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'WE'RE OPEN!' Don't Mind The Mess

Fred Bellet/Tampa Tribune

Clutter and confusion in front of Manolo's Italian Restaurant has compelled restaurant owner, Joe Abed to complain that his business is off some 50% judging from his receipts last Saturday. Work continues on the installation of facades over several businesses on Fifth Ave. in Zephyrhills.

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By NICOLA M. WHITE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 11, 2008

ZEPHYRHILLS - The sight of scaffolding and guys in hard hats may give shoppers the impression that downtown's Fifth Avenue has been turned into a construction zone.

In a way, it has.

But it's mostly business as usual - or as usual as possible - as several downtown storefronts receive makeovers, courtesy of a state-administered federal grant.

On tap: new windows, doors and even Ybor City-style balconies harkening back to 1920s Zephyrhills.

While most business owners are excited about the improvements to their properties, some have had to get creative to ensure that customers keep shopping during the project.

Joe Abed, owner of Manolo's Italian Restaurant, has plastered his front window with "Yes, We're Open!" signs. The folks at Goin' Postal have done the same and also hired a costumed mascot to stand on the corner of U.S. 301 and Fifth Avenue to lure shoppers.

Still, Abed has seen his business decline at a time of year Zephyrhills merchants usually relish.

"It doesn't feel like we're in season," Abed said. "Saturday was horrible. I got 50 percent of what I usually do on a decent day."

Diners are turned off by the scaffolding and the temporary sidewalk closures, he said.

"I know it's going to look nice," he said. "It's going to. But we're dealing with today. They need to speed it up a bit."

The work is on track to be completed within 90 days from when it started in mid-December. The city is trying to be sensitive to the needs of the downtown business owners as the project continues, said Todd Vande Berg, the city's director of development services.

"We're trying to keep a better handle on it to ask the contractor to give us a schedule, so we can communicate that with the business owners," Vande Berg said.

Not all businesses have been negatively affected, though. The owners of Art & Pat's Antiques said their business has not been affected at all, though they haven't been open that much recently.

Knowing December is always a busy month, the owners of Goin' Postal added signs and hired the costumed postman to lure customers, said owner Marcus Price.

"With the extra promotion we did, we still grew probably 25 percent over last year," he said.

Several more businesses are due for renovations this spring: Knights Kove video arcade, The Scrub Shop, Computer Sales & Services and Main Street Fitness.

The owners of the buildings, some of which contain more than one business, received $20,000 to $40,000 Community Development Block Grants to upgrade their facades. Each owner paid a 10 percent match. In total, about $100,000 in grant money will be spent on the project.

The façade improvement plan is one more project the city has undertaken in recent years to make the historic mom-and-pop business district attractive as big-box stores and restaurants flourish in the city's developing northern edge.

Reporter Nicola M. White can be reached at (813) 779-4613 or nwhite1@tampatrib.com.

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