Hillis Brewer has been sober for 33 years; he's 68 now. He's been a barber nearly all his life - over 48 years spent cutting hair on Sarasota's Main Street, first in Brewer's Family Hair, where his dad worked with him, and later on his own in Hairstyles by Hillis. A little over three years ago, he retired but found he missed cutting hair, and so last spring, he hung a "Hillis is Back" sign in the storefront window of Jack's Barber Shop, an old-school, two-chair setup at 1658 Main, and went back to work. ...more

December 24, 2009

While some bars are reducing their prices, others are catering to a different clientele. Cusworth Arms, a beer and wine bar inside the Kenilworth Lodge, is serving imported beers and premiums wines for those who know the difference. ...more

October 30, 2009

Can local growers cash in on the developing market for biofuels? Would going into farm-to-fuel crops be a sure bet or risky business? ...more

March 24, 2009

Kathy Yacoboni spent a lot of time on the telephone Thursday, but the calls didn't have anything to do with her business. ...more

March 22, 2009

Eight local business owners have signed a charter stating that small business is important to the community, said Randy Jordon, owner of Jordon & Son Jewelers. ...more

March 6, 2009

The face of the neighborhood pawnshop is changing. Traditionally, they squatted on the poor sides of town, catering to the desperate and down-and-out, people who slink in with a piece of jewelry or a cheap stereo for needed cash. ...more

February 7, 2009

Some pawnshops around town are noticing a different clientele. They still are desperate, but they come in wearing designer clothes or toting Rolexes or multicarat diamond cufflinks, or even, at one North Tampa pawn shop, a Tiffany ring signifying that the wearer won a recent Super Bowl. Secrets between a guy and his pawnbroker sometimes stay secret, and Capital Pawn owner Joe Cacciatore won't say which player pawned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl ring from 2002-03, but he did say the eventual buyer traded it for a "suitcase full of money." ...more

February 6, 2009

Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday this year. That might not bother Cupid, but some florists in Sun City Center worry a Saturday Valentine's Day might spell trouble for an industry already hurting due to the recession. ...more

February 4, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - The artists of Art Inherited in Land O' Lakes have spent their lifetimes creating fine art, although the bulk of it isn't painted on a canvas nor can it be viewed in a gallery. ...more

January 10, 2009

When new owners took over the Red Room Salon 18 months ago, they knew they wanted to expand. ...more

October 20, 2008