The combined 369 EyeWear/Sunglass KRATE shop at the KRATE at The Grove container park offers a huge selection of eyeglass and sunglass frames, including (below right) these unique âmakeup glassesâ that allow you to flip the one lens to either side when putting on makeup. (Photos by Charmaine George)Â
After seven years in Florida and four months of being retired, William Toledo decided to create a new business: 369 EyeWear/Stack & Save.
Licensed optician Jim Lambrou is still on-site to provide custom eyeglass fittings at the revamped shop, which has a variety of options to save you money on your prescription & non-prescription eyewear.Â
Toledo has now partnered with James Lambrou, the owner of Sunglass KRATE in the KRATE at The Grove container park in Wesley Chapel and the result is that 369 EyeWear and Sunglass KRATE are now combined in the same former shipping container where Lambrou has had his shop for almost a year.
Combined, Lambrou, a licensed optician, and Toledo have more than 70 years of experience in the eyeglass industry. Each has contributed different visions to create a new, different and innovative concept.
They say the intention is to unite two market trends in one place: Fashion and affordable prices for everyone. Knowing that people need more than one pair of glasses (or sunglasses) in todayâs fast-paced world, 369 EyeWear, which offers a huge selection of eyeglass frames, from the most fashionable to the most affordable, has made owning multiple pairs of glasses a lot less expensive for everyone â without sacrificing the great looks you want.
âWe now offer âstacksâ of 3, 6, 9 or even up to 12 pairs of glasses, with or without prescription lenses, at the price of what you normally would pay for a single pair of glasses,â Jim says. âFor example, our famous stack of three pairs can include a clear pair with anti-glare lenses for night-tine driving, another with Blue Shield treatment (perfect for use with electronic monitors) for the office and a pair of prescription sunglasses â all for just $99!â
The store also now offers a âCelebrity Stack,â where you pay for 12 pairs of glasses, get three pairs now and a new pair every month to complement your ever-changing look on social media for one low price.
As an introductory offer, 369 EyeWear/Sunglass KRATE is offering its customers two free lens upgrades â such as bifocal, tinted or polycarbonate material lenses â on every pair of glasses.
With pretty much everything going up in price these days, smarter shopping is required and the 369 âstacksâ can help everyone save money on their eyeglasses.
Plus, unlike online stores, Lambrou is still on-site to custom-fit your glasses, and to make adjustments as you need them. Try getting that kind of service online!
And, 369 EyeWear has its own factory, so your prescription glasses will be done right and on-time the first time every time!
So, the next time youâre at the KRATEs, visit 369 EyeWear/Sunglass KRATE at 5827 Grand Oro Ln., #105, for the best deals, best service and best selection! For more information, call (813) 994-6700 or stop in the store and please tell Jim I sent you! â GN
Retro Dogs Co-Owners (l-r) Gisella Latorre, Gisella Troncozo, Luis Latorre and Samantha Latorre (Photo by Charmaine George)
As youâre receiving this issue, the KRATE at The Grove Container Park recently finished celebrating its two-year anniversary on June 8, but the lineup of restaurants and shops at the KRATEs continues to evolve.
One of the biggest changes is that The Chicken Boss, the fried chicken concept opened last year by The Bacon Boss HQ owners Josh and Christy Norland, has closed. The Norlandsâ announcement on The Chicken Bossâ Facebook page said, however, that âselect menu items from The Chicken Boss will find a new home at The Bacon Boss HQ.â
Meanwhile, the Chicken Boss will be replaced at the KRATEs by Indian Street Kitchen, the faster-food concept from owner Harry Patel at Persis Indian Grill, the instant hit that opened earlier this year next to Double Branch Brewing & Bites in the Village at The Grove.
âWeâll be serving every type of Indian street food at the new location,â Harry told me. âCome see and taste what we have to offer.â Although he wouldnât give me any hints as to what the menu will include (âItâs not finished yet,â he said), a quick Google search revealed that samosas, those crispy, delicately spiced potato-filled pastries that are amazing at Persis, are the most popular type of Indian street food. Harry did say that Indian Street Kitchen should be open soon., although it weas not yet open at our press time.
Meanwhile, the Sausage King, located in the second space occupied by TJâs Hot Dogs (TJâs was the original tenant in the Chicken Boss space at the KRATEs), has closed just a few months after opening and has now been replaced by Retro Dogs. Retro Dogs is owned by Seven Oaks residents Gisella Troncozo and Luis Latorre, and their daughters, Gisella Latorre and Samantha Latorre (photo, above), and features a make your own hot dog station, a new hotdog being added every week, French fries, milkshakes and beer.
The hot dogs at both TJâs and Sausage King were great, but hopefully, Retro Dogs will hang around a little longer.
Although not located in the KRATEs, Hangry Joeâs Hot Chicken & Wings is expected to open in the former location of King of the Coop at the front of The Grove, next to Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.Â
Like King of the Coop, Hangry Joeâs specializes in Nashville hot chicken sandwiches (photo, left), plus wings, shakes and waffle fries. With 21 franchise locations (including the nearest to us at 5347 Gall Blvd. in Zephyrhills, photo below), and restaurants in Korea and Dubai, Korean corporate owners Derek Cha and Mike Kim have a simple premise â âto deliver the finest chicken sandwich in town.â For more information, visit HangryJoes.com.
And finally, congratulations to new TrebleMakers Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant (6034 Wesley Grove Blvd.) owner Jason Scott, who recently took over from original owners Jamie and Joe Hess and Lee Bevan.
Jason is an accomplished pianist who both played and booked the dueling pianists at TrebleMakers, and he is working hard to revamp the service and experience at the restaurant before trying to figure out what changes to make to the menu. He has started with new $8 lunch specials offered Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
As much as I love doing the dining reviews for my publications, Iâm sure you long-time readers are aware that Indian food has always been something of a hit-or-miss proposition for my taste.
So, when I heard that Persis Indian Grill was moving into the space previously occupied by Omnivorous (adjacent to Double Branch Brewing) in The Grove, I didnât know what to expect.Â
Well, rest assured that the first authentic Indian restaurant to open in Wesley Chapel (outside of the clubhouse at Anand Vihar in Meadow Pointe) is an upscale (yet still casual and affordable) restaurant which offers a huge menu of favorites from what seems to be every region of the Indian subcontinent.
The owner, who goes by Harry, admits that he has never owned a restaurant before but I have to say that his recipes, handed down from not only his own family, but also the family recipes of his chef and many of his employees, are as good as any Indian cuisine Iâve sampled, which includes at least a half-dozen places located in New Tampa.
I basically always try the menu items that Iâm more likely to enjoy on my first visit, which in the case of Persis, was just a couple of weeks ago, less than two weeks after the new restaurant first opened.
And, Iâm happy to report that the butter naan bread at Persis (not pictured) has a delicious grilled flavor and just the right amount of butter. Harry suggested that I try the garlic naan on my next visit, âbecause it adds a different flavor when you eat it along with our other food.âÂ
I also had to try two of my other usual favorites â the Tandoori lamb chops (top photo) and the Indo Chinese style chicken fried rice (right photo), both of which were outstanding.Â
The sizzling lamb chops were tender and not over-seasoned and the fried rice had delicious chunks of chicken, as well as tasty veggies, egg and spices. I planned to bring most of both items home, but I brought home a lot less fried rice than I planned because I couldnât stop taking additional bites.
Harry says he has applied for a beer and wine license but alcohol is not currently being served at Persis. Even so, great job, Harry & crew!
Persis Indian Grill (5956 Wesley Grove Blvd., Suite 106) is open every day except Monday for lunch and dinner. For more info, visit PersisWesleyChapel.com or call (813) 388-2245.Â
This is one of the categories I neglected to include for our Reader Survey this year. Even though not all of the places on my list qualify as restaurants (e.g., Bakery X and Urban Sweets), these are all great KRATEs for food.
The seven-barber team at Elements of Stylez Barber Shop in the Freedom Plaza on S.R. 54 is led by Briannah (âBriâ) Talley (Below, right) and her partner Daniel (Dannyâ) Quintana (Below, Left). (Photos by Charmaine George)Â
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. Wouldnât 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 â Elements of Stylez Barber Shop, in the Freedom Plaza on S.R. 54, is just that place.
Daniel Quintana and Briannah Talley, also known as âDanny and Bri,â 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.
âAfter that haircut, I bought a pair of nice clippers and just never looked back,â Danny says.
Teaching himself, as well as training with barbers and beauticians over the years, Danny discovered a passion for hair cutting and now canât see himself doing anything else.
âI have no regrets. If I had to do it all over again, Iâd still choose to be a barber,â says Danny. âEven in my next life, Iâll be a barber. This career has given me opportunities and joy that I would never trade for anything else.âÂ
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 â or, as she puts it â âa beast with the clippers.â Deciding to work together â and work for themselves â they opened EOS together as co-owners and moved to Wesley Chapel, where most of their team lives, too.
âWeâre three female and four male barbers altogether, and five of us live in Wesley Chapel,â Danny says. âWe love our Wesley Chapel community and watching it grow. We are grateful to all of our customers, near and far, whoâve helped us grow, too.â
Booking With Booksy
In addition to Danny and Bri, the talented team at EOS includes Mo, Yissi (pronounced âGCâ), 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 âlocsâ (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.Â
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 barbersâ services in detail â 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. Isaacâs reviews make it clear that heâs 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 womenâs blowouts and âupdos,â 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 menâs 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.Â
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.
âThere are many who can do SMP, but not many who can do it right,â shares Danny. âIt 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.â
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 Dannyâs and EOS.
âIâm 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,â says Tani. âBut, once I started working with Danny, I was set. Iâve actually being getting haircuts with Danny for 8 years, so when he and Bri opened the shop, I followed him there.âÂ
Thereâs no other barbershop Tani would prefer for himself or even his kids.
âWhen I go to EOS, I get the full service â beard, haircut, hot towel and shave,â Tani says. âMy son got his first haircut there when he was 2-1/2 years old. I love everyone in the shop. Bri has done my daughtersâ braids before sports season. Sheâs also cut my hair and my sonâs hair. Beatriz has also done blowouts for my daughter. They cater to everybody. Great shop, great family environment.â
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.Â