If I ever open a store, I hope I can do as good a job as Academy Sports + Outdoors, a nearly 300-store chain which opened its newest location next to PopStroke on the north side of S.R. 56, in front of Total Wine & More.
From Fri.-Sun, Nov. 17-19, the first 150 people to visit received a free Academy Sports + Outdoors gift card valued anywhere from $20 to a whopping $500. According to Academy’s regional marketing specialist for Florida Michael Reynolds, a total of more than $14,000 in gift cards were given away and just the prospect of winning one of the two big $500 cards given away each day certainly had everyone in attendance excited about the Wesley Chapel area’s newest sporting goods store.
In fact, Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I were on hand to witness the two $500 winners on Friday, including Kalyn Saliba (top left photo), who said that although she’s not particularly “sporty” herself, her husband and sons had shopped at the Academy store in Louisiana, where they lived for several years before moving back to Florida.
“But, I’m a big fan of Academy now,” Kalyn said after she posed with her giant gift card and called her husband, who didn’t believe she had really won. “No, really,” she said. “Let’s definitely go shopping here soon!”
We also heard several $75 and $100 gift cards being given to some of the other early attendees, none of whom won less than $20, and most were quick to make purchases — including yours truly, who scooped a new pair of New Balance running shoes that were already 25% off before taking my $20 gift card into consideration. The athletic shoe department has lots of other options, including Asics, Brooks, Nike and more.
I don’t know how long the opening 25% off prices will remain in effect, but there’s no doubt that Academy Sports + Outdoors has pretty much everything you need to be outfitted for everything from baseball to volleyball and brand names from Adidas to Yeti — all at outstanding prices.
The outdoor department is huge and does include camping, fishing, hunting and hiking gear and even grills and turkey fryers.
Academy Sports + Outdoors (25415 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz) is open every day except Thur. For more information, call (813) 953-4410 or visit Academy.com.
Congratulations to owners Cindy and David Cruz and their entire family (photo above) and staff on the opening — finally! — of their Rice-n-Beans Express location at 24726 S.R. 54 in Lutz, a mile or so west of the Tampa Premium Outlets.
Although there are a few tables inside the new location, Rice-n-Beans Express is much more of a take-out place than the Rice-n-Beans Puerto Rico restaurant on Wesley Chapel Blvd., which has a large formal dining area, a full-liquor bar and live entertainment on the weekends.
The great news is that the authentic Puerto Rican cuisine at the Express location is just as delicious as at the WC Blvd. restaurant.
Jannah and I were happy to be invited to the private Friends & Family ribbon cutting event on Nov. 9, which included a great live DJ, free homemade sangria and samples of many of the new restaurant’s many menu items.
Our favorites included the fritters/ empanadas, which include traditional beef (left photo), chicken and even ham & cheese options, as well as a unique spinach, artichoke and cheese version that had its own delicious flavor.
We also loved the rotisserie chickens (photo below) that provide the centerpiece of the new Express location, the Cuban sandwiches and yes, both the red and the black beans and rice.
Since that truly wonderful Grand Opening event, Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I have sampled quite a few other menu items at Rice-n-Beans Express, including the pernil (roast pork; left) entrée (which comes with your choice of one or two sides), the sweet plantains, the canoa (a plantain “canoe” stuffed with ground beef & shredded cheese), the yellow rice with pigeon peas, the yucca with mojo sauce and perhaps my favorite menu item at the full-service restaurant, the chichårrons (fried pork skin; bottom right photo).
The rotisserie chickens are available in a variety of sizes, from quarter chickens with one or two sides to the “Familia Grande,” which includes two whole chickens, 32 ozs. of rice, 16 ozs. of beans and two additional large sides. There’s also a huge chicken & pork combo meal.
Save room for dessert because the Puerto Rico Desserts case in the Express offers vanilla and Nutella tres leches and three varieties of flan. Decadent!
For more info, call (813) 428-5077 or visit “Rice N Beans” on Facebook and please tell them I sent you! -GN
The North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) stayed busy in November, with its annual Excellence in Business awards gala at Treble Makers on Nov. 17 (which we featured in our Nov 28 Wesley Chapel issue), as well as three ribbon-cutting events that didn’t make it into our print editions.
On Nov. 2, the Wesley Chapel Contract Postal Unit (CPU) on S.R. 54, which has been open for a few months now, celebrated with an NTBC ribbon cutting. Owner Jevon Willians provided free food and beverages for about 40 guests and introduced attendees to the CPU’s many services, all of which are available at regular U.S. Post Office prices. For more information, call (813) 994-7522.
On Nov. 8, the StoreRightSelf Storage facility, located on Crystal Grove Blvd. (near the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 41 and Sunset Lane) in Lutz, introduced attendees to its 749 storage units, most of which are climate-controlled. Store Right also is opening a similar-sized storage facility the second week in December next to the new El Dorado furniture store near the intersection of S.R. 54, Wesley Chapel Blvd. and S.R. 56 in Land O’Lakes. For more info, call (813) 567-8100 or visit StoreRight.com.
And, on Nov. 14, owner Gail Sickler’s Sustain M.E. on S.R. 56 (in the same plaza as Capital Tacos & Touch Nail Spa) officially finalized its re-branding of the store that previously was a location of Lüfka Refillables Zero Waste Store with its own NTBC ribbon-cutting event. The revamped refillables and health & beauty products store features a similar variety of all-natural products as did Lüfka, but with new products that are all locally sourced. For more info, call (8130 812-8219 or visit SustainMotherEarth.com.
The seven-barber team at Elements of Stylez Barber Shop in the Freedom Plaza on S.R. 54 is led by Briannah (“Bri”) Talley (Below, right) and her partner Daniel (Danny”) Quintana (Below, Left). (Photos by Charmaine George)
Getting your hair cut, trimmed, faded, or styled can be fun and relaxing, or even a little nerve-wracking, as you wait to see your new look. One thing it usually is not is a family experience. Wouldn’t it be nice for men, women, young children and teens to all be able to go to one place for great haircuts and styles? Well look no further — Elements of Stylez Barber Shop, in the Freedom Plaza on S.R. 54, is just that place.
Elements of Stylez (EOS) is a one-stop barber shop with modern music and décor and an upbeat atmosphere that is welcoming to all. The barbers at EOS are ready to cut and style men’s and women’s hair of all hair types and lengths. They also are naturals at keeping young children calm and still, so they can get that perfect first haircut starting at age 1, or get that stylish fade or blowout just right for teens before prom.
Daniel Quintana and Briannah Talley, also known as “Danny and Bri,” are the couple and business partners behind EOS, combining their hair and cosmetology experience to open the business together in 2018.
Danny has been working with hair for 35 years, first for about 17 years in the Bronx, NY, before moving to Florida and continuing his career here.
He says that becoming a barber was something that basically fell into his lap. He was thinking of starting a new career path when he went to get his usual haircut. He got to talking to his barber and realized his hobby of cutting hair for friends and family could actually be a sustainable career.
“After that haircut, I bought a pair of nice clippers and just never looked back,” Danny says.
Teaching himself, as well as training with barbers and beauticians over the years, Danny discovered a passion for hair cutting and now can’t see himself doing anything else.
“I have no regrets. If I had to do it all over again, I’d still choose to be a barber,” says Danny. “Even in my next life, I’ll be a barber. This career has given me opportunities and joy that I would never trade for anything else.”
While living in New Tampa and working at a local barber shop, Danny met his girlfriend Bri at a local Supercuts 8 years ago. Bri, who hails from Detroit, is formidable with hair herself — or, as she puts it — “a beast with the clippers.” Deciding to work together — and work for themselves — they opened EOS together as co-owners and moved to Wesley Chapel, where most of their team lives, too.
“We’re three female and four male barbers altogether, and five of us live in Wesley Chapel,” Danny says. “We love our Wesley Chapel community and watching it grow. We are grateful to all of our customers, near and far, who’ve helped us grow, too.”
Booking With Booksy
In addition to Danny and Bri, the talented team at EOS includes Mo, Yissi (pronounced “GC”), Isaac, Beatriz and Victor. In addition to haircuts for all ages, the barbers at EOS also offer fades, buzz cuts, shape-ups, cuts with designs and layer cuts, as well as braids, twists, and “locs” (aka dreadlocks). They also offer relaxing hot towel shaves and beard trims, shampoo and deep conditioning treatments, and hot tool styling for short or long hair.
Be sure to check out almost all of the EOS barbers on Booksy, a website that lets you book appointments for barbers, hairstylists, nail salon artists, licensed massage therapists and more. Here, you can see the EOS barbers’ services in detail — with prices, estimated time needed for your service, pictures and reviews of their work.
For example, Booksy says that Victor can hook you up with an after-hours appointment if you need it, and also offers fades, beard colors and eyebrow shaping with a razor. Isaac’s reviews make it clear that he’s great with both kids and adults. Mo is your man if you need steady hands for clean hairlines and designs. Yissi does hair for males and females of all ages but is known for women’s blowouts and “updos,” as well as eyebrow and lip waxes, locs styling, curly cuts, deep conditioning treatments, beard trims and shape-ups.
Beatriz is the only barber at EOS without a Booksy account, but many residents of Wesley Chapel already are familiar with her work. Beatriz was the owner of Cuts & More, the previous salon at this same location, before selling it to Danny and Bri, and she continues to cut and style hair for her many long-time (and new) clients at EOS.
Danny and Bri have a shared Booksy account and they both cut and style hair for kids, teens, men and women. In addition to many of the services already discussed, Bri and Danny also offer men’s scissor cuts, bald head cuts or trims with clippers or razor, fades and hot tool styling. They are both great with kids, especially cutting fades and intricate designs like hearts, stars, diamonds, and even the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls logo.
Bri can do just about any hair service for women, from layer cuts to hot tool styling to natural cuts and keratin treatments.
An example of SMP. (Above photo from Danny Quintana)
Danny is the resident scalp micropigmentation (SMP) expert at EOS. SMP is a specialized hair tattoo (see photo on next page) that gives the appearance of growing hair. He says that SMP is a great option to manage hair loss and receding hairlines and can last for 3-5 years.
Danny has a unique experience with SMP as someone who has used it himself and now does it for others. He uses tattoo ink, instead of tattoo pigment, for longer-lasting results and stresses that it is important to go to an SMP artist who is really comfortable and skilled at the process.
“There are many who can do SMP, but not many who can do it right,” shares Danny. “It is a tattoo that involves thousands of shallow applications to mimic hair follicles. Unfortunately, I have seen it done wrong, where the end result really does not look good, not like hair at all, so picking the right person is essential.”
No matter what your reason is for visiting EOS, all of their barbers will leave with your hair looking good.
Tani Mitchell is a regular customer of Danny’s and EOS.
“I’m originally a transplant from Pennsylvania, so when I first came down here, it took a few haircuts from a few different people before I got referred to Danny,” says Tani. “But, once I started working with Danny, I was set. I’ve actually being getting haircuts with Danny for 8 years, so when he and Bri opened the shop, I followed him there.”
There’s no other barbershop Tani would prefer for himself or even his kids.
“When I go to EOS, I get the full service — beard, haircut, hot towel and shave,” Tani says. “My son got his first haircut there when he was 2-1/2 years old. I love everyone in the shop. Bri has done my daughters’ braids before sports season. She’s also cut my hair and my son’s hair. Beatriz has also done blowouts for my daughter. They cater to everybody. Great shop, great family environment.”
Elements of Stylez Barber Shop is located at 30040 S.R. 54. The shop is open Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m., and 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m., on Sat. (closed on Sun.). For appointments, call (813) 575-8416. Also visit @Elements_of_Stylez on Instagram to see pictures of the creative cuts, designs, and styles created by Danny and the rest of the EOS team of barbers.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Practitioner Tracy Burke’s Inside Out Aesthetics & Wellness, in an outparcel building in front of The Shops at Wiregrass, offers aesthetic treatments, hormone replacement therapies & medical weight loss. (Photos by Charmaine George)
In today’s fast-paced world, where wellness is more crucial than ever, Tracy Burke’s Inside Out Aesthetics & Wellness redefines aesthetics by emphasizing the intricate connection between how we feel on the inside and how we look on the outside.
Tracy is a nationally Board-certified Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) and is Certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-C).
Tracy has more than two decades of experience in the medical profession and fused her extensive medical knowledge, artistic skills and genuine caring nature when she opened her own boutique med spa in an outparcel building at the Shops at Wiregrass in May of this year. She is passionate about educating her patients and helping them look and feel their best.
As a resident of Wesley Chapel for thirteen years, Tracy knew she wanted to open her new med spa in her home community.
“It’s wonderful,” she says. “Wesley Chapel is a small community and the people here are wonderful. I wanted to build clientele and develop relationships with patients right here in my own neighborhood. I’ve traveled for work my whole life, always on the interstate, so it’s an amazing feeling now to drive 1.2 miles to my office and get there in 5 minutes.”
Upon completing her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree in Family Medicine from the University of South Florida, Tracy undertook multiple training programs to attain her certifications as an Aesthetic Injector. With rigorous training and several years dedicated to the practice of administering neurotoxins, dermal fillers, utilizing lasers and providing RF microneedling, plasma-rich platelet (or PRP) and hormone therapies, skincare and all facets of the medical spa industry, she has developed a deep understanding of the treatments and therapies that are most and least effective within this still-evolving field.
“I chose the name Inside Out Aesthetics & Wellness because my mission is to help people feel good on the inside and look good on the outside,” Tracy says. “It’s not just about aesthetics and beauty; it’s also about what goes on inside our bodies, including wellness and hormonal balance.”
One of the med spa’s key strengths is its vast array of services. From traditional beauty treatments like Botox and skin rejuvenation to wellness therapies, Inside Out is a one-stop destination for anyone looking to enhance their physical appearance and overall health.
But, what truly sets this med spa apart is that, unlike many other med spas, Tracy is both the owner and the practitioner. She says that it’s nice for patients to be able to see the same provider every time they visit.
As an APRN, Tracy is uniquely positioned to provide weight loss, hormone treatments and administer neuromodulators, injectable fillers, biosimulators and PDO (polydioxanone) thread lifts safely and effectively. Each of these treatments, which are described in more detail below, are tailored to each individual’s unique needs, ensuring that Tracy’s patients always receive personalized care.
Aesthetic Treatments
Dysport, Botox and Jeuveau are FDA-approved neuromodulators that temporarily interrupt the signals between the nerves and muscles responsible for wrinkle formation. Neuromodulators address forehead wrinkles, frown lines, crow’s feet, neck bands and specific regions around the lips and mouth.
“Neuromodulators stop muscle contractions which will prevent wrinkles from forming caused by facial expressions. Tracy says injectable fillers at Inside Out Aesthetics & Wellness include popular options such as Restylane, Versa and Radiesse, which serve to gently soften fine lines and wrinkles, boost lip fullness, provide volume to areas where it has diminished and refine the contours of the cheekbones and jawline.
Tracy explains that biosimulators such as Sculptra and Radiesse, “will stimulate the body to build natural collagen and replace lost volume or add volume to areas in which you may have a deficit.”
PDO thread lifts are procedures that use FDA-cleared polydioxanone threads, which are biodegradable polyester sutures. They can be placed beneath the skin to provide elevation, particularly around the eyebrows and cheeks. These threads also are effective in softening nasolabial folds (aka “smile” or “laugh lines”) and marionette lines, refining the jawline, enhancing lip volume, smoothing lip lines and stimulating collagen production for a rejuvenated appearance.
“These dissolvable threads are used to lift and tighten skin, and they dissolve in four to six months and continue to work for up to a year,” Tracy says.
Medical Treatments
In addition to her many aesthetic services, Inside Out Aesthetics & Wellness provides weight loss and bioidentical hormone replacement therapies for both men and women. As a patient of hormone therapy herself, Tracy says she has never experienced a hot flash or any of the other systems caused by hormonal imbalance.
“Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy uses a pellet inserted under the skin into the subcutaneous fat pad,” Tracy says. “The pellets are plant-based, so they are more natural than the ones made from animal hormones. They mimick our body’s own DNA, so our body recognizes it as our own hormones
“We offer bioidentical hormone therapy for men and women,” Tracy says. “These therapies replace the hormones we’ve lost as we age or for when we suffer with a hormone deficiency.”
She adds that these therapies also aid in heart, bone, brain and breast health.
Tracy appreciates sharing a hug with her happy patients at Inside Out Aesthetics & Wellness.
Bioidentical hormones also help with menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, mood swings, low libido, fatigue, brain fog and weight gain.
Tracy says that Inside Out also leads the way in innovative weight loss treatments. Semaglutide and Tirzepatide are prescription injectable medications that are FDA-approved for weight loss. They are designed to target appetite centers in the brain and gut. These medications essentially regulate the patient’s blood glucose levels and slow down digestion. Adults meeting specific weight and body mass index (BMI) criteria may qualify for these treatments to aid them in their weight loss efforts.
Tracy’s vision extends far beyond the confines of her med spa. She strongly emphasizes the role of nutrition and lifestyle in achieving optimal well-being. Clients are encouraged and helped to make healthier dietary choices and exercise regularly during their beauty and wellness journey. She believes that beauty results from good health, and she says that a balanced lifestyle is an integral part of this equation.
Collaborating physician Angel Pagan, M.D., oversees the practice, and Inside Out Aesthetics & Wellness prides itself on staying at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies and research in aesthetics and wellness. Tracy is committed to ongoing education, ensuring that the med spa always provides clients with the latest and most effective treatments.
“There are so many changes, advancements, new products and innovative ways to do things that you (constantly) have to inundate yourself with continuing education,” she says. “It’s a lot to keep up with — not only my license as a nurse practitioner, but for the aesthetic side, too. I probably spend 200 hours a year or more in training and continuing education.”
Tracy takes a genuinely patient-centered approach. Clients are encouraged to ask questions and actively participate in developing their personalized treatment plans. She says that this open dialogue ensures that each client’s unique goals and expectations are met and exceeded.
Tracy relays her favorite story of a satisfied client’s comments following a treatment: “She just turned around and said, ‘I love you, Tracy.’ She hugged me, and she was just the sweetest, nicest lady. And I was like, ‘I love you, too.’ It makes it all worth it when I help somebody feel good, and they genuinely feel like I care about them, and that they care about me, too.”
She adds, “I (always wanted) to do what I love, so I would love what I do. Aesthetics is my first passion, and I enjoy helping people look and feel their best, so it all ties together: weight loss, hormone replacement therapy and aesthetics. People want to feel good both inside and out.”
When not busy at her med spa, you can find “T Burke,” a wife and mom of six awesome adult children, advocating for foster children as a Guardian ad Litem in Hillsborough County, working out at the Wesley Chapel F45 gym, hiking in the mountains with her husband Robert, or chilling at home with the couple’s fur baby, a pup named Jasper.
Inside Out Aesthetics & Wellness is located at 28100 Willet Way, Unit 18. Call (813) 602-6100 or visit
