November/December 2017

The sun is rising over → Northern

Downtown

Business owners are pioneering a new day in Tampa Heights

F E ATURE WRITTEN BY De rek Herscovici PHOTOGRAPHY Gabriel Burgos

Nearly lost in the hustle and bustle of time, was first establ Tampa’s oldest ished in the 18 suburb 80s yet remain crime and hom ed touched by elessness after little but residents bega accessible subu n fleeing to th rbs in the 1960 e newly s. The rest of th direction, leavin e city sprawled g Tampa Height in every s virtually igno of the urban co red as an integr re. al piece That is, until Ri chard Gonzmar t and the Colu opened Ulele mbia Restauran on Highland Av t Group enue in 2014. restaurant in th Having a desti e center of the nation once-forgotten new business — neighborhood and new busin attracted esses.

Now, the neig hborhood’s ru stic architectur have been trans e and original formed by a ne interiors w generation of to rejuvenate th entrepreneurs e area. Hear wh ready y they are rebu on the following ilding Tampa He pages. ights

02 TAMPA DOWNTOWN | TAMPADowntown.com

WHAT IS THE HALL ON FRANKLIN? Jamal Wilson, owner — We’re the first food hall in Tampa; we’re also, from what I understand, the first full-service food hall.

At most food halls, you have to go to each vendor to order different food, which you can do with us, but we also have a comprehensive menu you can order from, and our hosts will deliver the food to your table.

WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THAT? Once I decided to do a food hall, I spent about six months traveling around the country, and I had some experience visiting food halls overseas. I kind of took the things I liked about them. I realized, from the customer’s perspective, having to get up and order food is OK the first time, but if you want to order again you have to get back in line. It’s just better if you can sit down and do everything from there.

WHAT DREW YOU TO THE TAMPA HEIGHTS AREA? I’ve always loved the area, and the community is really supportive of all the businesses that come in. The building itself spoke to me. It has great bones and a great history going back to the 1920s. I just thought the concept would work there. Luckily for us, it has, and we’re hoping we’re giving the community something it was looking for.

Jamal Wilson, owner/investor

A member of the Hall’s waitstaff at Kôfē

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE HALL ON FRANKLIN? We’re thumbing through some options and trying to figure out where we’re going to go next. Right now we’re just catching our breath and making sure the experience we’re delivering gets better and better each day, since we’ve only been open [since August]. We’re always trying to freshen up the experience!

THE HALL ON FRANKLIN 1701 N FRANKLIN ST. THEHALLONFRANKLIN.COM MON-WED TH-SAT SUNDAY

11 A.M. – 11 P.M. 11 A.M. – 2 A.M. 11 A.M. – 5 P.M.

KÔFĒ AND BAKE’N BABES OPEN AT 7:30 A.M. M-F

IN THE HALL: KÔFĒ BAKE ‘N BABES HEIGHTS FISH CAMP HEIGHTS MELT SHOPPE POKE ROSE NORTH STAR EATERY THE COLLECTION

The bar at Kôfē, the coffee stall inside the Hall on Franklin

FANCY FREE NURSERY WHAT IS FANCY FREE NURSERY? Megan Wages, owner — My husband, Robby, and I were both bartenders for a few years, and I have past experience working in a plant nursery. We pretty much wanted to combine two of the things we both like to do and made a plant bar where people could come and learn about plants, learn how to take care of a plant-styled home and also have a drink or two.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON TAMPA HEIGHTS? We actually live in Tampa Heights and have had the neighborhood on our radar for a few years. When we saw the building we actually fell in love with it. I love being able to ride my bike [to work].

WHERE DO YOUR PLANTS COME FROM? We source all our plants from small growers all over Florida. We try to focus on plants

that are going to thrive and be healthy in the heat and the sun of Tampa. When you go to Home Depot and buy a plant, it comes with a tag that says “six to eight hours of direct sunlight,” but that plant was grown up north and shipped to Tampa. It’s not acclimated to the light we have down here, so it’s not going to thrive.

People get confused and need a lot of help finding plants that are going to look really good and be healthy.

We also try to promote Floridanative plants.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE TO OFFER AT FANCY FREE? We’ve had the property “wetzoned,” so we’re an event space for weddings and holiday parties, too. We’ve only been open for four months, but we’ve got the bar built, we teach terrarium classes, and we have beer and wine for the events.

Megan and Robby Wages, owners 04 TAMPA DOWNTOWN | TAMPADowntown.com

Exterior of Fancy Free Nursery Shop interior

Succulents

Megan and Robby

FANCY FREE NURSERY 1502 N. FLORIDA AVE. FANCYFREENURSERY.COM TUES-FRI 11 A.M. – 7 P.M. SAT & SUN 9 A.M. – 5 P.M.

Nov + Dec 2017 | TAMPA DOWNTOWN 05

Owners Jason and Emily Smith

Interior of Foundation Coffee Co.

FOUNDATION COFFEE CO. HOW DID FOUNDATION COFFEE COME TO TAMPA? Jason Smith, owner — I started an outdoor living construction company called Outdoor Impressions years ago, and we needed a way to make our store showrooms more accessible.

Two years ago, my wife and I said, “Hey, why don’t we create a coffee-shop feel and a vibe around an outdoor patio but serve really great coffee?”

We started in Riverview with an outdoor patio area with chairs, pergolas and fire pits with the coffee shop right smack in the middle of it. We quickly found so many people gravitating toward our coffee shop and loving what we were doing. We kind of used that Riverview shop as a proof of concept, and once we realized that it was good and we liked it, we decided to take it to the next level as a brick-andmortar in Tampa Heights.

HOW DID YOU NAIL DOWN THE LOOK AND FEEL OF THE TAMPA HEIGHTS LOCATION? We knew what Tampa Heights was going through — a revitalization

of the urban area. There are a lot of younger folks living down that way. We knew we wanted to keep the place urban and rustic and industrial. The building was born in 1922, and I didn’t want to come in and make the place look polished and finished. I wanted it to look historic.

WHAT KIND OF COFFEE DOES FOUNDATION SERVE? We’re definitely specialty-grade coffee, so basically our coffee program and everything we do we try to make it premium grade; we use a lot of manual brewing methods. We don’t focus on anything except truly great coffee.

We’re considered a multi-roaster type of coffee shop, meaning we roast our own beans, but we also feature different roasters from around the country every week.

HOW DOES IT FEEL WORKING IN TAMPA HEIGHTS? One thing that we really enjoy about Tampa Heights is that, from the day we moved in, [the neighbors] were very accepting, and we just felt more a part of the community.

It’s really encouraging to see people support small businesses.

FOUNDATION COFFEE CO. 1607 N. FRANKLIN STREET FOUNDATIONCOFFEECO.COM M-TH FRI SAT

7 A.M. – 6 P.M. 7 A.M. – 7 P.M. 8 A.M. – 7 P.M.

HIDDEN SPRINGS ALE WORKS WHAT SETS HIDDEN SPRINGS APART FROM OTHER BREWERIES? Erica Jones, social media coordinator — Our big focus is experimental sours, which makes us a little different. We try to cover a broad spectrum of superapproachable beers. If you’ve never had anything craft or locally made or sourced, we’re a good starting place.

At the same time, we really try to perfect some of the more experimental styles. We do a lot with stouts as well; we’re known for our Deja Mu milk stout with smoked chipotle peppers and cocoa nibs. We have a sense of humor with our names.

local music about every three months.

We have big “brewhouse sessions” where we open up the brewery and local musicians can come in and play.

We want to provide a good space for locals to come hang out, drink some beer and really form a sense of community in the neighborhood.

HOW DID YOU CHOOSE TAMPA HEIGHTS? We really liked the construction of the building we’re in and the architecture of the buildings surrounding us. Its proximity to downtown really stood out to us also. There wasn’t anything like us in the downtown area, and being centrally located — just off I-275 — helped. I think [owners Josh Garman and Austin Good] chose the neighborhood because they were hoping that opening a business in the area would spark some interest in the neighborhood.

WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF YOUR LOCATION? We have art shows every month. We work with Funky As a Monkey Art Studio, we’re a part of the Fourth Friday Art Walks and Indie Flea, and we do

Austin Good, owner

Exterior of Hidden Springs Ale Works

HIDDEN SPRINGS ALE WORKS 1631 N. FRANKLIN ST. HIDDENSPRINGSALEWORKS.COM M - TH FRI - SAT SUN

4 P.M. – 10 P.M. 12 P.M. – 12 A.M. 12 P.M. – 7 P.M.

Josh Garman, co-owner

Nov + Dec 2017 | TAMPA DOWNTOWN 07

PIZZA

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777 N. Ashley Drive, Ste. C (Located in Skypoint) | (813) 463-1600 | TampaPizzaCompany.com ABOUT US

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ADVERTISE WITH US Visit our website tampadowntown.com/advertising

Speak to a member of the sales team (813) 600-4000

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Picture Perfect

WRITTEN BY McKenna Kelley | PHOTOGRAPHY Gabriel Burgos

See through someone else’s eyes (or lens) at one of Tampa’s premier museums

T

ucked upstairs in downtown’s Cube building, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts is making a name for itself as one of the anchors of the city’s arts and culture district. The museum first opened in 2001 and moved to its current home in 2012, where it houses contemporary and community photography on the building’s second floor and historical photos on the third.

“We want to be an advocate for photography in the community,” says Anna Castellano, FMoPA’s exhibitions and development manager. “We have a community gallery, and we hold calls for work all year round.”

Each year, the exhibitions committee puts their collective heads together to choose their contemporary and historic visiting exhibits based on personal tastes and relevancy to Tampa. Castellano says they have already hosted “The History

of Tampa, Part One” and are looking for a part two; the current contemporary exhibit, “Under the Cuban Sun,” examines the effects of Fidel Castro’s reign on modern Cuba.

“Castro’s passing kind of shook up artists,” Castellano says. “[The exhibit is] definitely in a revolutionary spirit.

We can celebrate art and beauty with photography, but we also have a duty to document and report.”

FMoPA attendance has increased as Tampa’s cultural hubs have joined together in support of the city’s growth, Castellano says.

“We have a responsibility to support each other,” she adds. “All the cultural institutions are in this together.”

FLORIDA MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS

400 N. Ashley Drive | Cube 200 (813) 221-2222 | fmopa.org Nov + Dec 2017 | TAMPA DOWNTOWN 09

TAMPADOWNTOWN

SHOPPING

Beauty Brought Out Owner Julissa Mercado-Badgett

Making Up Downtown This entrepreneur is making Tampa beautiful, one cosmetic at a time

T

his summer, Downtown Tampa’s Beauty Brought Out makeup studio launched JMB Cosmetics, its own line of beauty products meant to last throughout a downtown day.

Owner Julissa Mercado-Badgett, a Chicago native, says she used the knowledge she’s acquired as a makeup artist over the last 14 years to design a line that is both high quality and affordable.

“It’s the ultimate dream for an artist to have their own line,” MercadoBadgett says.

The JMB Cosmetics collection includes a variety of lip products, including lip liners and matte liquid lipsticks, and vitamin care, like vitamin C and E sticks and a rich house-made oil roller with vitamins A, E and D to assist with removing long-lasting color. A customizable eye shadow palette comes with the choice of three or five colors in shades like copper love, orchid and rose gold.

Beauty Brought Out also offers haircuts, extensions, waxing and facials, along with makeup for weddings and other events. Want to try a DIY approach to makeup? The salon holds a Beauty and Bottles class where professional artists teach proper makeup application in a small, laidback setting — and there’s wine.

Beauty Brought Out 414 E. Madison St. (813) 453-3355 beautybroughtout.com

TAMPA DOWNTOWN | TAMPADowntown.com

TAMPADOWNTOWN

PEOPLE

Eby Paul Owner, Maven Designs

Favorite downtown restaurant: The Hall on Franklin is

quickly becoming my go-to place because of the variety they offer all under one roof.

Favorite downtown bar: I love that

District Tavern is open late and located in the heart of the Channel District. The Collection at the Hall on Franklin has a great specialty menu, and I love the ambiance at Anise Global Gastrobar.

Favorite date-night downtown: Anything at Curtis Hixon

Waterfront Park, like concerts, the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts and the Chillin’ Music Fest. I also love the Best of Tampa Bay foodtasting event at the Straz Center every year.

Favorite cocktail downtown:

The Moscow Mule at The Collection in the Hall on Franklin or the mojito at the Columbia Café on the Riverwalk.

Favorite downtown happy hour: I usually end up at places outside of

the downtown district for happy hour, so it’s probably one area we need to improve on, but I do like the Sail Pavilion and Hattricks.

Favorite place to take friends who aren’t familiar with downtown: The eBoats tour of the

bay is the best way to show friends all of Downtown Tampa, Davis Islands, Harbour Island and Bayshore, plus we can stop to eat at Ulele, Jackson’s or Ricks on the River.

Favorite downtown event: The Gasparilla Pirate Fest is one event I always set my schedule around months in advance.

I haven’t been to anything quite like it in any other city.

Favorite downtown hidden gem: The Great Escape Room. If you

haven’t tried it, I highly recommend checking it out.

Nov + Dec 2017 | TAMPA DOWNTOWN 11

TAMPADOWNTOWN

EVENTS

The Tampa Downtown Partnership adds more décor to the Winter Village every year, as visitors are always looking for new places to take holiday photos.

WRITTEN BY McKenna Kelley | PHOTOGRAPHY Foto Bohemia

The Tampa Downtown Partnership, that’s who. Get a peek behind the scenes of the planning and assembling of downtown’s coolest event.

People didn’t believe the ice could be real.

“It has to be plastic” was the common reaction, says Rachel Radawec, the Tampa Downtown Partnership’s placemaking and community engagement manager.

An open-air ice skating rink in Tampa, Florida, is certainly cause for skepticism, but the Partnership has been making the now-annual tradition happen at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park since 2010. In 2016, the event expanded to become the Winter Village, including small pop-up retail shops, food and beverage options, and enhanced décor. This year’s event (which runs Nov. 17 through Jan. 5) is growing once again to allow for more of everything.

“We had one food and beverage operator last year, and we’re looking at three to five this year,” says Shaun Drinkard, the partnership’s director of placemaking.

“We have retailers returning, and we’re maintaining and expanding our partners list. More and more people want to get involved.”

While planning for the 2016 event didn’t really begin until about three months prior, Drinkard says planning for this year began the day last year’s Winter Village came down.

“We heard if you’re not done with your holiday event planning by July, you’re behind, and it’s true,” he says.

The village setup, which includes a 12,000 square-foot shade structure donated by the Glazer family and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Academy that houses the ice rink, takes 10 days to move into Curtis Hixon Park. In last year’s case, move-out was dictated by the arrival of the College Football Playoff National Championship; the Downtown Partnership had just 72 hours to tear down the Winter Village at the end of December to make room for the events surrounding the game.

surrounding downtown area more than ever. On Sunday afternoons during the event, a TECO Streetcar will run as the Winter Village Express between Centro Ybor and the Whiting Street Station, where a marked path will lead visitors to Curtis Hixon Park. Monthly events like Rock the Park and Fourth Friday will be integrated into the Winter Village, while the Tampa Theatre (which will close in November and December for renovations) is hosting its annual Holiday Classics movie series for free in the park.

“As we’ve started to establish this brand and experience, we want cultural institutions and businesses to add their ideas,” says the Partnership’s Rachel Radawec. “People hear the word ‘village,’ and that’s what we’re trying to provide.”

Another challenge the Partnership has learned to overcome is maintaining the rink. Formerly set up right beside Ashley Drive, its new home is closer to the Hillsborough River, where Drinkard says there is an 18-inch difference in elevation between the land on each side of the rink. To compensate, the rink is built on a perfectly level deck that allows airflow underneath to help keep the ice cold. The shade structure helps protect the ice from wind and moisture, the two biggest hurdles.

“We’re always learning how to deal with the elements and trying to perfect the quality of the ice,” Drinkard says. “The lack of humidity in the late fall makes it easier, but we’re expanding the limits of an open-air ice rink.”

With the Winter Village as its centerpiece, the Tampa Downtown Partnership is pushing the holiday experience into the

The Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park (600 N. Ashley Drive) opens Nov. 17 and runs through Jan. 5. Hours vary and will be extended during Hillsborough County school breaks. Find a list of vendors and learn more at WinterVillageTampa.com.

Crush Your Workout Channel District residents have a new place to get their sweat on. Crunch Fitness opened on the ground floor of Grand Central at Kennedy in late summer and offers state-of-the-art cardio and strength machines, group fitness classes, circuit training and one-on-one training.

CRUNCH FITNESS (813) 443-9102 CRUNCH.COM 1120 E. Kennedy Blvd.

Suite 129

Be Flexible At Araliya Studio, stretch and relax your way fit in this premier yoga studio and event venue, located in the heart of the Channel District.

Stop by for a wide variety of yoga classes, including gentle yoga, hatha flow yoga and dynamic core yoga, taught by a world-class, 500-hour-certified instructor. The studio also offers new student specials and select discounts for seniors, healthcare professionals, students and first responders and doubles as an event space.

Araliya Studio 375 S. 12th St. (813) 955-1118 araliyainc.com

TAMPADOWNTOWN

EXERCISE

TRANSPORTATION

COAST BIKE SHARE coastbikeshare.com $8 pay as you go $15 monthly rental

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Reggie and Carmen Blanchard from Georgia

Pearl Oasis Pearl Salon is an oasis for its clients — with services ranging from traditional nail care, to eyelash extensions, facials, massage and hair blow dry. Founder Kim Nguyen has balanced Eastern and Western traditions and ambiance to create a soothing and restful space for her clients to enjoy.

PEARL SALON (813) 228-0348 pearlsalontampa.com 477 N. Ashley Drive Tampa, FL 33602

Nov + Dec 2017 | TAMPA DOWNTOWN 15

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