Shops At Wiregrass Tenants Unveiled

The developers of the Shops at Wiregrass confirmed on Tuesday a number of tenants for their plaza that's slated to open Oct. 30.

Many of the tenants announced had been hinted at for a year or more, having appeared on engineering plans submitted for review by Pasco County. Others were revealed in recent weeks when they filed for permits to sell alcohol or build their storefronts in the 850,000-square-foot mall.

The list confirmed Tuesday included: Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Yamato Japanese Steak House, Cantina Laredo and Brass Tap pub and brewery.

Also on the list were American Greetings, Aveda, Brown Shoe Closet, Cacique, Christopher & Banks, Hollister, Hot Topic, Juice Zone, Learning Express, Limited Too, Put A Cork In It and Stride Rite.

The developers of the mall, Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises and West Palm Beach-based Goodman Co., are overseeing construction of the eastern leg of State Road 56. The first portion of the $25 million, six-lane road must be finished before the mall can open.

The Brass Tap will be the first business by owner Anthony Rosas of Tampa and his business partner, Jeff Martin, of Wesley Chapel.

Rosas said he and his lifelong friend, both 28, see in Wiregrass and Wesley Chapel an untapped market for their venture: craft beers. They plan to offer 40 beers on tap and 300 in bottles available for take-out, Rosas said.

"It's a tough time with the economy the way it is," Rosas said. "But the craft beer scene is growing."

On the same day Rosas spoke, the owner of Bennigan's pubs and Steak & Ale restaurants filed for bankruptcy court protection and abruptly closed the doors on numerous locations in the Tampa Bay area.

Rosas' start-up business will face competition from BJ's Brewhouse, also slated to open in Wiregrass, and Beef 'O'Brady's, which has a location just to the south at the Shoppes at New Tampa.

Rosas said the fact that his business will focus exclusively on craft beers and not try to be a restaurant will give it a leg up in the market.

The Brass Tap will open with the rest of Wiregrass on Oct. 30. It will host a benefit for the American Cancer Society as part of its grand opening Nov. 1, Rosas said.

The Shops at Wiregrass is the second of three major retail centers under development in Wesley Chapel.

The Grove at Wesley Chapel, about three miles to the north at County Road 54 and Oakley Boulevard, opened its first phase last fall and plans to finish development this year. The Grove's Cobb Theatres, south-central Pasco's first theater, plans to open its 16-screen megaplex in August.

The other retail center, Cypress Creek Town Center, has been stalled about three miles west of Wiregrass because of environmental issues involving the namesake creek that was affected earlier this year by silt-laden storm runoff from the mall site.