FIRST BEALLS FLORIDA STORE CONCEPT OPENS IN BLOOMINGDALE SQUARE

By Lily Belcher

“Our family met Alex’s family when Alex was battling his battle with a brain tumor at a fundraiser event to help Alex,” Taylor said about the Sumners. “We have held a fundraiser in the past for the AlexStrong Foundation at our venue and when I heard about Avery, I knew just who to contact to help organize a fundraiser for her and her family.”

Taylor said Big Red Barn Events has seen an outpouring of support from vendors, including I Heart Cupcakes, Berry Sweet Memories by Dee Dee, Mission BBQ and other community stores and bakeries.

“The event is to get the community together and help lift Avery and her family up during this time,” said Taylor.

All the money raised by the AlexStrong Foundation from the beginning of June until the event will go directly to the Fales family.

Donations can be sent via check to the AlexStrong Foundation at P.O. Box 568, Balm, FL 33503 or online through PayPal, Cash App and Venmo. To become a vendor, sponsor the event or donate a rafe basket, contact Taylor at 813-763-4125.

The Bealls at Bloomingdale Square celebrated its grand reopening as the flagship Bealls Florida store at 925 E. Bloomingdale Ave. with a weekend celebration. Company President and Tampa native Tianne Doyle and company CEO and fourth-generation namesake Matt Beall joined the local store team to ring bells and cut the ribbon just before the doors opened to more than 250 shoppers. The first 100 shoppers each morning of the grand opening weekend received free gift cards to the store.

Bealls Inc. announced in March that it was rebranding its 68 Bealls stores to Bealls Florida to align with the chain’s unique Florida “Live Life Local” motto. The company’s 570 Burkes Outlet and Bealls Outlet stores in 23 states are being renamed bealls (stylized with a lowercase b). In total, 250 Florida stores will be rebranded before the end of 2023.

Store manager Shayla Gainer, who is excited to be opening the new concept to the community, said, “The store is so customer-friendly and efcient because everything is at the customer lever and better for our guests. The store is bright and seems so much bigger with the new renovations.”

Customers will recognize longtime team member and key holder Rosalina Coughlin, who can be found throughout the store and has worked for the company for 24 years. “The customers are loving the luxury of the new store,” she said.

By Marie Gilmore

Beall was on hand for the ribbon cutting and said, “This is an incredible community and has supported our business for 37 years, and this store is our biggest real estate transformation in the company,” said Beall.

The reinvented Brandon Bealls Florida store features expanded home and beauty assortments, enhanced apparel oferings for the whole family, a completely new store design and self-check-out. The Brandon location opened in 1986.

“We have incredibly loyal customers here in Brandon who will be blown away when they see the new look and our expanded offerings,” said group manager Amanda Sharrer. “We wanted to continue delivering the best year-round life-in-the-sun assortment while adding a bit more of a mass-merchant feel where our guests can also get great beauty products, kitchen gadgets, bedding, bath and home decor and updated looks for young moms and kids.”

Sharrer added that the shopping environment is brighter and easier to navigate with curated collections.

Bealls Inc. is now represented in 23 states with bealls, Bealls Florida, Home Centric and Rugged Earth Outfitters stores. Headquartered in Bradenton since 1915, Bealls Inc. is a privately held company that has been owned and operated by the founding family for over 100 years. To learn more about Bealls Inc, please visit www.beallsinc.com.