New Tampa’s Winn-Dixie To Become Another Aldi; Sindbad Gets Ready To Open in Pebble Creek 

As previously announced, the last remaining New Tampa Winn-Dixie supermarket, located at 6425 County Line Rd. (in the same plaza as LA Fitness), closed on Dec. 8 and is in the process of being converted to the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area’s third ALDI grocery store. 

At our press time, we didn’t know how long it would take for the new ALDI to open, but this Germany-based international brand already has nearly 2,500 U.S. supermarkets and more than 200 stores in Florida, including at 18002 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. in New Tampa and at 2215 Sun Vista Dr. in Lutz (in front of Costco). 

Sindbad To Replace Bang-Bang! 

Although the tasty Bang-Bang! Bowls store in the Pebble Creek Collection (at 19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Suite C-2) lasted less than a year, coming soon (maybe even by the time you’re reading this) to that location is the second Sindbad Tampa restaurant, which features smoothies, juices, crepes, desserts, cakes and ice cream. 

The original Sindbad location is at 10933 N. 56th St., Temple Terrace, and even though the shop has a Middle Eastern-sounding name (Sindbad the Sailor is a fictional character from Baghdad), the sign now posted in the Pebble Creek location would seem to indicate a more Mexican-inspired menu. Among the items listed on that sign include Elote (Mexican street corn), Mangonada (a Mexican frozen beverage), Aguas Frescas (Mexican fresh fruit juice smoothies), Frutas con Nieve (water-based Mexican ice cream) and more Latin fare. However, the New Tampa Sindbad, like its Temple Terrace counterpart, also will feature some delicious-looking Sindbad Waffles (right) with fresh strawberries, blueberries and Nutella and you can even add ice cream. 

Until the New Tampa location opens, visit or call the Temple Terrace Sindbad at (813) 443-9692 & please tell them I sent you! — GN 

Nutrition Smart — Wesley Chapel’s Original ‘Green’ Grocer & More!

Special to the Neighborhood News

The knowledgeable and friendly staff at Nutrition Smart’s Wesley Chapel location is ready and eager to serve you!  (Photos by Charmaine George)

In case you missed it, there is a local, natural grocery and vitamin market located in your neighborhood. If you’re interested in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, buying natural groceries, and getting knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful service while shopping for your health needs, you’re in luck —  Nutrition Smart is located right down the street from you, on Bruce B Downs Blvd., just south of S.R. 56.

 Nutrition Smart has long excelled at creating an enjoyable place to shop with competitive prices. CEO Yuda Saban explains, “We are committed to providing the community with an option for healthy living.”  

Are you super busy or just prefer ordering online? Not a problem. Nutrition Smart offers both local delivery and curbside pickup. 

Here are just some of the things you will find in the store:

• Fresh all-organic produce

• Natural groceries, 

• High-quality vitamins & nutritional supplements

• Sports nutrition

• Natural pet care

• Herbs

• Bulk foods

• Raw milk

• Hemp & CBD products

• Aromatherapy

• Homeopathy

• Health & beauty care

• Household products

• And more — at affordable prices.

What makes Nutrition Smart different than the rest?

• The health of Nutrition Smart’s customers really matters to the management of each store and its staff. So, it is the top priority for all of them to provide personalized service to everyone who walks in the door, in order to help them find the right products for their lifestyle.

• Nutrition Smart has been serving the local community for 13 years — featuring an extensive, “niche” selection of healthy living essentials you can’t typically find at other markets.

• Nutrition Smart also offers so many ways to save! Active and veteran military members, first responders, nurses and teachers all receive 10% off  their purchases all day, every day. On Tuesdays, seniors (ages 55 & older) also receive 10% off. You also can sign up for Nutrition Smart’s Email Club, Text Club & and Loyalty Rewards Programs for even more savings. 

Don’t forget – the store offers weekly and monthly sales, consisting of tons of BOGO options. They even price-match their competitors!

And, now that the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic appears to be behind us, the store is re-introducing educational seminars on everything from meditation to juicing and also will be making appearances at community events like the Easter Egg Hunt at the Tampa Premium Outlets this Saturday, March 25. 

For more information, visit NutritionSmart.com or call the store at (813) 341-4444. And please, stop in and see for yourself at 1821 BBD Blvd.

Aldi Grocery Approved For New Tampa!

Aldi is officially coming to New Tampa.

The petition to re-zone the property of the former Ruby Tuesday restaurant on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. was unanimously approved earlier today by the Tampa City Council on the second reading.

The city’s Development Review & Compliance staff had already found the petition, which requests to be reclassified from a PD-A (Planned Development, Alternative restaurant) to PD (Planned Development, retail sales, shopper’s goods), to be consistent with applicable City of Tampa land regulations.

The proposed Aldi store, which will be located at the corner of BBD and Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. in front of the AMC movie theater, will be 19,160 square feet — almost four times the size of Ruby Tuesday — with 106 parking spaces.

Leon Capital Group, the owners who purchased the 2.36-acre lot for $2.82 million in 2018, were represented at the first reading on Jan. 16 by Scott Stannard of Commercial Site Solutions.

Stannard said the plans include not only replacing the vacant restaurant, but enhancing the surrounding area.

“We feel it’s an improvement, actually,” Stannard told the council members. “We’ve had arborists go out and we’re going to be taking down some of the dead trees and replacing them with new landscaping and beefing that up. It will be a nice fit for what’s out there.”

Stannard also said as that, as part of the new development, a sidewalk will be built on Highwood Preserve Pkwy., to aid pedestrians who are shopping, as well as those using the bus stop at the same corner.

“It’s really surprising there’s not one there already,” Stannard said.

Aldi, a German discount grocer, will be the third supermarket to open along a less-than-one-mile stretch of the west side of BBD. It would join a Publix at the corner of BBD and New Tampa Blvd. and Sprouts Farmers Market, which will be open by this summer in the new Village at Hunter’s Lake development across from the entrance to the Hunter’s Green community.

While Publix is the largest of the three and Sprouts is a “green” grocer, Aldi is a hugely popular German discount chain that carries brands that many shoppers here in the U.S. may not recognize, including their own. More than 90 percent of the brands Aldi carries are exclusive brands.

One unique aspect of Aldi is the quarter charge to rent a shopping cart at the store, to prevent stray carts from being left in the parking lot where they can dent cars.

Users get their quarter back when they return the cart.

Another Aldi is just weeks away from opening on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel, right in front of the Costco.