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By JOHN C. COTEY

john@NTNeighborhoodNews.com

The KRATE Container Park at The Grove has opened in bits and pieces over the past few months, but this Saturday, June 4, the park will finally celebrate its Grand Opening.

More than 70 percent of the 94 repurposed shipping containers will be “officially” open for business — although many have been open for months — and the celebration will be marked by live music at a new bandshell, family events and plenty of food and shopping.

The Grand Opening celebration on the 4th is scheduled from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., with nighttime entertainment from 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

“Opening KRATE was mission impossible,” Grove developer Mark Gold of Mishorim-Gold Properties says. “We did not expect a pandemic, supply chain shortages, and a backlog in permitting. But, we did it and everything we promised we would do has become reality. We are proud of the sense of community we have built here at the Grove at Wesley Chapel and our KRATE park and look forward to providing even more opportunities to bring together friends, families, and neighbors.”

KRATE is just one part, but perhaps the crown jewel, of The Grove’s transformation, which began when MishorimGold Properties, a partnership between Gold and Mishorim Real Estate, bought the 200+ acres for $62.7 million in 2019. Gold has since poured more than $100 million into renovations, including $20 million or so for a container park he promised would be one-of-a-kind.

KRATE faced a number of obstacles to opening, primarily due to Covid-19 and permitting snags. But little by little, the containers were transformed inside and outside — thanks in large part to artist Whitney Holbourn, whose handpainted, business-themed murals adorn the exterior of each shop — into an attractive, outdoor shopping park featuring 70% restaurants and 30% retail businesses.

Nickole Davis, who opened All Good Things Gifts in February, says she is excited to see KRATE take another step toward reality. Davis sells a variety of personalized items, like her popular Wesley Chapel-branded home decorations, and says local consumers will be pleased by the variety of different kinds of shops in the KRATE, which include a children’s boutique, a Budget Blinds showroom (see story on pgs. 18-19) and a huge variety of different cuisines from around the world, including Puerto Rican, French, Hawaiian, Mediterranean, Venezuelan and Japanese influences and so many more.

“The park is still in its infancy and there’s a lot of room for growth, so I think as more people know that it’s open, it can become something special,” says Davis, who added that her business has been hitting sales goals and doing very well since opening.

She is not alone. Some of the restaurants, like the Bacon Boss HQ, TJ’s Hot Dogs and Mojo Grill Latin Fusion, have been regularly selling out and running out Gold also promises that a separate KRATE parking lot is coming to the south end of the container park (north of the Outback Steak House) that should be done “soon.”

Also Coming Soon...

If you have never visited the KRATE Container Park at The Grove at Wesley Chapel, or you haven’t been in a while, many more of the repurposed shipping containers are now open. You can check out everything that is open at KRATE’s Grand Opening event on Saturday, June 4. (Drone photo by Charmaine George) of inventory, a sign that the public is eager for the KRATE, despite the fact that the parking areas around the shipping containers themselves have been closed to vehicular traffic, due to the fact that the area has still very much been a construction zone. Portions of the parking area between the various KRATEs have opened, including by the Bacon Boss HQ (nearest the stage at the north end of the park) and other interior parking areas around the other KRATEs, but that parking will be closed for the Grand Opening event on June 4, due to the amount of foot traffic expected in the area. There will be plenty of KRATE parking in the lot in front of the big box stores at The Grove, including World Market and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

In addition to KRATE, Gold continues to fill the rest of The Grove property. New businesses slated to open in the near future include: Woodie’s Wash Shack, Five Below, Bealls Outlet/Home Centric, Starbucks, a national rental car chain, a national grocery store and a miniature golf course. “We are the ultimate shopping and entertainment destination, not just for Wesley Chapel, but for the region and around the world,” Gold says. This salted caramel martini, like all of the alcoholic beverages at the Blush Wine Room are wine-based & delicious! (Photo: Lauren Cione)

Which KRATEs Are Already Open & Which Ones Are Still To Come?

Although it’s very possible that more of the repurposed shipping containers at the KRATE Container Park will be open by the time you receive this issue in your mailbox, here is the complete list of KRATEs that were open & planned at our press time.

OPEN RESTAURANTS & BARS:

Please note that we will have full reviews of each of the following open & planned eateries in future issues. But, where else but the KRATE Container Park can you find all of these cuisine types?:

• Tasty Ramen • El Prince Mediterranean • Shake-A-Salad • The Fryroom

• La Creacion Express (top photo)

• Mojo Grill Latin Fusion • Provisions Coffee & Kitchen • The Bacon Boss HQ • TJ’s Hot Dogs

• Tacos El Patron (2nd photo)

• Chamo Bites Venezuelan Cuisine

(3rd photo)

• Subzero Nitrogen Ice Cream

(4th photo)

• Blush Wine Room

(previous pg. & 5th photo)

• Urban Sweets

• Palani’s Hawai’i Noodles (6th photo)

• Brew Bar RESTAURANTS STILL TO COME:

Although some of these may open by the time this issue reaches you, still food & beverages coming soon to KRATE include: • Boba Mac’s Tea & Eats

• Yummy Tablas • Falafel Factory • Pisco Peruvian Chinese • Ato Japanese • 365 Café • Bakery X • Bebo’s Cheesesteaks • Sugar Pop! • Flipn’ Fries • Higher Flour • Rhythm Pon Jamaican Grill • Café Zorba

OPEN KRATE RETAIL SHOPS: • The Rebellious Hippie • Maeberry Co. • Katie Beth’s Boutique • Pasco EDC’s Smart Start • All Good Things Gifts • We Rock Rocks • Gadgets Emergency Room • Tonella’s Flower Shop

• Budget Blinds (story on pgs. 18-19)

KRATE RETAILERS STILL TO COME: • Insane Vape & Smoke Shop • Center Ed • The Snapbox Selfie Studio • The Toy Jungle • Grove Cigars, • 2 Extreme Tattoos • Valiart Jewelry Designs • Life Essentials Refillery