Wesley Chapel, FL (July 11, 2023) – Avalon Park Group/sitEX is excited to announce that the renowned grooming establishment, Prime Barbershop, is opening its newest location at 4424 Friendly Way, Ste. F, in Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel. The anticipated opening date for the new barbershop is January 2024. Owned by Edward and Melinda Velasquez, along with Omar and Kristi Lugo, Prime Barbershop aims to bring exceptional grooming services to the community.
Prime Barbershop is committed to providing top-notch grooming experiences in a welcoming and comfortable environment for all clients. With a focus on delivering high-quality haircuts, shaves, and grooming services, Prime Barbershop’s skilled barbers are passionate about their craft and strive to exceed customer expectations. The barbershop aims to leave clients feeling confident, refreshed, and satisfied with their appearance, while also building lasting relationships within the community.
“We envision a barbershop that not only offers impeccable grooming services but also serves as a hub for community engagement, where people can come together, share stories, and build connections,” said Velasquez. “Our goal is to create an inclusive and diverse environment that celebrates individuality and empowers our clients to express their unique style confidently. Avalon Park Wesley Chapel aligns with our brand image and values.”
Prime Barbershop distinguishes itself from other grooming establishments through its expertise, exceptional customer service, and modern ambiance. By offering a unique and premium grooming experience, the barbershop aims to carve out a niche in the market and attract a loyal customer base.
“Our vision for Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel is to create a dynamic and diverse community where residents and visitors can enjoy a vibrant lifestyle,” said Beat Kahli, President and CEO of Avalon Park Group. “We are excited to welcome Prime Barbershop as the first tenant, as they embody the high standards and commitment to excellence that aligns with our vision. Their presence will undoubtedly enhance the community experience, and we look forward to their contributions in creating a thriving Downtown Avalon Park.”
This new location in Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel will mark the third Prime Barbershop branch, demonstrating the brand’s growth and commitment to providing exceptional grooming services. The owners and staff are excited to extend their services to the Avalon Park Wesley Chapel community and beyond, building on the success and reputation they have established in their existing locations.
For more information about Prime Barbershop, visit https://www.primebarberswc.com/ or on social media with the handle @primebarbershop20. For more information about Avalon Park Wesley Chapel visit https://avalonparkwesleychapel.com/ or on social media with the handle @AvalonParkWesleyChapel.
One of the most common complaints we hear about the Sam’s Club on S.R. 56 is how hard it is to get in and around the superstore’s gas pumps — which usually have among the lowest gas prices in town.
Well, Sam’s is planning to expand its gas station pumps to deal with those frustrating backups. It appears, based on the diagram near right that will be reviewed at an upcoming preapplication meeting with Pasco County, that Sam’s will expand from twelve fueling positions to sixteen.
It appears as though the existing kiosk, car wash and underground fuel tanks will remain, but that there may also be an additional inbound lane to those pumps, and some other changes. In other words, vehicles should be able to get in and gased up a lot quicker, with the addition of four more fuel nozzles and two more queue lanes.
Of course, we’ll keep you posted.
Moe’s To Add A 2nd WC Location
Despite still having only one lane in each direction for much of its length, Wesley Chapel (WC) Blvd. continues to add new restaurants, retail and office space.
With our area’s first-ever Slim Chickens restaurant currently under construction just north of where WC Blvd. meets Old Pasco Rd., a new retail plaza, to be called Post Oak Crossings — anchored by Wesley Chapel’s second Moe’s Southwest Grill restaurant — is under construction on WC Blvd., just north of the entrance to Lexington Oaks.
The new 11,000+-sq.-ft. plaza being developed by Aprile Real Estate, has a total of five spaces, the anchor of which will be the new Moe’s, according to Aprile Real Estate president Jason Aprile.
Aprile says that, in addition to Moe’s, a national dental group and a high-end med spa are planning to move into the building, leaving two available spaces, suitable for retail, office or quick-service restaurant uses.
“With S.R. 54 getting ready to be widened and 500 new apartment units in the area, it’s an ideal location for many different kinds of businesses,” he says. Aprile Real Estate, which has three generations in both the cattle and real estate business in Tampa Bay, currently also is handling properties in Riverview and Temple Terrace.
For more information about Post Oak Crossings, call Jason Aprile at (813) 532-6432 or email him at Jason@aprilerealestate.com.
Amberlin Outparcel Coming Soon
While the Amberlin Wiregrass Ranch apartments, a 216-unit rental community for ages 55+ on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (across BBD from the new BayCare Wesley Chapel hospital), has gone vertical and should be ready for residents by sometime in early 2024, a new commercial project to be located just north of the Amberlin entrance on BBD has been approved for development.
“Outparcel B,” which will be called the PSP Commercial Strip Center, will feature both retail and restaurant uses, although no specific users or names have yet been mentioned with regard to who the retail or restaurant will be.
Meanwhile, there also is an Outparcel A, on the south side of the Amberlin entrance on BBD, which has only been approved for clearing and leveling. No permits have yet been approved for that spot.
New Retail KRATEs
Although most of the restaurants at The KRATE Container Park at The Grove have done a good job of building a following, quite a few of the retail stores at the largest container park in the Tampa Bay area haven’t been as fortunate — despite some success stories (like Maeberry Co., Katie Beth’s Boutique and a few others).
Two new retail KRATEs (both pictured here) now have signs up and although we have no additional information at this time, we wish both Fitness Fashioness (in the former location of both The Rebellious Hippie and Mythos) and Sunglass Krate the best of luck and hope to bring you more information about both once they get closer to opening.
People have been driving past the barricades on Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. just behind the Walmart on S.R. 54, for months, but the word is that the roadway should officially open to traffic within the next couple of weeks.
Considering how long people have been driving through the barricades “blocking” the nearly two-mile-long stretch of Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. from north of Chancey Rd. to just south of the Walmart fronting S.R. 54, it would be nice if the road finally could be declared “officially” open.
Well, a source close to the project who asked not to be identified has told the Neighborhood News that although no exact date can yet be revealed, Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. should be officially open to traffic within the next couple of weeks, with conveyance to Pasco County expected to follow shortly thereafter.” Our source has confirmed that the landscaping along Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. is what has been holding up the opening.
I personally saw people moving the barricades both near Walmart and north of Chancey as long as three months ago, so being able to legally drive the important connector roadway will certainly be welcome by those who live in the Wiregrass Ranch community.
The same source also provided a number of other updates, including:
• The Wiregrass Ranch developers hope to start construction on the 4th (the eastern) leg of the roadway extending from the new (northern) Eagleston Blvd. signal (opposite the new Jacobs Mitsubishi of Wesley Chapel dealership) within about a year from now. Our source says that the construction of this portion of Eagleston is being held up by the drainage permit.
• The developers also have begun work on the east-west extension of Chancey Rd., which should be done by the end of this year.
The construction of the Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant has gone vertical.
• Now that the construction of the Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant has gone vertical (photo above), the hope is that the long-awaited restaurant and wine tasting bar should be open by sometime this fall.
The clearing of the ground for the Orlando Health Wesley Chapel hospital has begun.
• For those who haven’t been able to figure out yet exactly where Wesley Chapel’s third major hospital will be located, you now can’t miss the red silt fence (photo right) just east of Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. on S.R. 56 or the sign denoting that Orlando Health Wesley Chapel is currently under construction.
Although the 300- bed hospital has not yet gone vertical, the ground has begun being cleared and we have been told that Wesley Chapel’s largest hospital (with more beds than AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and BayCare Wesley Chapel combined) should be completed by late 2024.
Attorney & Wesley Chapel resident Cela Webster’s Chapel Legal in Tampa Palms can help with all of your estate planning & family law needs. (Photo by Charmaine George).
When Cela Webster opened Chapel Legal just eight months ago, it was both a homecoming and the culmination of a career that has prepared her to help clients in the areas of family law and estate planning.
Chapel Legal is located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center off of Commerce Palms Blvd., near the Bruce B. Downs exit of I-75. While Cela is available for in-person consultations at her office location, she says many clients prefer to talk on the phone or meet virtually via a videoconferencing app.
Most often, she helps families who need custody arrangements for children, or need to modify arrangements that have already been made. She can help with divorce, adoption, and other family matters, as well.
Chapel Legal also helps people create a will, designate a healthcare surrogate, set up power of attorney or guardianship, and other important areas of estate planning.
And, Cela also has developed a specialty in church law, where she helps churches with all types of legal questions — from employee matters to Covid compliance. “A couple of them (churches) have me on speed dial,” she says. “I just never know what they’re going to ask.”
But, Cela says, she’s always prepared no matter what they ask her, thanks to a long and varied career that has exposed her to many courtrooms and legal opinions in both Florida and New York.
Cela left her hometown of Temple Terrace after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of South Florida. She says the plan was to go to New York for law school and then return home to practice.
She started off on that path, earning her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the Syracuse University College of Law in Syracuse, NY, in 2000.
She then took an extended stay of almost two decades before she came back.
“I tell people I was there ‘on accident’ for 19 years,” she laughs.
During those years, Cela started off in family law, worked for legal aid and served as an attorney in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. She also served as Chief of Staff for a judge within that district, learning the ins and outs behind the scenes and writing legal opinions.
When it was finally time to come back to Florida in 2015, she and her husband, J. Matt Webster, Ph.D., moved their family — including three children — to Wesley Chapel. As we reported last issue, their son Jack recently graduated from Wiregrass Ranch High and will attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, this fall. Their daughter Eliana is now 16 and their son Nathan is 12.
Upon her return to the Tampa Bay area, Cela went to work for Bay Area Legal Services. Looking for a change of pace, she then served as general counsel for Hernando County for three years.
With her wide variety of experience, she says, “I’ve worked on every kind of case on the planet.”
That’s when she decided to take the leap into her own private practice. Cela says this gives her the opportunity to serve clients exactly the way she wants to, which starts with being a good listener and explaining to her clients that — although they may not get everything they want — they will be heard, have good representation, and an attorney who truly cares about them.
“Family law isn’t like the ads you see on TV where lawyers promise to win your case for you,” she says. “It’s got its own rules and standards. Everyone compromises a little bit so that the settlement is fair. It’s not black and white like prosecution and defense.”
In addition to family law, Cela is an expert in estate planning who can help make sure you have the necessary documents in place to protect your loved ones.
A Very Personal Example…
She shares her own personal story so that people understand how important estate planning can be. Even as an attorney who specializes in this area, she unexpectedly found herself in a situation where her mom became temporarily incapacitated, but Cela couldn’t make decisions on her behalf in the hospital because she didn’t have all of the required paperwork beforehand to do so.
Thankfully, her mom recovered quickly and they immediately signed the necessary paperwork so that would never happen again. While Cela certainly didn’t expect to find herself in that situation, she uses her story to help people understand that the time to execute documents such as a Power of Attorney and Healthcare Surrogate is long before you think they will be needed.
Cela is licensed to practice in both New York and Florida, but she is fully focused on serving families in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel areas.
A local business owner named Ann recently hired Chapel Law to help with an amendment to her will.
“Cela was wonderful to work with,” Ann says. “She’s professional, supportive and clearly knows her stuff.”
Ann says the process was educational for her and her husband, as Cela coached them through nuances and loopholes. “Cela helped us through some tough decisions and was a very good coach,” Ann says. “She is an excellent attorney all around.”
Cela says she considers it a privilege to serve her neighbors and work as a small operation, answering her own phone calls and making it a priority to be available to her clients, including quickly and personally answering all of their emails.
“I’m just a regular person who loves what I do,” she says.
While many attorneys don’t offer a free consultation, Cela says it’s important to her that people have an opportunity to ask questions before they determine whether or not to hire her.
“In fact, if people have a question about whether or not their issue is even an issue, I’m happy to discuss it. Will a judge consider making the change you’re asking? Let’s talk about it,” she says.
And, she’s happy to talk about it in Spanish or English.
As someone who is Cuban and Salvadorian — and a native Spanish speaker — Cela has no problem working with those who only speak Spanish or who prefer to communicate about the sometimes complicated issues of family law in their native language.
Chapel Legal is located at 17425 Bridge Hill Ct., Suite 202. If you need help with a family law or estate planning matter, Chapel Legal attorney Cela Webster offers a free phone consultation. For more information, visit ChapelLegal.com, call (813) 524-6393.
(Clockwise from top left photo) Genesis Bermudez, co-owners Olimar Cedeno & Luis Ledezma and manager Dannelys Zavala invite you to try the new Paleta Mia at the KRATEs.
Although co-owners Luis Ledezma and his wife Olimar Cedeno are from Venezuela, they say they were inspired by a trip to Guadalajara, Mexico, to open the first-ever Paleta Mia shop in Wesley Chapel in the KRATE Container Park at The Grove.
Luis and Olimar already owned the successful Mojo Grill Latin Fusion restaurant at the KRATEs, but when they saw another KRATE directly across from Mojo Grill go out of business, they decided to expand what they already were doing in their Paleta Mia food truck into its own former shipping container.
“We have been bringing the Paleta Mia truck to schools, local sporting events and even the monthly Market Elaine events at The grove for a while,” Luis said.
“And everyone who’s tried them have told us how much they enjoy them,” added Olimar. “So, we figured, why not?”
Luis and Olimar agreed that they loved the freshness of the Mexican paletas, but she has added gluten-free and vegan options to a huge variety of not only fruit flavors (like mango, kiwi and pineapple), but also paletas made with Oreo cookies, Nutella, bubble gum flavor and more.
You can add tasty toppings to your favorite paletas, which come in a rotating variety of flavors.
Paleta Mia also offers a variety of delicious toppings, from marshmallows to sprinkles, fresh milk and white chocolate, M&Ms and more. The toppings also can be added to Paleta Mia’s amazing waffle sticks, which Luis said they first tried during a trip to London, although these light and delicious sticks originated in India.
“But we added the toppings to make them more mouth-watering, too,” he says.
“Our whole goal is to offer healthier options using tropical flavors,” Olimar adds.
To become a master paletera herself, Olimar took classes at both the Pregel Institute in Miami and from Fany Gerson, aka “The Newyorkina,” a famous master paletera.
Paleta Mia, which Luis and Olimar hope to expand into a franchise business in the future, also offers delicious hand-made shakes and organic aguas frescas using many of the tropical flavors. The shakes even include a whole paleta!
“Paleta Mia is dedicated to our 14-year-old daughter Mia, to teach her the importance of hard work,” Luis says.
Paleta Mia (5854 Goldview Pkwy) is open Mon.-Thur., 3 p.m.-9 p.m., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. & noon-7 p.m. on Sun. For more info, see the ad on pg. 37, call (813) 451-6142 or visit MyPaletaMia.com.
Our editor’s favorites are the freshly made shakes & waffle sticks. Photo provided by Luis Ledezma.
