Lutz News-Lutz/Odessa-March 16, 2016

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MARCH 16, 2016

Traffic jams likely with U.S. 41 closure By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com

Thousands of motorists who normally travel along U.S. 41 through Lutz can expect longer drive times, as the highway is closed until March 27 for a railroad crossing project. CSX will be replacing the rails and the railroad crossing north of Crenshaw Lake Road. See TRAFFIC, page 13A

KEVIN WEISS/STAFF PHOTO

To get around the U.S. 41 closure in Lutz, motorists heading from Pasco County can go south on North Dale Mabry Highway to Bearss Avenue and then east on Bearss Avenue to U.S. 41. Motorists who want to go north past the detour need to go west on Bearss Avenue and then north on North Dale Mabry Highway. Some internal roads will be open during the closure.

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New general store features homemade goods By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com

Business has been booming for a new general store in Lutz. Sherman’s General Store opened its doors on Feb. 6, replacing Annie’s Garden Shed at 100 Fourth Ave., N.W., in Lutz. David and Deb Sherman operate the store. They also own Deb’s Whistle Stop Depot, the Whistle Stop BBQ, the Whistle Stop Gardening Center, Dillard’s Trading Post, and the Shabby Squirrel. The 1,000-squarefoot store features homemade jams, jellies, fruit butters, relishes and pickled vegetables made exclusively for the shop by Webster’s, a food wholesaler. The general store Debra Sherman also offers a wide variety of homemade, all-natural soaps, lotions and candles. Since opening the new store over a month ago, sales and customer interest have been “phenomenal,” Deb said. “Everything is doing well,” the store owner said. “We ordered 22 cases (of preserves) and sold out in two weeks.“Nobody else has (the products), but us, which makes it nice.” Along with her husband, Deb has “carved out a niche” in operating shops that offer unique items that can’t be found at your average retail store. “I try to only put things in here that are unique. If it’s not unique, I don’t want to carry it,” she said. After opening her first shop—Deb’s Whistle Stop Depot—in 2010, Deb didn’t expect the family’s businesses to flourish like it has.

KEVIN WEISS/STAFF PHOTOS

Sherman’s General Store in Lutz opened its doors on Feb. 6. Some of the store’s most popular items include homemade jams, jellies and fruit preserves.

Sherman’s General Store WHAT: A 1,000-square-foot shop that offers homemade jams, jellies and preserves, as well as homemade soaps, lotions and candles.

The general store offers a wide selection of homemade, all-natural soaps and lotions.

In addition to “one of a kind” items, she attributes the shops’ successes for their ability to generate repeat customers and out-of-state visitors. “It’s been very much a trial and error with how things would go,” Deb said.“Over the years, it’s basically due to our customer base and word of mouth getting out.” While racking up sales every day is re-

WHERE: 100 Fourth Ave., N.W., Lutz Hours of operation: Monday: Noon to 5 p.m.; Tuesday through Saturday: 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday: Noon to 4 p.m.

For more information, call (813)-949-8600, or visit DebsWhistleStop.com.

warding, Deb most enjoys dealing with customers, and showing them around her shops each day. “You build up a relationship, and it makes it very enjoyable—meeting people and getting to know them,” she said.

Lutz Flea Market has ‘banner year’ By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com

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A new event layout, plus substantial community support, helped turn the annual GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club’s annual flea market into a hit. “We had a banner year,” said Pat Serio, cochairwoman of the flea market.“It did not break a record, but it was a very good year for us, and we wanted to thank the community for really stepping up to our requests for donations, and they certainly came out to shop.” The GFWC Lutz-Land O’Lakes Woman’s Club opted to expand the layout of the flea market at the Historic Old Lutz School by adding additional pop-up tents behind the facility. Serio said the expanded layout, which was former woman’s club president Kay Taylor’s idea, allowed for “better flow of traffic” for flea market shoppers. “We’ve had a lot of feedback from customers who’ve been coming to our flea market over the past decade, and they loved it because it was expanded,” said Serio, noting they plan on having a similar event layout next year.“We had more than ever in terms of merchandise, and it was spread out, and we were able to display it better as a result. “It just worked so well. It was very convenient. It just spread the crowd out, too.” The new tent layout also improved the aesthetics of the popular flea market, which is usually the club’s second-largest fundraiser each year. “In prior years, we were forced to layer things and stack things, so people sometimes can’t see what is being offered,” Serio said.“This was really very good in terms of staging.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE GFWC LUTZ-LAND O’LAKES WOMAN’S CLUB

The annual GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club Flea Market attracted between 1,500 and 2,000 shoppers for its two-day event. Sales were up over last year’s totals.

Serio estimates “somewhere between 1,500 to 2,000 people” visited the flea market, on March 4 and March 5. Additionally, sales were up from last year’s flea market, Serio said. “That’s what we always aim to do — have more success than the prior year is always the right direction to be in,” she said.

Serio noted the flea market had a lot of leftover items — enough to fill three trailers for beneficiaries like the Goodwill and Salvation Army. “Usually, we have two small trailers but, for some reason, Goodwill sent out what I See FLEA MARKET, page 13A


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