-dye style.

Chuy’s is a Tex-Mex chain headquartered in Austin, TX, and established in 1982. It now boasts nearly 100 locations nationwide. The nearest to Wesley Chapel is in Kissimmee, one of the restaurant chain’s five Orlando-area locations. It also has locations in Tallahassee and Gainesville, and is building one in Jacksonville.

Chuy’s offers made-from-scratch Tex-Mex inspired dishes, and varies the look of each link in its chain. According to county permit records, the Wesley Chapel Chuy’s will be 8,492-sq.ft., with 605 of those for an outside patio.

While no opening date is available, let’s hope it’s before Jan. 8, Elvis Presley’s birthday. Each Chuy’s has a shrine to Elvis, and his birthday is celebrated each year at the restaurants with a party…often with an Elvis impersonator.

Many of these new locations appeared on a map produced by leasing agents last year, but one that did appear on that map (that we also ended up showing on our map of the area in our April issues) but is apparently not coming to Cypress Creek Town Center North is Newk’s Eatery. A spokesperson for Newk’s said that the company, based in Jackson, MS, is looking at other options in the Wesley Chapel area, but had no specific locations.

Green Grocer Alert!

And, it’s not just restaurants coming to the north side of S.R. 56.

County permitting records reveal that a Men’s Wearhouse, Great Clips, Mattress Firm and T-Mobile store are on the way, as well as a Five Below discount store, which caters to the pre-teen and teen market and doesn’t sell anything more expensive than $5.

Founded in 2002, Five Below has nearly 600 stores nationwide. The nearest locations are in the North Pointe Plaza on N. Dale Mabry in Tampa, and in Plant City. The Wesley Chapel location will be 8,960-sq.-ft.

Permitting also shows a 24,230-sq.-ft. PetSmart and 89,995-sq.-ft. Dick’s Sporting Goods store coming to the Cypress Creek Town Center, as well as a Burlington Coat Factory. We were unable to find out before our press time how the new Dick’s store would affect the sporting goods chain’s existing Wesley Chapel location in The Grove plaza off S.R. 54

If you think the restaurant scene along S.R. 56 is becoming crowded — which is likely to add almost 20 dining choices in a half-mile or so stretch, the grocery store scene may not be far behind.

Hutton also met with Pasco County planners last month to propose a development of 3.84 acres on the northeast corner of S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd. that has appeared on our map as “Regency Shopping Center.” That development (west of Ford’s Garage) would encompass a 35,320-sq.-ft. retail center, which will include a 23,820-sq.-ft. grocery — expected to be a green or boutique grocer — and the remaining 11,500 square feet will house general retail stores.

The proposed grocery store would be just northeast (across S.R. 56) from the proposed Aldi store, and east (across Wesley Chapel Blvd.) from a possible 16,000-sq.-ft. grocery store in the Brightwork Crossing project (north and west of Walgreens; look for more about this new development in a future issue).

Even though many locals still wonder if we’ll ever have anything other than a Publix or a Winn-Dixie in the Wesley Chapel area, these three new stores and the new Costco means a much more competitive marketplace for your grocery dollar is coming very soon.

Irish 31’s Opening Brings Even More Restaurant Excitement To Wiregrass!

The first of the two new restaurants to open at the Shops at Wiregrass mall is the fifth location of Irish 31, which opened on July 7.

Although I missed the actual Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting on July 6 (I arrived a little late; the ribbon-cutting photo on this page was taken by Steve Miller of Stephen John Photography), Irish 31 owner Jay Mize and general manager Mike Forsyth were on hand for it — as was former Tampa Bay Lightning star and New Tampa resident Brian Bradley (who works for the Lightning; he gave away some cool memorabilia), as hundreds of people found their way inside to check out the cool dĂ©cor, the unique menu and the South Tampa vibe of Mize’s newest Irish 31.

I have only sampled a few items so far on Irish 31’s chef-driven menu, but I did enjoy the boneless wings with Thai chili sauce and the corned beef and cabbage and loaded “boxty” (almost tennis-ball-sized balls of mashed potatoes, mixed with generous helpings of corned beef and cabbage, or bacon, Velveeta cheese and chives, and fried to a golden brown), served with an “Emerald Isle” dipping sauce.

Also among our favorites, at least so far.: The fried zucchini appetizer, the Ploughman’s salad (mixed greens, bacon, roma tomato, hard-boiled egg, bleu cheese, candied pecans and avocado tossed in Irish 31’s really tasty Guinness vinaigrette) and the “Farmer’s Fried chicken — two boneless chicken breasts breaded with seasoned flour, then fried golden brown, and served with mashed potatoes and onion gravy, with a nice side of  fresh market vegetables.

For more information about Irish 31 (28358 Willett Way), visit Irish31.com or call (813) 907-2306. Irish 31 is open every day at 11 a.m. (at 10 a.m. on Sun.) and stays open until midnight Sun.-Wed., until 1 a.m. on Thur. and until 2 a.m. on Fri. and Sat. I haven’t checked it out yet for live music or for Sunday brunch, but the website claims that Irish 31 is renowned as one of the best brunch spots in the Tampa Bay area!

Noble Crust Is Wesley Chapel’s Best Restaurant From Its First Day Open!

(L.-r.) Manager Colin & Chef Rob Reinsmith, Will Perez & TJ Thielbar of the new Noble Crust at the Shops at Wiregrass mall.

About a year ago, when we first started our seemingly neverending updates about the anticipated opening of the new Noble Crust in the Shops at Wiregrass mall, my fiancé Jannah and I started visiting the original Noble Crust location on 4th St. in St. Petersburg.

We were hooked from the moment we walked in. The vibe…the buzz…the enticing aroma of fresh garlic in the air inside owner TJ Thielbar’s not-fancy-but-nice creation had everything we’ve been looking for in a true mom-and-pop addition to the Wesley Chapel dining scene.

I was fortunate that Noble Crust Wiregrass managing partner Will Perez — who worked his way up the ranks in St. Pete — is a long-time Wesley Chapel resident who pushed his friend and business associate (Thielbar) into expanding so close to home I can almost taste it from my apartment.

It also was Will who sought me out — as the restaurant coordinator for the recent Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel, to make sure Noble Crust would participate in that event.

I feel lucky just to know these guys, much less get to sample the incredible Italian cuisine with a Southern flair given life by Noble Crust’s Chef Rob Reinsmith.

Here’s all of the dishes we already love at Noble Crust — the too-tasty-to-be kale Caesar, topped with a deep fried soft-boiled egg (Will says he spent most of his first day at the St. Pete location carefully hand-peeling those eggs); the Southern fried chicken parmigiana (with al dentĂ© bucatini, or hollow spaghetti); the current grouper special (served with succotash, mashed potatoes, a frise salad and the best chimichurri sauce ever); the beef, pork and veal meatballs; the Noble Pig (with house-made sausage and incredible pepperoni) and Margherita pizzas; and our surprise current favorite special — the cauliflower gratin (pictured) with crumbled bacon.

Yes, although I still can’t get an amazing Cowboy ribeye at Noble Crust, the fact its prices are less than half the cost of dinner for two at Dempsey’s Steak House at Saddlebrook Resort (my other favorite), make this hot new eatery my #1 favorite restaurant in Wesley Chapel! Now, I just have to convince them to open for lunch, at least for me!

Noble Crust Wiregrass (28330 Paseo Dr.) is open every day for dinner at 4 p.m. (3 p.m. on Fri.), and at 10 a.m. for brunch on Sat. & Sun. It stays open until at least 10 p.m. every day (til midnight on Fri. & Sat.). Ask about their “Sunday Gravy” early dinner on Sundays and please tell them that you read about Noble Crust in the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News! For reservations & info, call (813) 703-2602 or visit Noble-Crust.com!

Feeling Crafty? You Can ‘Go Craft Yourself’ Pretty Much Anytime You Want

Lindsay Rewald works on a craft with her daughters Hayley (left) and Madison. The Rewalds decided to drop in to Go Craft Yourself on Cross Creek Blvd. after a doctor’s appointment.

When she wasn’t working as a software salesperson, or in real estate or defense manufacturing, Samantha Harrison says she was working on crafts.

Many of her projects — other than adding an artistic touch to her young daughters’ rooms and their home — were gifts for friends that always seemed to be a hit. Combined with a Pinterest account burgeoning with projects she was hoping to get around to one day, the road to a crafting career was already in the works.

“You know, you should do this for a living,’’ her friends would tell her, and one day, Samantha agreed.

In February, in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center off Cross Creek Blvd., Samantha and her husband Brian opened Go Craft Yourself, a concept that combines crafting with affordability and availability.

While Go Craft Yourself does hold crafting events and themed outings, its scheduling flexibility is one of the things that make it stand out from its few competitors in the Tampa Bay area.

It’s this simple: Do you want to craft? Then come on in.

Samantha and Brian Harrison opened Go Craft Yourself in February of this year.

“You can walk in the door anytime,” Samantha says. “You pick a project and do it, and take it home with you that day. You don’t have to make an appointment; you don’t have to come to a scheduled workshop. We’re open every day but Mondays, so we’re pretty much always here.”

Go Craft Yourself is located right across the way from the popular Children’s Dentistry office of Dr. Greg Stepanski, and shares the plaza with a number of other kid-friendly businesses where parents are often stopping by so their children can see doctors and dentists and take their music and martial arts lessons.

“It seems like everybody’s kids go to the dentist right across the way,’’ Samantha says, laughing.

That’s how New Tampa’s Lindsay Rewald discovered Go Craft Yourself. Her young daughters, Madison, 12, and Hayley, 9, were visiting their doctor’s office when they noticed the crafting center.

The three of them walked right in, found a project they liked, and started crafting.

“It’s a great concept,’’ says Rewald, who was stenciling the family name over the letter R onto a rectangular piece of wood she planned to hang in the family room of their home. It is Go Craft Yourself’s most popular project, Samantha says.

Madison and Hayley were working on a similar project, painting their first names to hang in their bedrooms.

“It’s fun,’’ Hayley said.

“And, we will definitely be back,’’ her mom added.

One of the things Rewald says she liked about Go Craft Yourself is the workspace. The shop is more than 3,000 sq. ft., with a half dozen or so large, square wooden tables set up to handle large groups.

While the Harrisons looked around for the right studio, more expensive locations right on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. didn’t fit their needs. For a better price, they chose a far more spacious locale.

“The space is one thing that definitely makes us different,’’ Brian says.

The Harrisons made the distinct, dark wood tables in the studio themselves, as well as the front counter and the wood-slatted wall behind it.

There is a children’s area in one corner, with chalkboard walls, and in another corner is a work area. On Father’s Day, children were able to fill a squirt gun with different colored paints and then fire away at a stencil, creating a unique gift for their dads.

Most of the crafts offered are wood-oriented, like signs, custom serving trays, planter boxes and wall decorations, although the studio also has painting for kids and various other crafts. Pricing is per project and varies depending upon the project.

Though you can walk right in and start crafting, Go Craft Yourself also offers workshops for serious crafters ages 18 and older, and is available for private events.

Go Craft Yourself is currently running “Christmas in July,” where crafters can come in and make gifts for the upcoming holiday, or festive decorations for the home and tree.  With Halloween and Thanksgiving quickly approaching as well, crafting season is about to kick into full gear and the art shop plans to offer a number of season-themed activities.

“We are versatile,’’ Brian said. “We had a whole bridal shower come in one time, and they wanted something that we typically don’t offer. But, we showed them something else, and they ended up making really nice custom-designed pieces for the wedding.”

Samantha said that as the business grows, it will offer kid camps, with room to handle 70 budding artists at a time. She also is hoping to work with nearby schools on projects. She is already working with Benito Middle School, where currently, students can come in and decorate pavers for $10, which will then be used for a pathway at the school.

Samantha was born and raised in Melbourne, FL, and studied business and religion in college at Stetson and Liberty universities. However, the jobs that followed, she says, lacked a connection for her.

“They weren’t very creatively-driven jobs,” she says.

Two years ago, the Harrisons moved to West Meadows for Samantha’s new sales job. However, since college, she says she has always imagined herself as a CEO or owner of a company, leading to Go Craft Yourself.

“I just never knew what that looked like, until we figured this out,’’ she says. “This fulfills that desire.”

Samantha says that while there are similar crafting studios in Tampa Bay, there aren’t any this area. And, there also aren’t any where you can walk in, sit down and begin crafting something special at a moment’s notice.

Go Craft Yourself definitely has an artistic feel to it, and even includes a sitting area with coffee and Wi-Fi for those taking a more leisurely approach to their project.

“People love the atmosphere,’’ Samantha says. “There’s no time limit, no pressure, you can sit here all day if you want. We try to provide a calm, relaxing environment.”

There also is the convenience factor, she adds. Instead of buying crafting supplies that you will use a few times and then store away until you end up with bottles of dried paint and crusty brushes, it’s more pragmatic to use what you need. No storage, no clean up.

And, it’s cheaper.

“We make it easy,’’ she says.

Go Craft Yourself is ideal for a girls night out, birthday parties and team-building events, Samantha says, adding that her customer base has expanded every month.

“We’ve grown significantly since we opened in February,’’ Samantha says. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know new people. We get a lot of repeat customers, and I see a lot of them with the same passion for crafting I have.”

Go Craft Yourself is located at 10311 Cross Creek Blvd., Suite A, in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center, and is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and 2 p.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call (813) 345-8498, visit GoCraftYourselfFL.com or see the ad on pg. 32 of this issue.