In pretty much every issue of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News, we tell you what’s new and what businesses are coming to our area. That’s because pretty much every time we’re putting together an issue, there’s something else new, and something else coming.
We know you love it. We can tell.
When we post on Facebook that a new restaurant is coming, our readers like it and share it more than any of our other posts.
But, even with all the growth we’re seeing in Wesley Chapel, it seems there’s room for more.
When Marilyn Chick, a Wesley Chapel resident for 19 years, posed a simple question on the Wesley Chapel Community page on Facebook last month, Marilyn had no idea that people would comment on it more than 1,000 times.
“What new businesses would you like to see come to Wesley Chapel?”
“I was so surprised,” Marilyn says, “It’s the first time I’ve ever posted something on Facebook that got that kind of response.”
Facebook statistics show that, although the post itself had only 30 “likes,” the comments the post generated got about 2,300 “likes,” and about 7,400 people viewed the original post.
Scrolling through the comments, it’s easy to see a big trend. Most of the responses say, “Trader Joe’s,” “Whole Foods,” “Fresh Market,” or some combination of the above, with plenty of “Aldi” thrown in there, too.
Besides the requests for green grocers, many posts asked for specific restaurants.
Cheesecake Factory… Carrabba’s… PF Chang’s… More places like Buttermilk Provisions and Capital Tacos… Friendly’s… Einstein Brothers Bagels… Even Cici’s Pizza, Steak ’n Shake and White Castle.
“I get it,” says Marilyn. “Everyone has an idea of what they want, what they haven’t had in a while and (especially) what they’re hungry for.”
And, of course, there were some tongue-in-cheek responses, like this one from Krista Davidson, poking a little fun at the Fucillio Kia on S.R. 54, “A car dealership where the salesmen stand outside in red shirts.”
There also were plenty of responses saying, “no more!,” like this one, from Rusch Jason, which says, “No new businesses. If anything, they need to slow down growth until the roads catch up!!!!”
All those posts didn’t answer the bigger question Marilyn says she was really searching for. “I’ve retired as a radiology nurse from the Zephyrhills hospital, so I’m looking for something to do,” Marilyn explains. “My daughter, Maxine, and I are thinking about starting a business.”
Marilyn says neither she nor her daughter cook, so a restaurant is out of the question.
But, in the hundreds of suggestions, she says she found a few that resonate with her, especially the ones that suggested a community center and something for kids.
“It would be so nice to have something for the performing arts,” she says, which was suggested in a few comments. “We have a lot of sports, which is great, but there are other kids who would love to be in a play, or have a place to play their instruments.”
Marilyn says she doesn’t consider herself to be an entrepreneur, but admits, “we’re thinking about it and looking at what would fit best for us” as she moves forward and hopes to open a business here in Wesley Chapel.
She has plenty of suggestions to consider.
And, don’t worry, we’ll still be sure to tell you when that Fresh Market, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or Aldi finally opens in Wesley Chapel.
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