LocalShops1: Shopping & dining in Tampa Bay

LocalShops1 Girl finds a home!

2009-09-19T22:43:00.002-04:00

Here she is, with Historic Shed! Details on LocalShops1.com

Tweet-up in Tampa!!!

2009-09-19T22:39:00.000-04:00

It's that time again!! LocalShops1.com and Socially Mediated have partnered up again to bring Saint Pete Tweets' fourth Tweet-up! And this time, we're taking it across the bay ... Our host is the beautiful Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, which has offered free guided tours, snacks and drinks. You just bring your smiling self :)

For those who have never been to a Tweet-up, here's what to expect: awesome people, social and business networking, maybe even a few surprises.

For more information, please go to LocalShops1.com

Coffee & tea shops, read up!

2009-09-19T22:37:00.000-04:00

Our environmentally-friendly friends Katia and Mary have a plan to encourage businesses to make their shops greener. They're sponsoring Tampa's very first Carrotmob. Here is how it works: Businesses place bids, committing a percentage of sales on 'mob' day to go toward improving insulation, installing energy-efficient lighting, etc. Store with highest bid wins. Meanwhile, they're gathering a group of people -- lots of students here, from USF and UT -- who pledge to shop at the winning store on mob day.

For more info, go to LocalShops1.com

Pay it forward, Tampa Bay!

2009-08-10T03:33:00.002-04:00

It's nice to know there are still some good souls out there.

One of our local small business folks who recently had to shut down because of the ruined economy also just lost her house to foreclosure. In a week's time, she and her two children would be out on the streets.

But Kalena Bowers of Parrish is resourceful and savvy. She turned to Craig's List and posted a listing asking for help from the community in finding a solution. An act of kindness was born, and someone generously offered their home for her family to stay in until they get on their feet again.

A hand up. Different than a hand out. That's what binds us all in times of crisis, I think; empathy for the human condition. And God knows right now that so many of us are affected by financial constraints.

Bowers then posted a different kind of ad on Craig's List after that random stranger offered to help: a listing urging the rest of the community to do the same. So many others are struggling, and so many of us have help to offer, even if it is just something small. She was positive that people would catch the wave.

She was right. The deluge of responses has pushed the formation of a new group: "People Helping People." Simple. Poetic. To the point. Bowers is gathering a small army of resources together to meet weekly and offer the same hand up to others in need. There's strength in numbers, and also in diversity.

Being compelled to give and give back is contagious. I still believe - as does Bowers, I'm sure - that there are genuine people with warm hearts out there, and that we can make this world a bit better one spoonful at a time. One small kind deed at a time.

Bowers isn't looking for miracles. Whether you bring food for the hungry, school supplies for the needy kids, vouchers, gift cards, knowledge, job offers, kind words, moral support - it all counts. The sum of our parts is greater than the whole. Even if we ourselves are in need, too.

So let's pay it forward, Tampa Bay. To be a part of it all, contact the group at (941) 870-5618.

Happy First Birthday, Local Shops1 !!!!

2009-08-04T13:50:00.002-04:00

Let's face it: those of us who run small local businesses have few champions for our cause. And with the decline in the economy, driving customers through the door is a bit tougher these days.

We've got someone in our corner, though. Localshops1, the brainchild of savvy St. Pete journalist Ester Venouziou, has been a trumpet for local retail and small business in the Tampa Bay area for the last year.

The Localshops1 site is nothing less than a phenomenon; the network web is a far-reaching support system for local places that may not get attention otherwise. Our local retail shops, restaurants and services are like hidden gems among the area. Ester's endeavor brings us right to the shine.

And to think, this whole thing started to get Ester's mother away from the malls when she came to visit. The tentative list of great local places to shop has exploded over the last year.

And today, Localshops1 celebrates it first birthday! The local shopper girl got herself a bit of a make-over, the website got just a little more spiffy, and Ester won herself $250,000 in a marketing contest to promote local businesses. I'd say Localshops1 has much to celebrate!

It's free for local small retail and services to get listed on the site. And the value of word of mouth is priceless.

So let's pause and appreciate all this. Come celebrate with us tonight at the Tables Restaurant in St. Petersburg, 535 Central Avenue. The festivities kick off at 7 p.m. Good food, good friends, good entertainment!

Congratulations, Localshops1 and Ester! And thank you, from your local small business fans!

Coffee and gossip - two of my favorite things

2009-07-30T00:30:00.002-04:00

I learned early on as a freshman news reporter that to really find out what's going on in a place, you can't skulk around city hall. Instead, you park your butt in the best local cafe and pay attention to the local crowd.

When I transplanted myself here from little New England, it was kind of a culture shock of chain restaurants and traffic whizzing by. It took me a while to find those kitschy little local places where the pie is homemade and the gossip is just as fresh as the coffee.

Found a great one in Ellenton - D's Ellenton Cafe (7044 US 301 North, Ellenton, 941-723-1139). It's tucked away near the Rocky Bluffs Public Library, one of my all-time favorite places to wile away a rainy day. I never noticed it before; it's sort of unassuming and quiet under its cafe awnings.

Like all the other places I find, I just wandered in one day, drawn by the smell of good coffee. Ellenton Cafe is the kind of place that serves breakfast all day, and has great homemade desserts. The kind of place to knock off a sinfully juicy cheeseburger and a side of fries, and get served a good helping of local gossip.

It was obvious that Ellenton Cafe draws the same crowd in daily - they all seemed to know one another by name. It's the kind of thing I miss about living up north, that small-town feeling; like when you walk in a place, it's like slipping into your favorite house shoes.

My server tells me the meatloaf is indescribable - practically its own food group. After the pie I ate, I believe her. I know I'll have to slip in there again at dinnertime to see. And maybe, just maybe, if I slip in there enough, I could even be considered a local myself. You never know.

Taking digital media to new heights

2009-07-21T22:07:00.002-04:00

Have you guys seen this? Billboards around the area connected to Twitter accounts? Talk about a new height in advertising.

Clear Channel Outdoors which rents out digital billboards for advertising has entered a new realm by hooking those boards up to Twitter, the social networking site that plays host to many businesses. People keep in touch by sending out 140 - character "tweets" on their status.

Clear Channel Outdoors has figured out how to instantly send those tweets to the ad boards, which update in real time. Even if you send those tweets from your BlackBerry.
They're already doing themselves - although the updates are pretty generic, limited to happenings in the local area.

But they are showing businesses the potential: set up a free Twitter account, and reach more people than by billboard alone. The possibilities are endless here. Potential customers see the update board, log on to Twitter and follow said business.

I must admit, I'm intrigued. Who knows where this can go? It's essentially taking marketing coverage boundaries and erasing the lines. And while I'm excited about this prospect, I am more excited about what it could lead to, and what it could mean for local businesses. In these days when marketing dollars are scarce and deficits are many, we need all the reach we can get.

What will happen to local St. Pete business if no Rays?

2009-07-16T19:30:00.002-04:00

I am watching with some trepidation the "academic" meetings happening about the Tampa Bay Rays and where they should play.

Yes, I know worrying about it now is probably a bit premature, since the Rays do have a contract with the city of St. Petersburg through 2027, but I have also been around the block enough times to know that nothing is ever set in stone.

Besides the fact that the Trop is a landmark, we have come to love seeing our Rays in St. Pete. So why now after all these years is St. Pete not a suitable home anymore for the team? The group "A Baseball Community" or ABC Coalition is studying all of this and has announced that the Trop is too remote a location for most baseballs fans to get to with any convenience.

For whom?? I live a county away and still drive in to St. Pete to see the Tampa Bay Rays. And almost half of the season ticket holders live in Pinellas. If the Trop were any closer to the interstate it would have its own lane.

The ABC Coalition in their "academic" discussions are kicking around several other locations. Most of them are in Tampa: downtown, the Westshore area and the fairgrounds. Another Pinellas spot, Carillon, is also being looked at.

I will be in a snit if I have to go into Hillsborough County. I know I won't be the only one.
But all of that notwithstanding, my real concern is for our small local businesses that call downtown St. Pete home, and rely on that economic boost the at-home Rays games provide. In these anorexic financial times, our local businesses have really felt the pinch. Any more blows from the money axe and we may see more storefronts closing.

The small business community is having to rely on loans and credit to get by in lieu of consumer spending. The walk-in traffic from the baseball games is a welcome relief. If we move the Rays, that well may dry up. Who knows? Our local businesses are not silent partners in this.

There is far more for our economic development leaders to consider here than just who wants to drive where. If you build it, they will come. Well, it's already here. Can't we just keep it?

Relax and say ahhh! Great find in Parrish

2009-07-09T22:01:00.004-04:00

Given the obvious slow death-rattle of customer service, it's nice to stumble upon a place where it thrives!

I had a great find in Manatee County, a little family-run spa tucked away on US 301 on the way through Parrish.

I'll admit it right here: I love to be pampered. Don't we all? But I have been to a few nail spas in my travels that seem to run more like a production line in a factory. They just seem to be missing that certain welcoming ambiance.

Cali Nails & Tan in Parrish is quite different. Family run by husband and wife team Luan and Kim Vo, this little nail spa just breathes relaxation from the moment you walk in the door. The hustle and stress of life sort of stops when you sit in one of their chairs, ready to be babied. The mood is lazy and laid back here (they make good use of aromatherapy); the whole place goes back to a time when people actually talked to one another.

It's tough to have a bad thought in those awesome Shiatsu massage chairs while getting a nice, long pedicure, complete with heat wraps for calves and ankles and peppermint oil skin treatments. Forget it once the foot massage kicks in!

And at this little nail spa, there's always an "in-flight" movie playing on flat screen T.V.s if you are so inclined. If you can keep your eyes open, that is.

The regular clientele that visit here tell me Cali has been this way since it opened in 2001. Here, it's all about customer service, prices that haven't changed much over the years, and good old-fashioned pride in a job well done. No wonder they have such a following! A great place to relax, soothe the soul and get beautiful.

Cali Nails & Tan is a full-service salon, complete with waxing, paraffin treatments, massage and tanning. And since it's family run, it's also family friendly. In this economic downturn, it's nice to see a small local business doing well based on their simple values of service. Hard to find lately, it seems.

You can find them at 8323 Us Highway 301 N, Parrish, FL. Phone 941-776-5450 for appointments, but they welcome walk-in traffic too. Open seven days weekly. Relax and say ahhh!

Have press releases become dinosaurs?

2009-07-05T17:49:00.003-04:00

I come from old school journalism, the era of "who, what, when, where & why" and a good, craftily written lead. I pounded a beat for years, surviving on my investigative skills to scoop the other daily papers.

And as the business of journalism has shifted due to our digital society, I flowed with it. I know the idea of the scoop is obsolete; no such thing when the info is spinning the Web moments after it is released.

I can remember the days when press releases were our meat and potatoes, especially when a 5 p.m. deadline is looming and an editor is peering over your shoulder. In my freelance business, I have written many, many press releases for clients, aiming that arrow at the usual print sources. They have always a been a great tool to get the word out.

I wasn't ready for the NY Times article I read today in the Sunday Business section. It seems the press release is dead. And I didn't even get to go to the wake.

We live our lives online, and more often than not that's where we obtain our news. (I still read the newspapers, too, call me kooky.) And those broadcasting the news online aren't journalists in the traditional sense, but just as savvy at disseminating the breaking news. So with this, PR has morphed.

Press releases are no more. Not when we can send the same tidbit out in 140 characters or less on Twitter, or post it on Facebook or Digg. Or blog about it, as I am doing now. PR has turned a sharp corner, bypassing the old media and courting the online pundits instead, where potentially millions of people can be reached in mere nanoseconds. The seduction is obvious.

And while I mourn the loss of the old ways, I have to also celebrate the information superhighway we travel on. When anything big happens in the world, we know about it instantly, and of course, we've become addicts.

It has changed the way I run my small business. Marketing and PR have become paperless, in lieu of our e-world. A couple of clicks and I can tweet my own horn; no need to write those pesky press releases anymore.

Social media has become vital to business, almost overnight. I have rolled with the punches. And who knows? Maybe tomorrow the medium will change. But the messages will stay the same. And hopefully, our communications will still be based on relationships.
However virtual they may be.

The slow, agonizing death of customer service

2009-07-02T21:48:00.003-04:00

I was appalled and outraged to read the email transactions between a pseudo-professional printing service and a customer they should have been fighting to keep - our very own Localshops1!

The economical swoop has left us all a little ragged, but small businesses seem to have been affected the most. Local places that we support and love are closing shop, casualties of this recession. It's just not as simple as being honest and hardworking anymore to stay afloat in this credit storm.

So that having been said, how has customer service become a casualty in this mess, also? If anything, catering to your patrons should be top priority when most small entrepreneurs today are two or three clients from being bankrupt. Keeping customers happy is vital; for this economic climate to ever bounce back we need to keep people spending at our local businesses.

That's why I just can not understand why anyone calling themselves a professional would engage in such spiteful email traffic with a client they are supposed to be serving! Burning your bridges is just not an option in business today. Localshops1 was keeping the faith by keeping their patronage local - and was given a virtual slap in the face.

Disgusting. Customer service just isn't what it used to be. Yesterday I had coffee with a client to consult for an upcoming project at a fairly good-sized restaurant (not mentioning any names here). We were paying customers in a place that was 90 percent empty, not bothering anyone, content to keep to ourselves, and pay for coffee refills. After a couple of hours, the waitress brought the check over and quite rudely told us that their place didn't appreciate "squatters!" Are you kidding me? There was no one in there but us! If not for our business, they would have had none in hours.

We can all tell these stories. But that's just it, we all have these experiences! I think we're seeing the slow death-rattle of customer service. And it's not pretty, folks.

Sad news.

2009-07-01T21:50:00.005-04:00

Just heard today from our friends at Shirts of Bamboo that they're closing shop.

We've seen lots of stores close in the past year.

There was Latitudes, a little coffee shop in St. Petersburg, where we'd stop by every few days for a cup of latte. The new owners were young, determined. But it didn't work out. They say the landlord didn't give them a chance; the landlord said he couldn't accommodate late rent.

There was If and Only If, a cute boutique/gift shop in St. Pete, that had been there for years and years. The owner, an artist, blames it on the economy. Her store sold mostly accessories and fun things, and in times when many people were sticking with just the essentials, her store couldn't survive.

And a couple of months ago, Boulevard Boutique in Pinellas Park. They'd been doing fine for years, the owner told us. Not making a ton of money, but business was good. Then there was some sort of lease dispute, and they ended up moving across the street. Business was just never the same, she said. Maybe it was the new location, maybe it was the economy. They didn't even last there a year.

---

Hearing about Shirts of Bamboo is especially sad for us. They were the first sponsors of a LocalShops1 writing contest. They were so generous, giving us -- then a brand new, unknown company -- a towel set that we could offer as the prize. They said they liked our concept, they wanted us to make it.

We wished the same for them. These are some very cool people, doing, seemingly, everything right.

We first came across the company when they had a storefront, in the Grand Central neighborhood in St. Pete. They had a nice selection, quality items, decent prices. A year or so later we heard they had closed their store, to cut down on overhead, and started operating online. They were also a constant presence at fairs, including the Saturday Morning Market in St. Pete, and Gulfport Geckofest.

Recently they opened a storefront again, at the gift shop in the history museum in St. Pete.

These are people who worked hard, who believed in their product, who really gave it their all.

Now they're closing up for good.

"This is not the letter we thought we'd be writing after four years' striving to bring you the finest quality bamboo products for your bodies and your homes. But the current economic conditions have caused us to re-evaluate Shirts of Bamboo and its long-term viability. We are closing our doors at the end of September," they wrote in an e-mail and then posted on their Web site.

Starting tomorrow, there will be huge markdowns at the store, at the Museum of History, 335 2nd Ave. NE, St. Petersburg. You can call them at 727.388.6913 or go online to shirtsofbamboo.com for more information.

-- Ester

what happened to customer service?

2009-06-27T17:52:00.003-04:00

Normally here at LocalShops1, we come across awesome business people. Occasionally, a not-so-nice one comes along. So we thought we'd share a recent e-mail conversation between me and the Tampa Bay-based printer we decided not to do business with ...

From: XXXXXXXX
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2009 8:32 PM
To: localshopper@localshops1.com

Ester,
I just wanted to send you a quick e-mail because this does not happen that often and when it does, it honestly hurts my feelings and upsets me. I take pride in what I do and I love my job. Going back to the first time we spoke, it was a Friday night @ about 8:30 or 9:00 at night, how many printers do you know would answer their phones on a Friday at that time?
Ah, NONE!!! My company just rolled out the plastic cards, they were a brand new item, I remember I was nervous because I still did not know a whole lot about the product. That was almost 3 months ago. Now, (your intern) starts to call, she would like a quote for this and a quote for that. Oh well, I told her: please go out and shop around, I promise you will not find anyone cheaper or easier to work with (Polite, friendly, and easy going) I am under staffed and over worked, so yes I do become scatter brain from time to time.
Anyways, she called back and said she had a friend or her brother help her shop around, guess what no one could beat my prices, no one! I take that back, one company in California could, however they wanted like $300 dollars for ground shipping, so in the end I still was the cheapest. One other thing Ester, honestly I am not in this for the money, because believe me, if this was for anyone else the price would be much higher. The reason is because you seemed like very nice and down to earth people, how were doing this for a good cause. Again, see if other printers give a sh@t what your cause is or how nice you seem to be. Also, see if they tell, not ask, TELL you to shop around, because I know our prices can't be beaten. Other printers won't do that, I promise. After nearly 3 months or work, e-mailing, calling, sending samples, explaining what some printers will do to hide their hidden charges and guess what I was right.
For all that, I made NOTHING, NADA, ZERO, and that my friend doesn't pay the bills or put food on my 15 month baby girl's plate. But, that is my fault. I'm too damn nice. So, thank you, I learned a lot for this experience. The nicer you are to people the more likely it is that you will get treated the complete opposite! OH Yeah, Good luck finding someone to print your magazine for $1,300.oo.. You won't find that in a million years!!

Sincerely,
XXXXXXX

-------------------------------------------------

From: localshopper@localshops1.com
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2009 6:12 PM
To: XXXXXXX

XXXX,

I'm sorry this didn't work out.

Of course we were shopping around for low prices. But more importantly, we
were looking for someone we could establish a longterm relationship with,
because we know we'll have more printing projects in the future, and want
someone we can rely on.

Your prices were not the lowest (check out plasticcardfactory.com, in
South Florida). But when it came down to it, we had decided to still go
with you because you seemed honest & nice.

But it felt like we had to chase you down to place an order. And we simply
can't do our business like this. Placing an order should be the easy part
... (if you recall, we had to remind you to send samples; then our
original pdf was misplaced; and then you weren't around when you said you
would be. That's just too much chasing around for us.)

We contacted you back in mid-April, about the same time we started calling
other companies. They all sent samples & quotes. That just seems like
standard procedure for getting new customers. We certainly didn't ask you
to go out of your way for anything.

And we certainly don't mean to question your work ethic. From our one
experience, it just seemed more scattered than we'd have liked it to be. I
totally understand staffing issues, and perhaps this was just a bad time
for us to try to work with you. We'll keep you in mind for future
projects, if you're interested.

Ester

Ester Venouziou
727.637.5586
Find out how we won a $250,000 ad campaign. Details on LocalShops1.com

-------------------------------------------

From: XXXXXXXX
Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2009 12:43 AM
To: localshopper@localshops1.com

Ester,

At any point in this business transaction, well whatever you would
like to call it. You say you had to chase me down. My webpage is fully
operational, a e-commerce store (on-line store) having said that most online
printers do not put their prices on their site for the world to see.
Everything I print is on my site with a price right next to it and you can
order right then and there. A two year old could do it. I do not know how
much more reliable I can be. Do, I always answer my phone? No!!!! I run
three other sites. Honestly Ester, I hate to say this but you are making
excuses, you could have placed your order anytime you wanted to, bottom
line, you wanted me to do it for you, just like you wanted me to lower the
price on this item and lower the price on this item. As a business owner, I
have to decide what I should spend my time on; should I spend my time on a
client who spends thousands of dollars a month, hassle free and is very
satisfied with the way we do business. You might have heard of them, it's a
small Collage, the University of South Florida. We handle all print media
for the Athletic department, posters for basketball games, programs,
schedules, T-shirts for Football, and yet not one compliant. Why? They just
order... No talk about "what we are going to order in a few months". TALK IS
CHEAP. If you need something, just order it. I mean, have you even seen my
webpage or is it common for someone to hold your hand while you perform even
the easiest of tasks. In closing, just for shits and giggles, this website
you speak of. I will promise you right know after all is said and done, they
are not cheaper. You will be charged for separating the artwork into 2
separate files, also charged for numbering the front of the cards in
ascending order, and then shipping is where they will get you the worst.
Your loss, my gain (of time). Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please do not keep me in mind....... PLEASE!!!!

Sincerely,
XXXXXXXX

-------------------------------------

From: XXXXXXXX
Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2009 1:13 AM
To: localshopper@localshops1.com

Sorry,

I couldn't help but notice you said you had to ask over and over again to
receive a sample pack. B.S. you receive your 1st sample pack back in April
right after you created an account. Actually, I probably did that for you!
And then you requested a second one, so you could see the plastic cards.
Again, we have a website and an office. The website believe it or not is
open 24/7. And my office is open from 10:00am to 7:00pm. What stopped YOU
from going by there, that seems pretty easy and effortless. Nope, I will
just call Todd and ask 50 more questions and then after completely wasting
all of his time, we won't order from him. Very classy Ester. Very Classy!

NOT Sincerely,

XXXXXXX

An airing of daily grievances

2009-06-25T20:33:00.003-04:00

Occasionally, things that happen in this world aggravate me.

I know, it's hard to believe. But in the bliss of all the shopping, and blogging and working and such, things crop up that really poop in my cornflakes. And if I don't sound off about them, I will explode, and it won't be pretty.

So here's a tentative list of what's under my skin today (in no particular order):

That commercial where it's raining shies from the sky in the perfect size. Why can't that really happen?

Road rage. O.K., I'm in the left hand lane doing 80 mph and people are on my bumper. Honestly, where's the fire?

Michael Jackson. A pedophile dies. Hmmm, seems like karma to me.

The fact that NO ONE will admit that the damage that happened in St. Pete during Tuesday night's storm was from a tornado! I was on duty, I was there! Debris was swirling! Hello?

Gas prices. They lied when they said they were going down.

Hav-A Tampa Cigars' demise. A Tampa Bay area landmark becomes the economy's latest victim.

People that breed all of these poor animals and then can't take care of them. Two cases this week alone in our area of animal neglect and abuse.

More empty store fronts, standing like tombstones.

The expression, "At the end of the day, (fill in whatever here)." If I hear it again, I'm running away.

The new Lexus IS-250 C series convertible. I'm aggravated that I can't have one.

There! I feel so much better, now. Thanks for listening! Tomorrow, I'm going to check out the Ellenton Cafe. A little birdie told me they have great coffee and homemade pie. I'll let you all know how it is!

No bailout for small businesses

2009-06-21T18:12:00.002-04:00

The bad economy is choking all of us lately, but small businesses are definitely taking the brunt. Just a short drive up any of Tampa Bay's main arteries tells the story: blank storefronts and "For Lease" signs.

In Florida, small business accounts for more than 80 percent of the economic engine. But in the skinnier days of late, the shoppers dedicated to spending their money locally have tightened up their belts. Unemployment rates just rose to 10.6 percent this month in the Tampa Bay region, translating to about 140,o0o folks without a job.

Local small business have seen their customer base shrink, and some have turned to banks for loans and credit extensions. Problem is, the money's just not there anymore.

So where is it? The government gave the big banks $700 billion in bailout cash to free up credit. That's billion with a "B." But the rescue money did just the opposite; instead of freeing up credit for flailing small businesses, banks are using it to buy other banks. Lack of credit has become an agonzing hurdle for local businesses needing relief to survive, much less grow.

But lending institutions are tightening their standards, lower credit lines and hiking up interest rates. The trend lately has been to deny loans to small business unless they can back it with commercial real estate holdings and the borrower is asking no more than 70 percent of the value.

Impossible standards. Where's the bailout for our local businesses? If we drive 80 percent of the state's economic engine, why aren't our voices heard? Since the credit crunch is propelling this recession, then more relief is needed downwind here where we really feel it, unstead of padding the big banks.

These indeed are scary times. We can pitch in by spending locally, buying locally, and keeping our jobs local. Until small businesses get the chance to grow, our economy unfortunally is going to continue dragging.

A local unbutton-the-pants kind of breakfast

2009-06-15T20:53:00.005-04:00

Looking for a great place to have breakfast? I just found one in Largo, quite by accident.
I don't normally venture out for breakfast; being a nightcrawler usually sends me to bed at sunrise. Not a lifestyle conducive to grabbing an omelet with friends.

The other morning though I had to go right from night shift to a meeting at 7 a.m., and decided that if I didn't get a good cup of coffee somewhere in between that I was probably going to throttle someone at that meeting.

The Fireplace Restaurant down the way in Largo was open at the wee hour of 6 a.m., and at the urging of my good friend Lisa I decided to try them out. And what started out as coffee ended up turning into biscuits and sausage gravy. You just can't help it once you walk in there and see everyone else digging into huge plates of homemade, fat-laden, gravy-soaked comfort food.

It's the kind of place where the waitress pours you a rich cup of coffee before you even ask or see a menu. The kind of place where the owners and waitstaff are all family, so it's O.K. if your server goes in back and screams at the cook. A place where time stops, and they make everything fresh to order, so if you are in a hurry, don't even stop in.

To hell with the meeting! Lisa and I had priorities, the first being we had to pig out. The portions were way too much, but we kept stuffing ourselves like our plane was going down. Real-egg omelets and pancakes the way my grandmother used to make them! And the skillet potatoes - loaded with onion and garlic and just crispy enough to be addicting.

The Fireplace Restaurant also has a lunch and dinner menu, and the regular that dine there tell me the Greek salads and cheeseburgers are to die for. After the meal we had that morning, I believe them. I can't wait to get back there for that!

This laid-back "jes'folks" place is at 12580 Seminole Blvd in Largo, just south of Ulmerton Road. They're open at the crack of dawn, waiting for you. But a word to the wise: dieters beware! Leave your calorie restrictions at home. This is the kind of meal that you have to unbutton your pants after!

Great local Mexican eats - and a good story, too!

2009-06-08T17:19:00.003-04:00

The economic downturn has swallowed quite a few retail and restaurant chains since the slope in 2007.

Don Pablos Mexican eatery was one of the casualties, pulling out of the Tampa Bay area and closing the doors on their five locations. The popular, usually-busy Brandon spot actually shut down two days after Christmas 2007, leaving many workers without jobs.

Former managers Joe Morales, Anthony Mundi and Andrew Purdy were in the same boat it seems - until a unique opportunity presented itself. They pulled themselves up by the boot straps, pooled some funds and bought the place.

And out of the ashes of the defunct Don Pablos rose Tres Amigos Cantina, Mexican kitchen and bar. Their philosophy is quite simple: make good, authentic meals in a relaxed atmosphere, and make it easy on the wallet.

I stopped in there on Sunday to see what all the buzz was about, and the smell of sizzling steak and chicken cooking on the grill pulled me right in. Fajitas are Tres Amigos' speciality, and you just have to order them to see why.

They do them five ways, mesquite grilled chicken or steak, a combination of both, the Amigo house special combo which includes all of the above and bacon-wrapped BBQ shrimp, and a quite unusual veggie variation with squash, spinach, peppers, carrots and corn.

I couldn't hardly wait when that sizzling, dancing platter came out of the kitchen, all of that good stuff flanked by grilled onions and poblano peppers with all the trimmings! It's way too much to eat in one sitting, so be prepared to split it with some good dinner company.

My husband had their other special dish, fish tacos. Home made tortillas with grilled tilapia, fresh veggies and trimmed in a mango-pepper sauce. Oh, baby.

And even though we were stuffed, dessert was not to be passed up - not with this menu! Fried ice cream, sopapillas and more.

I won't even get to the margaritas ... there just aren't enough words.

Tres Amigos Cantina is in Brandon nestled in the middle of the town center at 2025 Brandon Blvd, (813) 689-6476. You can peek at their menu at tresamigosbrandon.net. Come hungry!

Help for potty mouths

2009-06-04T20:34:00.002-04:00

It’s no secret that we live in a world prone to excess.

We can’t help it; it’s just in our nature to go overboard. Especially with addictions, which is why rehabs and self-help gurus abound. Take the show Intervention on A&E. This show started out in its freshman days dealing exclusively with substance abuse. People bring this mediator with his entourage of cameras in to confront a family member that has fallen off the wagon.
It’s branched out now to shopaholics, out-of-control gamblers, people with OCD, women addicted to abusive men, and even one lady who couldn’t get enough pastry. Our voyeuristic selves were in their glories. Interventions for all!

But this takes the cake: Interventions for people who curse too much at work. Yep.

There’s actually a faction of folks who have made curbing your cursing a profession. Numerous studies have been done (one out of Harvard!) and books have been written. There’s even a Cuss Control Academy based in Illinois, who will send out an expert to perform an intervention at your workplace to help clean up the foul mouths.

Is this really necessary?

Then I got to thinking, and decided to unofficially keep track of the people who work around me, convinced that none of us needed our palates cleansed with Zest.

Holy %@$! … was I wrong! The worst offender? Yours truly. Might I need –gasp! – an intervention?

But what actually constitutes a curse word, anyway? What’s the difference between a swear, rough language and just plain infelicities of style? Is it when the juicy four-letter words make their first appearance? Or is it limited to the seven dirty words on the famous list of the late, brilliant George Carlin? Maybe it’s broader, like all the stuff you wouldn’t dare utter in church.

We had this debate in my house a couple of years back. My husband and I marveled at the amount of times – after a stressful night on the job – those pesky four-letter words came tumbling out. And thus the Swear Jar was born. The idea was to kick some money into the kitty every time a curse word flew, and force ourselves to watch our language.

In fairness, we included all the words you couldn’t say on regular T.V., figuring we’d get a meal out of it at the most.

The jar went up during tax time. By March we’d funded an entire three-day jaunt to Orlando for four.

I should have known when the Swear Jar theory failed on The Brady Bunch that our clan was doomed. I’m no Florence Henderson.

So why do we curse in the first place? Experts say to be abusive, to be bravado, to emphasize a point and to release strong emotion. They also say that there are underlying reasons, like fear and ignorance and negativity. I say pffttt! to that. Sometimes you’ve just got to let it out.

Of course, you may see me on A&E. You never know.

You can't smell a Kindle

2009-05-28T20:21:00.004-04:00

Recently, I went into one of my favorite local places in the world, a little second-hand book nook in Palmetto, geared up for a comforting eight-hour browse on a rainy afternoon.

This little place is hidden behind another shop that sells old tires and refrigerators and small appliances. You almost can't see it behind the graveyard of washing machines and old hot water heaters, and I found it quite by accident a year ago. It's sort of attached there as an afterthought.

I walked in, coffee in hand, ready to crawl around the stacks and sneeze in the dust and find a few hidden masterpieces. I wasn't surprised to see the lady behind the counter curled up and reading herself. Things are slow when it downpours.

What I was surprised to find, though, was that she was reading on a Kindle! Scouring an e-book in the middle of all of these stacks of forgotten treasures. Interesting juxtaposition.

The Kindle is a curious little gadget. It can download (for a fee) and hold about 1,500 books. The new version will even read to you, if you are so inclined. It plays MP3's in the background if you need tunes to read by.

There's even a Kindle app now for the pretentious iPhone. (iPhone, by the by, is going on the list of things I never want to hear again at the end of the year. 'Swine Flu' is also on it.)
I must admit, I just don't get the whole e-book thing. O.K., it's convenient and it's quick and it may even be a bit cheaper than actually paying for the physical book, and it saves trees, I'm certain. I've edited a few for clients.

But what happened to holding a book in your hands? Feeling the paper, smelling the ink? Cracking the spine? Call me kooky, but I love that visceral feel of a new book. And I love the dust and mold from an old book, too. I like to be in my quiet home office, surrounded by the noble look of shelves and shelves of books.

I also wonder what this slide in the industry will mean for our local book places. Do they have business slip off to the Kindle? Or are their still crazies like me who want to spend all day in their stores, drinking coffee and browsing and spending a small fortune on books I don't need but absolutely must have or I'll die?

I have yet to be published. But I am certain I want to see my work in the tangible, be able to walk into one of our local shops and see it displayed. I just don't think having it read on a Kindle would give me the same thrill. I know I'd have a tough time signing it.

My friend that runs the dusty old book nook that has become my second home had this to say, though: "The story's the same, no matter where you read it." Good point.

Welcome back, Java!

2009-05-21T19:04:00.000-04:00

Boy, I miss food.

You see, my doctor took it all away when I came down with bad stomach problems last year. Seems my penchant for ridiculously hot Buffalo wings with a French fried chaser has left some holes in my digestive tract. Sigh.

I’m on the world’s worst bland diet, like plain rice, saltines and apple juice. And while he has slowly allowed me to let some things back into my culinary repertoire, all the good stuff is still a no-no. Like anything spicy, fried, fatty, breaded, rich, covered in cream sauce, doused in chocolate, caffeine-laden, or, God forbid, having any alcohol content.

You know, all the things that make life worth living.

The worst thing was no more coffee. I sat bolt upright up on the table for that little announcement. Are you kidding me? No coffee?! I’m a writer, for Pete’s sake, and a third shift paramedic. A nightcrawler by all description. He could have just taken away, oh, I don’t know … oxygen maybe.

I tried to be good. But it’s so very hard.

So I actually got up and danced a jig this week when I got reluctant permission from the doc to enjoy one 8 oz cup of java per day. Look out world. The problem is, I have been deprived from that smooth, silky, wonderful goodness for so long that now all coffee tastes just plain ordinary to me.

The mission begins. I’m on the hunt for Tampa Bay’s best local cup of coffee (NOT Starbucks or D&Ds). I’m talking all the little book nooks, cafes, diners and roach coaches. Even your Aunt Edna’s living room. Bring it on!

So, fellow local shop-a-holics, pepper me with your suggestions! I’m taking a coffee tour of this great area no holds barred and taking no prisoners.

Whether the doc likes it or not.

There's no place like home

2009-05-17T15:24:00.003-04:00

Ah, summer. Backyard barbecues, Clearwater Beach traffic, ten-minute afternoon thunderstorms, and the dreaded family vacation.

The kids will be out of school soon and itching for something to do. So upon us once again are the months when families plan a trip to one locale or another, cram three weeks’ worth of activities into seven days, blow their entire savings, and come home needing a vacation from their vacation.

The last one we took brought us clear to Tennessee, with dreams of mountains and lakes and cabins. One look at the brochure, and we loaded everybody up in a van and headed out on the open road. I mean everybody. My in-laws, my huge, angry husband, his brother and sister-in-law, the children and all the dogs. In a van. On the highway.

These things always sound like a better idea than they actually are.

We drove an ungodly amount of hours and spent a couple thousand dollars to sit in a tiny cabin that wasn’t ours (sans air conditioning) in the Land of No Cell Phone Signal. We expected to be imbued with the beauty of nature. Instead, there were fights, mosquitoes, and a rental boat no one knew how to operate. By Day Three, I tried to get in a cab to go to the closest airport to fly home.

And we were broke at week’s end.

In the face of the Great Recession of late, I find it hard to believe families can afford to take off for a little R & R. There has to be another alternative.

What about a vacation at home? A “stay-cation?” Seriously. Follow me on this for a minute. It’s possible to create a getaway experience at home, still do a ton of activities and not break the bank:

1. Get into the mindset by blocking off the dates to go into vacation mode.
2. Have a budget and don’t stray.
3. Put away ALL THINGS ELECTRONIC i.e. PSPs, iPods, laptops, BlackBerries, what have you.
4. Go off the beaten path and find places around Tampa Bay you’ve never had the time to see, like museums, aquariums, art exhibits etc.
5. When planning, go online and look for coupons to print out.
6. Eat out! No cooking allowed. You’re on vacation.
7. And no cleaning, no laundry, no routine things!
8. Buy a couple of souvenirs.

Yeah, it’s not the same as cramming the family into a rental car and blowing two grand at the Orlando attractions, but just think how relaxed and rejuvenated everyone will feel at the end of the week … and not be in debt.

We’ll be the guinea pigs. I’ll let you all know how it goes!

Ikea? No, thank you

2009-05-11T00:00:00.002-04:00

By now, everybody must be quite sick of reading blogs about the new Ikea … So here’s another one!

The Swedish furniture conglomerate finally opened its giant doors Wednesday in Tampa, after much anticipation and hype, and greeted people with lots of fanfare. Guys dancing on stilts and employees banging thundersticks and sporting balloon hats and such.

People actually camped out for the opening of this uber giant, some for more than 50 hours. Some folks brought their little kids and made a family affair out of it. And when the doors finally opened at 9 a.m. – to a line wrapped around the two-story, 353,000 square foot building – it was total insanity.

Is it worth it? Some shoppers that waited in line got a free hotdog. One guy won a $90 chair. Lots of people got nothing, but the chance to boast that they were one of the first to walk through the enchanted doors.

So another retail giant has moved into our fiefdom. Local independent businesses, I’m sure, are keeping a worried eye on Ikea. Who wouldn’t, after all of the media coverage? Ikea this and Ikea that. My husband actually said if he heard the word “Ikea” just one more time on the news that he was going to get a shotgun and blow holes through the wall. (I shut the T.V. off at that point.)

Here’s my take: a maze of pre-fab decorated rooms and $4.99 plates of Swedish meatballs aren’t going to hold charm over people for very long. I was over it before it even opened.

It's a helluva drive, for one, no matter where you’re coming from. And, it takes half a day to tour the place. Two-thirds of a mile for one trek around the place, according to the press release. Seriously. Who can shop with that kind of pressure? Too many things. I get tired just thinking about it.

I’ll take my local indie businesses any day over this bloated, overblown cartoon of a store. At least I don’t need a map to navigate their aisles.

Starting an at-home business? Don't quit your day job

2009-05-05T23:48:00.002-04:00

I will work for myself. I will have a less stressful life. I will make lots of money...

Starting and running an at-home business is sometimes one of those ideas that sounds better than it actually is. Especially if you go into it with that mindset. The fact is, it is just not that simple. And with the added stress of a failing economy, it can be damned near impossible if you don't have the right tools.

So you want to be your own boss. Set your own hours. Be the owner of something, and put dollars in your own packet instead of helping someone else's stock go up a quarter of a point. But how do you make that transition without losing your shirt, or your mind for that matter?

The first thing is to understand that whatever you do - from making killer cream pies to grooming pooches - will NOT be an overnight success. Studies show the mean time investment to actually start turning a decent profit is 2 to 5 years. So even if you have that bang-up dress design/pizza service/glittering porcelain frog lawn statue that everyone wants, it's still going to take time.

Let me tell you from experience. My copywriting and editing company, 911 editing, has been around now for over 2 years. I do have a modest client base, and one heck of a portfolio (if I do say so myself); still, no one's beating down my door. The amount of time time I spend networking and marketing borders on ridiculous.

But that's what it takes. That and a market niche, meaning you have to know who will need your product or service.

Other questions to answer before taking the plunge: How will you bring it to the market? What will it cost to produce? How will you find your prospects? How many items do you need to sell in a week/month/year to break even? How much will it cost to set up your office? Who's your competition and how can you do it betetr?

And, believe me, even if you're cheap (I resemble that remark), start-up costs can add up. Plan ahead on where you'll be getting things like a desk, basic office supplies, computer, phone line(s), web hosting, business cards/letterhead/ads/brochures, marketing and copywriting help, and necessary software.

My advice is this: Start with a business plan. Have someone do a professional one (they start at about $100). Mine has saved me some heartache and a bit of sanity. Have Plan B, and C and D for that matter. Know how you will manage the bumps in the road ahead of time, and be able to recover from them. Study your market. You can never know too much.

And don't quit your day job .. yet.

Two local women turn unemployment into cash crop

2009-04-29T20:49:00.001-04:00

Talk about turning lemons into lemonade.

Two Sarasota women laid off from their jobs this year and down on their luck after running through their savings can officially add another title to their belts: Entrepreneurs. And successful ones at that.

Stephanie Aucoin, 48, and Barbara Bourn, 59, were back to square one a few months ago after being given lay-off notices from their respective companies. Money in both savings’ accounts quickly disappeared; Aucoin had to borrow $10,000 from her parents to make it. Bourn had to sell her house, like so many others.

They didn’t wallow in their misfortune for long. Bourn and Aucoin put their heads together and came up with an idea to bring attention to the unemployment plight of so many: wristbands.
Every worthwhile cause lately (and a few NOT so worthwhile) has its own wristband, but not the jobless cause. These two ladies decided a whole lot of people could benefit by wearing one. And they made them screamin’ mustard yellow with bold black lettering: LAID OFF NEED A JOB.
Can’t miss ‘em. And just being seen with one of these babies on your wrist is good self-promotion. Aucoin found that out first hand, too. An exec riding up in an elevator with her saw the band, was intrigued, and offered her a position on the spot! See, fairy tales do come true after all.

The pair put their ingenuity into the business, put up a website and got themselves on Twitter for networking. And, after some local coverage, the Wall Street journal picked up the story and gave them some national media attention! Something tells me they’re sales may go up.

After five weeks, their site boasts over 500 hits daily. They’ve got a ton of followers on Twitter, and have sold more than 4,500 bracelets. Enough to cover their investment and pocket almost $9,000 in profit. Not bad for two girls just trying to make it. Great inspiration for the rest of us!

You can visit them on the web and get their full story, get yourself a bracelet (even if you don’t need one, something tells me they may be a hot commodity after the media attention) at: www.laidoffneedajob.com.

Rate of homeless children increases 131 percent

2009-04-28T00:54:00.007-04:00

Think for a moment about being homeless.

And not just you, I mean your entire family, including the children. Where would you guys all go during the day, to get out of the heat? Wander in and out of stores? Where is your family sleeping for the night? The shelters won't open until at least 6 p.m.

And three meals a day? Well, the line at St. Vincent dePaul is wrapped around the building everyday. I've driven by and seen it. And past that, what about drinks? Snacks for the kids?

The children need to go to school. Will they understand having to bathe and dress every day at the Salvation Army? Or the YMCA? Where are their school clothes and supplies coming from?

What if you get sick? What if they get sick?

And being homeless carries a stigma: people look at you and your family and think, Lazy. Drunk. Stupid. Disease-ridden. Not in my backyard.

Think it's impossible? Let me provide you with some scary numbers: the Pinellas County Coalition just released its annual head count for the area's homeless, and the number of children has doubled in two years. It has gone from 96 children under 18 in 2007 to 2,224 this year. That's an increase of over 130 percent.

I want to repeat that last figure, because it sounds vaguely important: Over 2,200 kids right now in Pinellas County have no home.

Why? Officials of course blame the economy. More families are homeless than ever. For some people in the Tampa Bay area, it's as close as one missed paycheck. When the breadwinner gets laid off, often these families are on the streets within 30 days. Shelters, food pantries and donation services can't keep up; their resources are strained. Simply put, need is up at an exponential rate, monetary donations are down. The coffers are almost dry.

Also drawing on those resources is the large, intangible group of working poor, the ones that don't get a head count every year. Without help from soup kitchens and places that provide donated clothing and household items, they're looking at that 30 days real quick. Survival becomes minute to minute.

So what do we do? What can we do? Where does relief start? Individual donations? Leaning on our politicians? Legislation? I read quite a bit of speculation, but no clear answer.

Maybe it starts here at home. Shopping locally and keeping our money in the area, making sure our local businesses thrive. Giving what we can when we can, and helping out by donating gently used things to services that get them in the hands of people that need them. There has never been a better time than now.

Do they still make Aqua Net?

2009-04-21T17:22:00.002-04:00

I have been secretly reading with glee the blogs devoted to the being trapped in the 1980’s written by Steve Spears, St. Petersburg Times online editor. Spears has dedicated his entire existence to honoring those guilty pleasures that defined the era, like Duran Duran, the Brat Pack, Ferris Bueller and the Rubik’s Cube.

Spears is himself “Stuck in the 80’s,” and judging from the popularity of his column, so are a lot of us.

Best-selling horror novelist Stephen King is also trapped in that whole vortex. His recent column in Entertainment Weekly focused on all the 80’s pop songs that won’t leave his head. Like “Mickey” by Toni Basil. That to me suggests he’s still listening to them. A closet 80’s addict, perhaps.

Here’s my confession: I am too.

I loved the 80’s! I spent the whole time wearing rubber bracelets up each arm all the way to my elbows, flashing mismatched neon socks with my leggings and talking like a Valley Girl. I totally wanted to have children with at least three members of Duran Duran, to be Madonna and to go to school with Molly Ringwald all at the same time.

I bought Aqua Net by the case, demanded to be allowed to drink Jolt cola, and peppered my jean jacket with buttons whose slogans screamed out bits of wisdom like “Frankie Say Relax” and “Gross me out the door!”

I paired all that up with black fingerless lace gloves and Ray-Ban Wayfarers. My mother, in her ever-ready crusade to keep me innocent, drew the line at the corset. (I still snuck it in my backpack along with electric blue eyeliner, and changed at the school dances.) I won’t even get into the rhinestones.

But then the 90’s rolled in on the wings of grunge, And I fell in love with the Smashing Pumpkins. So I traded all of that in for flannel shirts, tank tops and a pair of Doc Martens. My worship of all things 80’s had to be undercover, in the closet, on the low.

My husband has caught me more than once, dancing by myself, Cyndi Lauper blasting away on my iPod. I still have black half-shirts that beg to be worn with waist-length pearls and rosary beads, but they’re hidden away in a drawer. If my hair starts getting too big, I tame it with a straightening iron.

But reading Spears’ ode to my favorite era has brought it all back, like running into an old high school friend.

And his devotion is so complete, if I were single, I be tempted to ask him to marry me.

Like, you know, totally.

The higher up you are, the worse the layoff

2009-04-16T20:40:00.002-04:00

I read with some interest a story in the New York Times Sunday edition, about the woes of out-of-work CEOs. I was about to pass it by - after all, who cares about laid off upper echelon when we have so many regular joes in the unemployment line?

But the photo of the fired CEO that the writer was profiling beseeched me: He looked so downtrodden. I read on, and found out that this gentleman in his mid-fifties was newly laid off after giving his heart and soul to build up a corporation.

He drew a healthy six-figures from this company that services the pharmaceutical and bio tech industries, traveled the world for them, was fluent in three languages. He essentially constructed and launched their global quality assurance program, taking the company from a fledgling effort to an international force. It's fair to say he was good at his job.

So good, in fact, they canned him. And that's the reason they gave: now that the company was trading at its current caliber, they didn't need his skills anymore. Sure, they offered him a severance check and an impeccable reference, but where the heck was he supposed to go with it?

Where do all the unemployed CEOs, COOs, CIOs and CFOs go, with their five-page resumes and oft-intimidating pedigrees? You can't just place a senior executive into an entry level job and expect them to succeed. These are baby boomers who've reaped the rewards of a magical, uninterrupted stream of success. In very bad times, they're trying recapture the magic. Quite the quandary.

And in truth, there really is no answer. Just like the regular joes, they're getting stonewalled. National services like New Directions in Boston offer the laid-off execs classes in prospect networking, seminars on business network sites like LinkedIn, and office space for them to make their calls.

But they caution that it will take well over a year to produce any leads. When the severance money runs out, and these unemployed bosses dip into their savings, they are faced with the same issues that plague many American households, like how to pay the mortgage and where to go for health care.

Hopefully, this is not another dreadful sign of the times. It's not refreshing to know that CEOs aren't safe from the axe. In fact, it's disturbing to know that the bursting bubble has reached the top of the ladder. It means things are bad all over.

Clothing swap success reveals a deeper need

2009-04-12T00:30:00.002-04:00

I applauded the success of the clothing swap held in St. Petersburg today, while watching the coverage on BayNews9. Spinderella's Steals closed their store for the afternoon to host the swap of donated clothing, sponsored by Localshops1.

The three-hour swap saw hundreds of participants, hunting through the piles of gently used stuff to take home some new treasures. I was glad to see that families showed up, and were able to get some good things for their children. And, I'm sure, some folks walked away with GREAT clothing pieces for their donation.

But what struck me was the tone of the comments made by most of the people interviewed on the news; their words had a hint of desperation in them. One woman said that it is "the right time" for an event like this, that hooks people up with necessary donated items.

It sure is the right time. The beleaguered economy has left everyone drained, some people to the brink of bankruptcy. Relying on nonprofit groups has made the difference between having a home and being out of the streets for more than a few. Living paycheck to paycheck means people are just one small event away from being in a financial crisis. I know; I've been there.

Another woman said it gave her hope, that she was trying to change her life around and make a new start after some setbacks. The way she was clutching the clothes under her arm, you could tell that the items were much-needed. And her smile spoke volumes.

And three cheers for Spinderella's Steals, for missing a Saturday afternoon's worth of sales to make sure an event like this could help so many. Proceeds and leftover clothing went to a nonprofit group that relies on every penny to provide a roof over the heads of the down and out.

So maybe this can start a trend; maybe more businesses can partner up with Localshops1 to put on more events like this, maybe even with other needed items, like small household things. The more people that step up, the more our community as a whole benefits. We can see each other through this bad times if we stick together and give just a little.

Twitter and LinkedIn: Social networking for the business-minded

2009-04-07T17:52:00.001-04:00

I usually don’t jump on anybody’s bandwagon, but in the case of using the vast internet social networking sites to promote your business, I’m going to go right ahead and beat the drum.

Like all small business owners, marketing seems to be my Achilles’ heel. Sure, I go after prospects with some gusto, and follow up on all word-of-mouth referrals, but past that, I haven’t the time (or a clue) to market myself.

Another small business owner suggested putting a profile on a few of the social networking site out there, a tip to which I immediately turned up my nose. I don’t My Space or Facebook. All of my friends do, and there’s just too much drama.

But what he meant were the sites geared more towards professionals, like Twitter and LinkedIn. I scoffed, but tried it anyway.

I started with Twitter, the more user-friendly of the two. A few clicks, an uploaded logo and I was tweeting away. On Twitter I can follow businesses that I’m interested in, and they can also follow me, which is great. But I wasn’t truly impressed until I landed my first Twitter client in under five days. Not bad for ten minutes of site building and a couple of updates.

Yeah, O.K. so celebs like Paris Hilton and Ashton Kutcher tweet, too. Still, it’s more of a business atmosphere than a shout-out thing.

LinkedIn, to quote that same friend, “is like Twitter on caffeine.” I had more to do to post a profile, like input all of my pedigree information and pertinent details about my business. Also I uploaded a picture. And like Twitter, there’s a tagline to update your activities as many times as you want.

I’m still working out the bumps, such as trying to figure out all of the available apps and how to import all of my contacts from my various email lists. I did link my profile to my company’s website and blog address. LinkedIn allows up to three links.

Tipsters tell me that creating a compelling profile (more than just your resume) is the key here to tap the site’s marketing potential. Your contacts can “recommend” you – i.e. write a glowing reference about your professional capabilities that get posted on your profile and theirs, and is open for all to view.

Also, you can join groups related to your field and network with their contacts. Quite a nifty little onion once you start peeling the layers.

So I’m new to the whole online business marketing thing. But navigating new waters means new opportunities, and potential for growth. And it’s all free. For details on building your own site, go to www.twitter.com or www.linkedin.com.

Job hunting? Watch what you post online

2009-04-03T22:25:00.005-04:00

With the rising unemployment rate, I've seen quite an increase in the requests that my company gets for resume service.

I recently did one (pro bono) for a friend who had one heck of a pedigree, degrees out the yin-yang, and job experience that would make any recruiter sit up and take notice. That notwithstanding, she was still laid off from the financial corporate giant that she had been diligently working for in excess of five years. They downsized, and she was just one of their victims of late.

Everyone assumed she'd land another spot somewhere quickly. One glance at her resume, and even I was convinced. But the positions, even if they're out there, are few and the market is highly competitive. The jobless rate has soared up to 8.5 percent nationally, and the U.S. Dept. of Labor has estimated that at least 660,000 jobs in American have been slashed.

We overhauled her resume, sent out some feelers, she pounded the pavement and waited. After a smattering of interviews that went nowhere, she got a solid lead at a good company, for a position similar to the one she left, and for a higher than entry level salary. She went back for the second, and then third, interview. A lot of hand-shaking and winking, she confided. Things looked promising.

She didn't get the job.

But not because she wasn't impeccably qualified. Not because her references didn't sing her praises. Someone in the human resources department scoured the social networking sites, and found some questionable photos of her on her My Space page. She was in a thong bikini in some, and in a couple of others she was guzzling drinks at a local bar with friends.

So? I said. But apparently, they informed her, that was not the kind of image they wanted their employees to project. And they used it to weed her out, and hire number two on the list instead. That's their prerogative.

Here's the thing: Her profile was set to private. Probably not a big deal to navigate around for some savvy IT guy, but the fact that they want to that trouble is a little creepy.

So I did some digging. And found out that this is the newest trend with companies and their prospective hires. The Internet is a marvelous place to scrounge up info on people. What that commercial says is true: Once you put it out there, you can't take it back. Anybody can see it.

Point taken. And a painful lesson learned for my ashamed friend.

With each resume I do, I include a set of white papers on successful job hunting and interviewing tips. Now, I've rewritten them to include advice about social networking pages. If you My Space, Bebo, Facebook, or anything else, yank off anything that may seem even a bit inappropriate. Even comments. Even music.

Hey, I know this seems a bit extreme, but so is unemployment. Not only do you need to cover every base when job hunting, but apparently you need to cover your fanny as well.

In the case of my friend, quite literally.

Low-cost health care center opens in North Pinellas

2009-03-31T13:33:00.003-04:00

More than 45 million members of our American family do not have health insurance. The elderly. Families. Children.

About 3.8 million of those people live in Florida, and struggle daily between feeding their family and getting the proper affordable health care that could save their lives. Choices are few, and the heartbreaks are many.

Some people make too much money for government assistance, but not enough to go to the doctor, or to get health care for their kids. For some, the emergency room becomes their primary health provider, a practice that helps no one but adds to a vicious cycle.

In our area, though, a not-for-profit group has been providing low-cost quality health care for the past 20 years. Community Health Centers of Pinellas offers primary care for adults and children, quietly spread out in four Pinellas County neighborhoods.

Last week, they opened a brand-new center in Tarpon Springs, to serve the people in the northern part of the county.

Community Health Centers at Tarpon Springs held their grand opening Friday the 27th. The location at 301 Disston Avenue will give people a low-cost choice for primary health care, pediatric services and dental care as well. The center also offers obstetrical/gynecological care, Well Woman exams and pharmacy services.

The need for this kind of care is astronomical – and is growing exponentially with the plummeting economy. People want a place to turn to not just when they are sick, but when they need routine check-ups and immunizations.

The CHC at Tarpon Springs, like its other four centers, will also give patient education and nutritional counseling through registered dieticians, components vital to staying healthy.
Unfortunately, it is a sign of the times, but it’s nice to see another resource pop up for the demand.

Here are the five Pinellas locations:

Community Health Centers at Clearwater
1020 Lakeview Road
Clearwater, FL 33756
(727) 461-1439

Community Health Centers at Largo
12420 130th Avenue North
Largo, FL 33774
(727) 587-7729

Community Health Centers at Pinellas Park
6237 66th Street North
Pinellas Park, FL 33781
(727) 544-2284

Community Health Centers at Tarpon Springs
301 Disston Avenue
Tarpon Springs, FL 34689
(727) 944-3828

Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center
1344 22nd Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33712
(727) 821-6701

For more information on hours and services, you can also log on to www.chcpinellas.org/.

WE WON $250,000 ad campaign!!!!!!

2009-03-27T00:37:00.002-04:00

Still in total shock!!! But WE WON!!!! Marketing contest, sponsored by Malcolm Productions, Teasdale Advertising, Tampa Tribune, WFLA, Tampa Bay Business Journal and lots of other very cool sponsors!

We're getting a $250,000 ad campaign! This is totally a dream come true.

Totally couldn't have done it without our super-talented staff, especially Pat Largo and Jennifer Steele.

And of course, our very awesome cheering squad:
Fred Soriano
Jackie and Dave Simpson
Pam Butler
Teresa Morrow
Edie Farkas
Nancy ... can't remember last name!

Some very cool companies were out there, pitching their products, too. They're all invited to be in our ads!

--Ester Venouziou

School's back in session ... virtually

2009-03-26T20:54:00.003-04:00

In the middle of everything else in my life, i.e. clients' projects, running 911 calls (full time job #1) and taking care of my husband (full time job #2), school started up again for me this past week.

Yep. I'm 36, and still going to school. I am in valiant pursuit of the elusive Master of Fine Arts degree in writing. I have fantasies of being published, you see, and in the meantime I'll further my education while waiting for the six-figure book deal to come to my door.

I may get all the way to my doctorate before that happens. Sigh.

But it's an online program, for now, and quite intensive. My husband calls it "fake" school, and wonders why I had to get myself a cute new book bag when I only have to go down the hallway and sign on to my computer to go to class. Men never understand these things.

It's not fake at all, it's just virtual reality. And for those of us who have busy lives and haven't yet gotten the hang of juggling work, home and family, an online university program is an easy ball to bounce.

I still sit in a classroom and connect with my fellow students, but my virtual room has no borders. I interact with people worldwide in the same program I am in, and get real-time feedback from instructors. Just like raising your hand in class.

The workload is the same, but I found out that time management is an absolutely essential ingredient. You have to make yourself do the work, because there is no one right over your shoulder to proctor your progress. And to be honest, the latest celeb scandal du jour dominating the T.V. is sometimes more interesting.

And then there's the evil, gruesome draw of the Internet. Hey, you're already sitting there, might as well catch up on Tweets. And browse eBay. And email at least 37 people.

It's not for the weak-willed. (Have I mentioned my addiction to chocolate cake?) But it does seem to be the wave of the future. And for adult learners trying to further their education, going to class on your own time is a viable option.

You still meet people, still get to pick your professor's brain, and at the same time have the benefits of amazing resources that are available out there. Virtually speaking, it's more bang for your buck.

And, where else can you go to class in your underwear and still fully participate? Not that I do that, of course ...

We're finalists!!!!!!!

2009-03-21T02:46:00.003-04:00

So a couple of weeks ago, we were reading Creative Tampa Bay's e-newsletter and came across an interesting contest: Present the Perfect Pitch, win a $250,000 ad campaign.

Malcolm Out Loud, a Tampa-based marketing and ad agency, was offering two $250,000 ad campaigns to two companies with the best marketing pitch. The catch? It cost $300 to enter. If we did it by the following Monday. After that, it cost $500 to enter. Everyone who entered would get $3,000 in ads.

We talked it over. "Scam!" "No way!" "Not for real!" "Waste of money!"

... But a $3,000 ad package could help us.

... If we wait and decide to enter later, it costs $200 more.

... and what if we won?!?!!?

We went for it. Yes, it was risky, but we did a little background checking first. We called the media partners they had listed, and confirmed the contest was for real. We called the marketing agency and asked lots of questions.

The application was five questions, about 250 words each, if I recall correctly. They wanted to know what our business was all about, and, as you all know, we LOVE talking about LocalShops1, so we had no trouble with that.

We submitted the entry, paid through PayPal. And then we panicked. What if just wasted $300? In the grand scheme of things, $300 isn't a lot. But it's money we could have used elsewhere, or, better yet, saved.

Yesterday we got a call, telling us we're among the 10 finalists. Which means we get to present LocalShops1, to a panel of judges and an entire audience, at Raymond James stadium next Thursday evening.

No video, no audio. Just us, talking about what we love.

Please wish us luck. And if you have any suggestions, let us know in the next few days. E-mail us through LocalShops1.com.

Thanks. We're all in this together, right?

Ester

A new roof, the painless 'Skylighters' way

2009-03-20T22:18:00.000-04:00

I’m not ashamed to admit that I am more apt to notice a good deal on a cute pair of shoes, or the fantastic craftsmanship involved in a novel than, say, the merits of roofers.

In fact, I pretty much ignore the roof. Why pay attention to it unless it falls in on your head?
So when the little water stain on my dining room ceiling started to grow, I did the most logical thing: I pretended it just wasn’t there. When the roof started looking like a sway-backed mare, I stopped wearing my eyeglasses.

My husband, however, had a bit of a Doom’s Day scenario for me involving collapsing rooms, death and destruction. So we had to find a roofer. And of course, being the loyal Local Shopper-ette that I am, I insisted on a local independent business. They had to be superb, reasonably priced and prompt. Tall orders to fill.

Enter Skylighters, LLC of Brandon. They were highly recommended from friends that we trust, so when they came out for a free inspection and estimate, I was right at ease. They created an entire roofing proposal for our house, one that we could live with.
And, they squared away the permits in record time. When the crew showed up to put on the actual roof, they arrived en masse. They spoke and acted professionally (even with my husband standing under their feet, supervising).

Also Skylighters swears by the best of materials. That alone impressed me.
They finished in two days, with minimal mess, and it looks like I have a brand-new house! Even the Manatee county inspector, when he came to check it out, said it was one of the best jobs he had ever seen. Three of my neighbors were wowed enough to ask for their own quotes.
Needless to say, they get a big 5 stars from us!

The company also does solar attic fans, which lower your cooling costs by about 50 percent, blinds and shades, and of course, skylights. They are at 2903 Bell Shoals Road, Brandon, FL 33511. Phone (813) 690-7663, toll-free at (877) 965-2500. Or, you can visit them on the web at www.theskylighters.com.

Covering your fanny, finally!

2009-03-17T05:19:00.003-04:00

I had the distinct pleasure of residing in the hospital for a few days, this past December. St. Anthony's, to be exact.
I worked there for five years part-time, as a paramedic in the ER. So I know its every nook and cranny. But I can see how being admitted for most people is a scary experience. None of us like to be poked and prodded, woken every couple of hours by the phlebotomist for blood work and having medical people try to explain things in a language you don't understand.
So being medically educated, I have an advantage over the lay person, which, you would assume, would make my hospital stay easier.
Not even close.
I was a big baby the entire time, weeping inconsolably, being short with the nurses and even throwing some things across the room. I hate needles, I hate to be in bed, I hate to be taken care of. But the worst part?
Having my fanny hang out of the gown.
We've put a man on the moon, grown body parts from stem cells, built a Smart Car and put an entire computer into the palms of our hands. All this technology, and people's fannies are still hanging out of hospital gowns. Seriously.
A Tampa Bay woman has come up with an interesting product that may make flashing your hospital roommate a thing of the past: Patient Scrubs.
Patient Scrubs is the brainchild of Nancy Heart of Sarasota County, who came up with idea after her own hospital experiences.
They are a top and shorty bottoms designed like nursing scrubs, make out of comfortable material, with plastic snaps at the shoulders and pant legs for quick medical intervention should it be needed.
Genius!
Heart is marketing them in the memory of her late husband. The design has gone through a few changes since its inception. And it seems as if she has every angle covered. The snaps are plastic so patients can wear them during radiology procedures like x-rays or MRIs. The pockets are designed with access for wearing cardiac monitors, and to make room for indwelling catheters like dialysis shunts and central intravenous lines. She makes them in various sizes from adult patients all the way down to wee ones. Good for hospitals and long-term home health care patients, but I'm also thinking assisted living facilities, nursing homes, one-day surgery centers and rehab places.
They're affordable at around $38 per set. I might get a set to keep just in case I ever have to stay in the hospital again. My fanny will be covered, finally. Visit Nancy Heart's website for more information at www.patientscrubs.com.

So not all the news is bad ...

2009-03-13T23:15:00.002-04:00

Yes, we've been in the financial quagmire since about 2007. Especially here in Florida, where the foreclosure rate, the ridiculous homeowners' insurance fees and the ever-growing unemployment population have given newscasters something to rant about other than hurricanes.
Not to mention the businesses closing, the national chains that have gone belly-up, and the 500 or so lay-offs that are announced everyday. Add in the banking bail-out and the picture was looking bleak there for awhile.
There many finally be a smidgen of good news on the forefront: Businesses are starting to come back into Florida. Tampa Bay, even. Brighthouse Networks is hiring about 400 people, says their website. Temp agencies are starting to need applicants again. AT&T will add 3,000 employees this year, some of them locally.
And just this week it was announced that an extended stay hotel is being built in the Midtown area of St. Petersburg. Menna Development will break ground this summer on the 120-room hotel near Fifth Avenue South and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South, in the area near Bayfront Medical Center and Tropicana Field. Planners say that it will have an urban architecture and be about seven stories. They'll turn back the sheets somewhere in early 2010.
Amenities will include shuttle and limousine services, pool and fitness center. Many hope it well help to revitalize the Midtown area, and bring some much-needed foot traffic through the doors of our local independent businesses. Good news for our retailers!
This announcement comes on the heels of a few very good days on Wall Street. The Dow was up by several hundred points each day this week, in response to Citigroup announcing that for the first time in months, they were operating at a profit. Since financial stocks have been at the heart of the market collapse, the news is encouraging.
A few good days don't make a trend, though. This could just be one of those bear market rallies that fizzle out as soon as they start. But it does suggest that the winds of change are coming. If people trust the market more, they funnel more money into businesses, which funnel money right back out.
So we may be on the up and up. Let's hope so. Then we can finally go back to worrying over things we actually have control over. Like hurricane season.

Public speaking: I'd rather get the electric chair

2009-03-11T20:03:00.004-04:00

You know that dream where everyone is pointing and laughing and you look down and realize that you are completely naked?
Yeah.
They say that dream can be interpreted a lot of ways, one of them being a fear of public speaking, fear of being exposed in front of a bunch of people.
I got to experience this first-hand recently (NOT the naked part) when I was invited to speak to a local author's group about editing and writing. Now, I'm usually a pretty cool customer. Nothing ruffles me too much when it comes to being out in the public eye; after all, most of the time I'm on duty as a paramedic, and that's pretty high-profile. Also, I teach CPR. Can't be shy about doing chest compressions and trying to save a life.
So being invited to talk to the Sarasota Author's Connection this past Monday was not only an honor, but it should have been a piece of cake. I am quite passionate about writing and editing. And, I'm pretty fired up about our local authors. This area boasts some of the best writing talent around, and anything that goes to support them is good with me.
I had lots of notes prepared, since they asked me to speak for an hour. Keynote speaker! Little old me!
My topics were all laid out: different kinds of manuscript editing, the goals of the editor, the precarious relationship between author and editor. I had a few jokes thrown in, and had given the presentation several times to my fellow drivers whizzing by on the Interstate while in the car. I also did a test-run in front of the dog, who was neither impressed nor offended. I had on my nicest Ann Taylor black suit, and actually did my hair for once. I was all set.
And then I stepped out in front of a room full of people. When the applause died down, I was frozen, trapped in the lights.
Like being naked in the dream.
What is it about public speaking that frightens us so? I remember the joke Jerry Seinfeld used to do about phobias and how fear of death was number two compared to speaking in public. Death was number two. How is that possible?
After Monday night, I see how it's entirely possible. While I made it through my presentation, got the points across and (hopefully) answered all of their questions, I was terrified the entire time. Perspiration was rolling down my back, and I'm reasonably sure all of my make-up slid right off onto the floor. I know I stuttered a few times. Once, I knocked the notes cards off the podium and got them jumbled, losing my place.
It's fair to say I'll think twice before presenting again. I'm more of a behind-the-scenes kind of girl, who'd rather put the clients in the spotlight. I'll just hide behind the curtain and make sure they look good. I can do the whole PR thing and promote anybody but myself.
Besides, I've come to the conclusion that I prefer the written word. Talk is cheap.

Support your neighbors. Shop locally.

2009-03-11T00:49:00.002-04:00

Here is a blog I wrote for Creative Tampa Bay, a very cool Tampa-based group that's all about working together to make Tampa Bay even cooler than it already is!

Support your neighbors. Shop locally.
By Ester Venouziou, LocalShops1.com founder

I love to shop. I grew up in Brazil, and some of my favorite memories have to do with shopping, mostly with my grandmother and my sister, on Saturday mornings.

We’d go to the produce market, chat with the vendors as we picked up fruits and veggies. Then it was off to a meat market, or to the fish guy. Along the way we usually stopped at the newsstand, where my grandmother picked up the daily paper and maybe a magazine or two, and, if my sister and I had had a good week, we ’d be rewarded with some comic books.

Eventually we’d end up at my parents’ shop: Importadora Jenny, a fabric store named after my mom. I was about 8 or 9 then, and I remember sitting behind the counter, helping wrap up purchases, talking with the customers.

We moved to New Jersey when I was 12, and that all changed.

For the next 15 years or so, shopping meant going to the mall or to the big-box stores. I remember, when I lived in Jacksonville in the mid-1990s every Tuesday was my shopping day. Winn-Dixie and Target and Stein Mart were the regular stops. And then there was the mall. There were two pretty close to where I lived, and I’d go to one one week, the other the next. I don’t know why I even bothered to alternate, because they both had pretty much the same stores. Every week, I’d come home with bags full of things I didn’t need, things I couldn’t afford. What was in those bags I can’t remember. All I know is that shopping had stopped being fun.

• • •

There are many reasons to shop at locally owned, independent places. Studies show that money spent locally, at an indie, is more likely to stay local. On a typical November shopping day, the Tampa Independence Business Alliance reports, if all taxable purchases in Hillsborough County were made at locally owned independent businesses instead of national chains, it wo uld make a $28 million dollar difference to the local economy.

Economics aside, supporting the independents also helps preserve the businesses that link us to the past, the businesses that ensure our communities will retain charm and character to the future.

And shopping at independents is just a lot more fun.

• • •

We launched LocalShops1.com in August 2008. We are a small, grassroots group, dedicate to helping promote independent businesses. It’s always free to browse, free to join and free to get listed.

We’re not saying, never shop at the chains or franchises. We’re simply saying, think before you shop. There are times when shopping at those places makes sense, and yes, you might run into us at Publix or Target sometimes.

We just want to make it easier for people to find their options, so they don’t automatically default to the big-box stores or the malls.

Our goal is to build a network of indie business owners and indie-minded shoppers, and we’re doing that through our Web site, of course, but also by co-hosting neighborhood parties/fundraisers and marketing/business seminars. Former radio jock-turned comedian Pat Largo has been an integral part in all this, as our official spokesman and party host.

We believe in working together with the media, as well as other business and neighborhood groups, to help our local businesses thrive. We re all in this together.

Largo's Old Northwest area up-and-coming

2009-03-08T20:41:00.001-04:00

I was pleased to see recent news of the revitalization of the downtown Largo area. With the recent spread of bad mojo surrounding the economy lately – especially the municipal checkbook – it’s refreshing to hear of folks taking an initiative to makes things better.
The “old northwest” district of Largo is a snug little area of older homes and local independent businesses that sometimes gets overlooked. It runs between Highland Avenue and 20th Street NW, above West/East Bay Drive and below 8th Avenue NW, smack in the middle of downtown Largo.
The retailers and restaurants that call it home give it a small-town flavor, complete with the friendly smiles and waves that frankly are missing from a lot of places today. Combine that with free parking, and you get yourself a good shopping day!
After seeing the news report about the revitalization effort on Baynews 9, I took the opportunity to see the area for myself, and walk its brick streets.
This little 1.8 mile corridor is full of old Florida charm, and is the kind of shopping district that instantly takes you miles away, without having to leave home. In addition to the quaint new and old businesses, there are some beautiful historic cottage homes back there – some dating back to the 1800s.
I window-shopped at a couple of the eclectic little shops, inhaled the heavenly smells coming out of the Greek Islands Restaurant and ended up at O’Houston’s Irish Pub, sitting outside and people watching for awhile. It’s nice to see this area getting some well-deserved attention.
Beating the drum for resuscitating the Old Northwest is Joseph Stefko, owner of The Hair Jungle. He’s been the driving force behind trying to revitalize the area, and has already recruited more than 125 businesses in his efforts.
Stefko has a website dedicated to enhancing the area at www.discoverlargo.com.
Visiting there makes a nice afternoon. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes.

The St. Pete Pier's not an albatross for everyone

2009-03-05T15:17:00.005-05:00

My first vision of Florida was of the St. Petersburg Pier.
I was three years old, flanked on either side by family, and stood amazed at this huge upside-down building that seemed to be floating right on the water! Pelicans came and ate out of my hand, and people milled around the beautiful atrium. I ate something I'd never had before - grouper - and our restaurant table looked right out onto the turquoise water. It was so close I could touch it.
And that was it, I was in love. But being bound by the confines of a family vacation, the whole lot of us meandering up and down the state, I never got to see the Pier that trip again. (I did get to see the Everglades, which scared me to death, and see my Aunt Minnie get left behind at a truck stop, which tickled me to death.)
But the Pier has always meant "Florida" to me, whether on a postcard or in person. The sign of its angular cut from the airplane window instantly tells me I'm home. And apparently, I'm not alone in that feeling, since the St. Petersburg Pier has become a landmark of sorts for Tampa Bay, iconic in its image the way the Skyway Bridge is.
They hold at least 300 events a year, house many local independent retailers, and boast a view that few places can match.
Now, with the recession looming, the Pier is standing on shaky ground financially. The same saltwater breeze that draws a crowd on hot days has weakened the Pier's approach making costly repairs and ongoing maintenance necessary.
St. Petersburg is facing the reality of a $20 million budget shortfall this year alone. Shoring up the Pier's infrastructure will cost $50 million.
Shutting it down, say city officials, will save taxpayers $1 million right off the bat. An attractive cut, considering that schools and emergency services also have to take a hit.
But the Pier?! Come on, can't we have something? I know visitors dropped off by half this year, and retailers are feeling the pinch. Subsequently, the city lowered rents for failing businesses in a goodwill gesture to keep them open. But still. It's the Pier, for God's sake. Picture the observation deck, and the open-air ballroom. The terrazzo floors.
What on earth would we put on the postcards? Foreclosure signs? Pictures of brush fires? How about the Cone of Uncertainty?
All of these things certainly say Florida, but not like my Pier. As the city banters back and forth about candidates for budget slashing, the Pier is looking better and better to them. Shame we can't just think of a way to draw more business in to bring it back to its once-lucrative stature. We are too quick to axe things.

Here he is, by popular demand: Stan the Man

2009-03-01T18:18:00.011-05:00

He doesn't know the meaning of the word 'no.' He sets his own hours, decides when he's going to eat, and where he's going to sleep. He runs my whole house and everyone in it.
And he's only 15 pounds.

Meet Stan, or as his AKC papers read, 'Sir Stan Bumley.' He's a Shih Tzu according to the breeder, but my husband keeps insisting there is NO way this dog is pure bred. For one thing, he has a snaggle tooth, which he has used to eat portions of my house, including every baseboard, the center leaf for our diningroom table and a couple of priceless GI Joe accessories from the '60's (please don't tell my husband). When he was 6 months old, he ate a hole through the side of the couch big enough for him to crawl inside of. I needed new furniture anyway.

Stan has no discipline, no manners and no social skills. All of this is my fault, I'm quite sure, according to the Dog Whisperer. He has been blackballed by every groomer in Manatee County. The only people that dare try to cut his hair come to my door in a little van with dark-tinted windows. They spent 2 hours outside with him and then expect a big tip.

I can't get him in the car to get him to the vets. I know what you're saying to yourself right now: What do you mean, can't?! He 15 pounds! Show him who's boss!

He knows who's boss. He is. And he has been all of his little 6 years.

His latest episode was this week at the vet's. Bless their hearts, the girls that work there were trying to get us in and out as quickly as possible. For their benefit, not mine: Stan can walk into a silent waiting room full of well-behaved pets and in 90 seconds turn it into mayhem. So they were trying to hustle us out of there. I paid and took Stan to the car. When we got home, I realized that he had stolen a pig's ear from the vet's. Took it right out of a basket while I was handing over my debit card.

They were nice about it when I called. But they did suggest in a polite way that maybe I should teach him some obedience.

Pffft! Tell that to Stan. He gets mad when I'm on the phone, and barks at me until I'm off. He hates when I'm in my office working (like right now) and pesters me until I'm done. He's also a puker, and leaves me little presents where I least expect them to be. He whizzes on the landscaping. He stands inside the safety of my house and harasses the huge, angry police K9s in my yard out the window, retreating under the bed when they flip out.

But, he's my little guy, the love of my life. He follows me everywhere, even the bathroom. I can't imagine life without him. During the day, he sleeps next to me on the pillow and breathes his doggy puke stink breath into my face. His snore rivals my husband's. And, he agrees to dress up every Halloween and greet the trick or treaters with a snaggly smile. What could be better than that?

Job fair swamped by thousands: A scary sight

2009-02-26T21:51:00.003-05:00

At first, I thought the news feed today was video of giant insects overtaking a building.
I had the sound on the TV turned down, and have a very active imagination. When I actually tuned in to the story, I realized the news was showing aerial footage of more than 2,000 people waiting for their turn to get into a job fair in South Florida.
Two thousand people. At a job fair. A frightening statement.
The job fair was in Davie, a town of about 85,000 in Broward County that's part of the greater South Florida metropolitan area. It only lasted a few hours, but by 3 p.m. it had drawn thousands of people. About thirty companies like Aflac, Home Depot and Amtrak took part, having various positions open. I never caught the final number on just how many people these companies need to hire, but I'm sure it wasn't anywhere close to 2,000, meaning a lot of folks went home disappointed.
I hate to be so doom and gloom about our economy, but it seems that everyday I hear at least one thing about our financial mess that scares the heck out of me. I have good employment (I don't think there will ever NOT be a need for paramedics) but am fully cognizant of the fact that I am one paycheck away from being one of these people. My police officer husband, too. Let's face it, public service is going to get shaved. We could all be laid off, and waiting in line at a job fair somewhere. It's a subject my other half and I avoid discussing, but it's there all the time, like a huge elephant in the room.
There has never been a better time to support our local businesses, and keep our money here. Shop, buy, spend locally. The more we make an effort, the better off we may be, especially when the federal stimulus money finally kicks in. If we make an effort to keep jobs here in Tampa Bay, we might just be able to avoid being on the live news feed ourselves. Waiting in line and broke.

Saving your makeup

2009-02-26T01:40:00.002-05:00

Here are some tips from our friend Kelly Machbitz, certified image consultant.
You've probably seen Kelly on 10Connects, where she has a beauty makeover show!

For more beauty and fashion tips, go to Kelly's website at www.TotalFashionMakeover.com.

Here are some quick fixes to salvage your precious (and expensive) makeup:
1. Broken Eyeshadow
Eyeshadow, blush or powder that comes pressed in a compact can be fixed by adding a little rubbing alcohol and smoothed back in place with a butter knife. Let dry completely before using. Another alternative is to transfer powder to a small sifter jar you can find at your local beauty supply store.
2. Dried Out Foundation
Liquid or cream foundation that has dried out can be re-hydrated with a dab of your favorite moisturizer...or olive oil. Be sure to stir or shake well before using.
3. Clumpy Mascara
To get the most out of mascara that has started to clump, take a tip from the pros and use a small fan brush to apply product to lashes instead of the traditional wand. Mascara will also go on smoother if you coat lashes with a small amount of Vaseline before applying.
4. Dull Eye Pencil
If you don't have a sharpener on hand and your eye pencil is too dull to get a nice clean line, use a small, blunt eye lining brush to apply. Simply run brush over end of pencil to pick up product, then run brush along lash line to apply. If your pencil has dried out (has a white-ish or flaky appearance), try soaking the end in a little olive oil for 30 minutes. It will soften and rehydrate for a smooth application.
5. Broken Lipstick
One of the messiest of makeup mishaps, broken lipstick can be salvaged. If it is a clean break, heat one end with a lighter and press broken halves together firmly. Place in refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to set. If it is too mangled or misshapen to go back in the tube smoothly, use a small knife to transfer lipstick to a palette you can find at your local beauty supply store for just a couple of bucks. Don't waste your money replacing damaged cosmetics. Get a little creative and save yourself a lot of dough.

Shorter college path may equal big savings

2009-02-24T22:20:00.000-05:00

I have followed with earnest the wave some colleges and universities are riding lately with their trend toward 3-year bachelor’s degrees. Europe has apparently done it for years; three years’ timespan is typical for a baccalaureate program there.
Higher education here is feeling the pinch of our recession of late, and some schools are now offering an abbreviated degree path in an effort to keep rising college costs down and appeal to a wider student body. Students applying to the schools that are trying this out have the opportunity to get a 4-year degree 12 months sooner and potentially save tens of thousands in tuition and fees.
Where was this when I was in college?!
I would have jumped at the chance to get out sooner and start my career, not to mention being able to shave that much more off my student loans. (Which, incidentally, I just paid off last year. Oooh, my achin’ checkbook.)
Word has it that there’s no savings on the workload, rather it’s the same 4 years of classes, studying and internships crammed into less time. A creative juggling of schedules.
Doesn’t matter to me, I still would have signed up for it. Even as a freshman, I knew I was going to have to get my master’s degree. With an extended educational road in front of me, finishing quicker would have had a huge appeal.
Of course, critics of this new trend are saying that it doesn’t benefit students who have no idea where they want to go in life career-wise, and need that extra cushion year to feel things out. And, there’s the whole issue of making our kids grow up too quick. It seems we are pushing them faster and faster into the adult world, with unknown retribution.
In my home state of Rhode Island, lawmakers are tossing around the idea of a bill creating a set of college-level classes available to high schools, so all students can have a chance to finish their higher education early.
What would have done with that extra year? God knows. Maybe nothing. But it would have been nice to have the extra money.

Local author's debut novel is not just kid stuff

2009-02-19T21:59:00.002-05:00

Murder, revenge, intrigue, conspiracy. All these little nuggets that take a novel from being just a mere story to becoming an epic journey are packed into “Maradonia and the Seven Bridges.” The mystical Maradonia is a world between worlds, a Technicolor place filled with more wizardry and magic than Harry Potter could shake his wand at.

And the author is just 14 years old.

From the never-ending imagination of young Gloria Tesch of Palm Harbor comes an adventure of legendary proportions. Two ordinary teens, Maya and her brother Joey, discover the way to the Land of Maradonia while on a Goonies-like expedition to the forbidden Pebble Beach. The world they uncover is full of turmoil, its people in peril from the evil King Apollyon.

Up until this, Maya and Joey had led ordinary lives in an ordinary place, where their greatest challenge had been the everyday minutia of fitting in at a new school, a trial most children can readily identify with. Now, the fate of an entire kingdom and its faithful dwellers is up to them.
In this, Tesch explores the very adult issues of responsibility and faith, and the age-old theme of enduring strength in the face of temptations and tough tests. Maya and Joey discover their true inner selves along the way, battling an underworld capable of deceit, revenge and murder.

“Maradonia and the Seven Bridges” is a story of substance, richly written with lush description and imagination. Its visual nature begs for the cinema. Plan to invest time in this saga, though: your trip to Maradonia will run over 800 pages, ninety chapters full of twists and turns and surprises around every magical corner. And while Tesch provides a satisfying ending for readers, don’t get comfortable just yet. Not all loose ends have been neatly tied; “Maradonia and the Seven Bridges” is the first leg in a trilogy.

Filled with mystical illustrations and scenes of pure whimsy, this debut novel is aimed at an audience of young adult readers. However, the timeless theme of good versus evil will appeal to any age group. And through this, a lesson: ordinary people can do the extraordinary. Children can lead a nation of people.

Hefty issues for such a young author to tackle, but Tesch smoothly accomplishes this and more in her freshman novel. No doubt, more fantastic tales are to come from this untapped talent. For more about Gloria and the Land of Maradonia visit www.maradonia.com.

On Valentine's Day, some heart-warming news

2009-02-14T21:27:00.001-05:00

Finally, some economic news we can feel good about: $10 billion is coming towards Florida very soon, thanks to the stimulus package just approved by lawmakers.
It’s good that they recognize the fact that our state has been beleaguered with money woes for a long time. We have the highest home foreclosure rate in the nation; Tampa Bay alone has lost more jobs than in any other area of the state. Major retail chains have pulled out of the area, or simply shut their doors.
So if anyone needs a bailout, it’s us.
A large chunk of that, just over $4 billion, will go to bolster Medicaid, good news for families relying on that extra help to make it day to day.
Gov. Crist has promised that $1.3 billion will be for transportation projects around the state. Those road construction projects in the Tampa Bay area, like the I-4/Crosstown corridor and the 118th Avenue extension in Pinellas, can push forward, meaning thousands of jobs will open up.
The package also means tax breaks for those who purchase their first home, buy a new car, or make certain energy saving upgrades to their house. And millions of workers will start seeing more money in their paychecks this summer, as the $400 tax credit for individuals takes hold around June. Couples will get $800. Low-income families will get a $1,000 child tax credit. And folks getting unemployment won’t have to pay taxes on the first $2,400 they receive.
And, those who lost their health insurance along with their jobs because they could not afford to pay the full premiums will also benefit from this recovery plan. For the first nine months, the government will cover 65 percent of that cost.
Money will also go to help out law enforcement agencies put more officers on the street. Pell Grants for college students will increase up to $5,550 by the 2010-1011 school year.
All good news, a nice heart-warmer on Valentine’s Day.
This stimulus package will jack up the National debt, however. I don’t know about you, but I’m a little more concerned with my personal debt right now than the nation’s. However foolhardy that may be.
Thank goodness this is coming now, and it won’t be a wait-and-see situation. Our state’s in crisis, so this will be a welcome rescue.
Now if we can only get through that pesky hurricane season…

Books, Chocolates & Mimosas party, Dec. 8

2009-02-13T13:17:00.003-05:00

We had a great time at Sea Breeze Manor in Gulfport last Sunday. There were books, chocolates and mimosas ... And the coolest people in town!

How could we possibly NOT have a great time?

Thanks to Lori Rosso for her hospitality. Her b&b, Sea Breeze, is absolutely gorgeous. If you want to impress out-of-town guests, or if you want a nearby weekend escape, it's the perfect place to go. Here's the Web site: http://www.seabreezemanor.com/

Thanks also go out to JChocolates, one of the hottest new chocolatiers in the Tampa Bay area. We had a delicious tray of chocolate-covered strawberries and other chocolates. Here's more on their company, and better yet, info on how to order some: http://jchocolateshop.com/

Lsst but not least, thanks to our featured authors:
Margo Hammond, co-author of "Between the Covers: The Book Babes' Guide to a Woman's Reading Pleasures"
Molly Barnes, author of "A Good Day for Uncle Elmo: Stories from a Schoolteacher's Journal"
Deborah Frethem, author "Ghost Stories of St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Pinellas County"

Here at last, party pictures!

How lucky do I feel, on Friday the 13th?

2009-02-13T00:10:00.000-05:00

Friday the 13th is just a couple of minutes away and already I’m crossing myself and doing other little quirky rituals to ward off the bad spirits.
It’s not that I’m very superstitious; I mean, I do believe in karma, and that there’s another side of nature that we don’t see or understand. But I routinely step on sidewalk cracks, I’ve opened up an umbrella inside (by mistake) and I don’t dive out of the way if a black cat happens to mosey on by. And, I’ve broken a mirror or two in my time.
Just not on Friday the 13th.
The rules change on this unlucky day, and I think they change for everyone. A sense of foreboding has settled in amongst my friends, who I consider to be rational, intelligent people. A rash of stories from Fridays the 13th past is circulating, people that have gotten into car accidents or lost money; one even had his shed burn down.
Of course, you can chock these things up to coincidence. And there are those that swear there’s no such thing as coincidence. Everything happens for a reason.
My Tarpon Springs friend Tsambika, my authority on all things Greek, follows a whole other set of superstitions daily. It’s just the way she was brought up. Like the “mahti” she wears, a little blue eye set in different pieces of jewelry that is supposed to ward off any hexes others might put on you. She gave me one on a little pin; I know that doesn’t make me an honorary Greek but I wear it when I’m feeling the heebie-jeebies just the same.
Of course, none of these things are based on reason or even empirical knowledge. A lot of it comes from culture and religious beliefs, and have somehow weaved their way into our reality, where they transcend mere superstition and simply become rules. How many of us won’t walk underneath a ladder? I know I’ve caught my husband throwing salt over his shoulder if he knocked over the shaker.
Whether or not you want to write it off as quirky nonsense or quaint tradition, I will certainly be watching my p’s and q’s until the 14th. And I’ll have on my mahti for an extra dose of good luck.

Clothing Swap, Feb. 7

2009-02-12T23:45:00.005-05:00

Thanks to everyone who came to our Clothing Swap last Saturday in Gulfport! We were overwhelmed by the huge turnout and the generosity in our community. Everyone got cool new clothes, and we STILL ended up packing a whole truck full of donations for CASA, the shelter for victims of domestic abuse.

The Courtyard was PACKED. Yummy's and Java Nirvana were overflowing with customers. Neighboring businesses participated, too, by donating raffle prizes. Backfin Blue, Domain, O'Maddy's, Dominic's, they all donated gift cards.

And our very own Pat Largo was keeping the crowds laughing all day long.

It truly was an amazing day. Thanks, everyone.

Now, for the pictures:

Local women's self-defense seminar

2009-02-07T19:13:00.005-05:00

It's hard to turn the local news on lately without seeing some story about senseless violence. Unfortunately, despite law enforcement's best efforts, crimes against people seem to be up.
A local business is now offering a class to teach us how to fight back.
Pinellas Fitness & Martial Arts will be holding a Women's Self Defense Seminar next month, focusing on how to survive an assault and get away. Featuring Commando Krav Maga, the fastest-growing reality based defense system in the world, the seminar will even cover how to defend yourself should your attacker have a weapon.
Hey, it's not a pretty subject, but sometimes it needs to be talked about. We all have fast-paced lives, and rushing off somewhere often without paying attention to our surroundings. I'm guilty of it, too. A lot. Running to my car while gabbing on the phone, unaware of the world around me. And experts say this is the chance attackers are waiting for. Violent crimes are most of the time crimes of opportunity.
This seminar will also cover how not to let them have the opportunity by teaching situational awareness.
Owner and instructor Brian Peters gets to see a lot of this first hand; he's been a street paramedic in Pinellas County for years. And when he's not fighting fire, he has managed to squeeze in more than 20 years of martial arts expertise, concentrating on Tae Kwon Do. He's also won regional and national championships, and remains undefeated as a heavy weight black belt for the last 3 years in the Florida Police and Fire Games.
Not a guy to mess with. And Peters, along with his other instructors, is planning on giving us some of that knowledge at this class. The Women's Self Defense Seminar runs on March 7 from 1-4p.m. at the Pinellas Fitness & Martial Arts center, 3701 State Road 580 in Oldsmar.
The center also teaches Tae Kwon Do to any age group (there's even a 60-year old little grandmother taking classes there), and instructs in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and kickboxing. All great ways to have a lot of fun, stay fit and be safe.
For more info, you can call them at (727) 207-6684 to register or visit their website at www.ckm-pinellas.com.

Might be a farther drive to get your secret Starbucks fix

2009-02-02T21:52:00.019-05:00

For sale: One fancy corporate jet, used on only 15 flights, worth $45 million. No reasonable offer refused.
That's the sign Starbucks & Co.'s CEO Howard Schultz is wearing around his neck lately as his iconoclast corporation goes from defining an era to trying to save a few ducats. With the financial ruin this country is in lately, I'd say he's lucky that sign doesn't read "Will Work For Food."
It's not Howard's fault, really. Who could have predicted that the economic casualties of late would reach all the way up to the ivory tower that Starbucks built for itself? Those white and green cups and the five dollar magic java they hold have become a sort of status symbol of this "Gimme" generation. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy a venti cafe mocha every now and again just like the rest of us do. And it is almost impossible to not get sucked in to the whole ambiance: the indy music playing softly overhead, the smell of coffee and biscotti treats swirling around your face, the tapping of laptop keys as important people get important things done while sipping their lattes.
Starbucks couldn't have planned that better if they misted Zoloft in through the vents. The only retailer that rivals that kind of atmospheric addiction is Victoria's Secret.
But Starbucks' numbers are in, and as we all know, numbers don't lie. They cheat, but they don't lie. Revenue is down 6 percent from last year, with some locations being nearly 30 percent in the red. The solution: Cut $500 million out of the operating budget. Somewhere.
That means over 300 Starbucks cafes are closing their doors very soon. And about 6,700 more unfortunate workers will entire the already swollen unemployment pool. In a letter to his employees, Howard blames the world and its financial downturn, saying they are only "trying to navigate a deteriorating global economy" and predict an unpredictable situation that will only gets worse before it gets better. Thanks for the tip, Howie.
Howard does want his employees to know that he himself is taking a pay cut - he slashed his own salary down to $10,000 yearly, the lowest amount he could have on the books and still receive health care benefits.
Last year he made $1.2 million just in salary. His total compensation package for 2008 rang the cherries at more than $9.7 million. That's a lot of java.
So some stores will close, some will collect aid, some of us will still continue to make coffee at home. Howard, in the meantime, will try to get by on his multi-million dollar nest egg. Oh, and try to "navigate" this financial crisis without a jet.
Forgive me if I don't cry over spilled frappachino.

Local dry cleaners offers green service

2009-01-30T21:38:00.005-05:00

In my desperation to unload my ever-growing dry clean only monster (and hang on to my credit score), I zipped around town looking for a solution. There just aren't many choices that suit my -ahem- frugal nature. And I am NOT carting the pile all the way over the Skyway to find a cheaper cleaners in Pinellas.
And just as I was about to give up, and resign myself to the fact that we were going to have to build on an addition to house the mess, I found Ellenton Cleaners. By accident. I was turning around in their parking lot and came face to face with their sign. Funny how things happen that way.
So I dashed in to check their prices, and got another surprise: They are green! The Ellenton Cleaners is completely toxic solvent free and safe for the environment. I have no idea how they do it, but they're very proud of it. Anything environmentally friendly scores huge point with me.
I braced myself for the price quote, but was surprised to find them very reasonable. And a two-day turnaround on that whole pile. Works for me! Fast, cheap and green. Now what more could I ask for?
The Ellenton Cleaners is tucked away next to a florist at 1218 36th Avenue East (which is Ellenton-Gillette Road). The Patel family opened it two years ago, and has been quietly providing this cleaner, greener, fresher dry cleaning service to Ellenton right under my nose.
They also keep good hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. through 7 p.m., Wednesdays until 6 p.m. Saturdays they're open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (941) 722-6291.
They have lots of other services besides dry cleaner, I'm told. They boast expert stain removal, and also garment preservation.

Just trying to keep it clean!

2009-01-28T20:53:00.001-05:00

The pile of clothes in the corner waiting to go off to the dry cleaners is growing.
Now, I’m not a slob. (I swear.) Nor am I lazy. But that pile keeps on getting larger, and is beginning to take on the shape of Jabba the Hut. Today, when I came home from work, it had eyes. I’m afraid to see what it looks like tomorrow.
The problem is this: I’m cheap. And taking clothes down to the very expensive dry cleaners sometimes requires a co-signer and the name of your first born. Very against my frugal nature. I don’t go very many places; most of my life is lived in a uniform or like now, in pajamas curled up with a laptop, diligently tapping away at something. It might take me six months to get enough finery together to make the trip over to the cleaners.
It was in these six months that the Albertsons grocery chain coughed its death rattle, and took with it the little cheap dry cleaning counter it ran, both victims of the economy’s carnage of late.
I actually stood in the empty parking lot, Jabba in my arms, tumble weeds going by, staring at the dark store front. Now what do I do?
And please, no one suggest the over-the-counter sheets and bag that really don’t do anything that I can see. I wrecked a blazer with it once. An expensive one. Let me tell you how that goes over with my wallet.
Intent on bringing some business to my fellow local independent retailers, I check around town and got dizzy from the prices. I had to actually lie down.
So what is a girl to do, with a large, “dry-clean only” monster growing in the corner and a tight fist on her dollars?
My husband had a suggestion: Wear cheaper stuff. My suggestion back to him was not suitable for print.
If the pile gets any bigger I may have to have him build a spare addition on to the house. If it starts to speak, I’m moving out.

10 promising careers

2009-01-28T13:00:00.004-05:00

Joy Victory, of Payscale.com, says these 10 careers are in demand these days. Note that the average salaries listed are nationwide averages, not Tampa Bay averages ... Here are her top picks, along with our take here at LocalShops1.com:

Auditing. With all of the economic upheaval, businesses are being watched more carefully than ever, which makes auditing careers more secure than ever. median salary - $64,914

Job Counseling. Makes sense; more people unemployed, more people looking for help. Median salary - $54,426

Psychological Counseling. Self-worth is often tied to job, experts say; so with so many people losing their jobs these days, more are feeling identity crises. Median salary - $40,275

Public Relations. Keep in mind, this isn't all the fun, glitzy stuff, like promoting new products or stars. PR experts are the ones who have to explain the bad stuff, too, like layoffs and other budget cuts. Median salary - $44,334

Factoring. We'll let her explain this one: While this line of work is fairly foreign to most folks, now that bank loans are hard to come by, factoring allows small business to get funding based on their current accounts receivable -- the money they expect to have coming in. Factoring works well for retailers and other businesses that have big receivables.Median salary, commercial lender - $79,846

Healthcare technician. radiology technicians, lab assistants, home health aides. These jobs are almost recession-proof. Median salary, pharmacy technician - $32,531

Mechanical Engineering (and all engineering fields). In the U.S. we only graduate 70,000 engineers per year, but we're going to need 100,000 per year, experts say. Median salary - $71,490

Networking/System Administration. People who understand how to keep computer networks running smoothly are often the most important in a company. Think of the last big crash at work. ... median salary - $54,193

Nursing. Particularly in demand are physical therapy and similar "exercise science" careers, because aging Baby Boomers will be looking for ways to remain active long into their later years. Median salary, registered nurse - $53,840

Software Design/Development. We're becoming more tech-dependent, and companies are always looking for upgrades to their products. Just think what your cell phone was like three years ago, and how much more your new one offers. Median salary - $72,070

Source: All salary data is from PayScale.com. The salaries listed are median, annual salaries for full-time workers with 5-8 years of experience and include bonuses, commissions or profit sharing.

LocalShops1.com

A respectable sea of talent

2009-01-25T20:39:00.008-05:00

Being a writer is often a lonely endeavor. A lot of the copywriting and editing I do is from behind the scenes. Some of my clients are across the country in corporate offices, or are shrouded by email. I don't get to meet any of my peers, hobnob with folks in the business or rub elbows with anyone who shares my love of the craft.

So I was quite interested in particpating in the First Annual Book Fair Blitz put on by Key Business Partners and Local Shops 1. Local authors and business services? I'm there! But what I didn't realize until I got there was, I'm not really used to promoting myself. I can write press releases and blogs seven ways to Sunday; my last direct mail marketing piece increased my client's sales by 40 percent. So I can beat a drum and herd cats with aplomb ... as long as it's not my own drum I'm beating.
I'd much rather toot someone else's horn, and with the group of local talent amassed at this tradeshow, I had plenty of choices.
Like Pam Butler of Life Reflections, expert videographer, who came up with a truly unique concept: tell people's life stories. Everything from video wedding invitations to video life celebrations to video resumes, Pam puts you in the studio and makes you the star. Imagine sending out DVD invitations for your perfect beach wedding! That ought to make the Bridezillas roar! And a video resume? Genius! In today's rising unemployment market, these little three minute gems are sure to slash the envious competition.
Speaking of envy, I had the humbling experience of meeting Gloria Tesch, the world's youngest novel writer, who wrote and published the 810-page "Maradonia and the Seven Bridges" just after her 13th birthday. Yep. She's 14. And when she hefted the book over to me, it was one of those speechless moments I'll remember forever. It seems that everyone I know (myself included) walks around talking about the book they're in the middle of writing, the book they're going to write or the book they wish they'd written. And while we're all talking about it, this remarkable prodigy is busy cranking out the sequel, due in late March.
The specific local author talents in the room are too numerous to mention each in ink here, but they can rest assured that they made giant impressions on me and inspired me to dig in my heels and get it done. I learned a few things today, just being near them.

The rumors were true: I AM cheap

2009-01-22T03:14:00.000-05:00

Yes, I’ve complained long and hard to anyone that will listen about our down-spiraling economy. (You guys are my favorite captive audience.)
But I do more than just toil in gloom and doom every time I see a depressing news report. Like a lot of the rest of us, I’ve had to trim the fat a bit and find some ways to squeeze a few extra dollars out of the household budget. And since I share my “glum” outlook with you, I wanted to share some of my miserly tips as well.

Bring your lunch to work. I never realized how much money I spent eating on the run, or ordering out until I finally sat down to crunch the numbers: Around $10 per day, four days per week. That’s $160 per month, or $1,920 per year. Compare that to planning ahead and bringing leftovers and some snacks. Savings around $900 yearly.

Have your shoes repaired. This one I stole from Bay News 9 (thank you, Ferdinand Zogbaum!). Instead of shelling out $180 for new EMS boots for work, I had a local shoe cobbler put new soles on my old ones. Cost me under $20. Saved $160.

Carpool. Even though gas prices have gone WAY down, I see them creeping back up again. Hopefully we won’t see $4 per gallon anymore, but just in case, I still carpool whenever possible. So instead of spending almost $40 per week on gas, I now spend that about every two weeks. Savings: $960 yearly.

Coupons. Don’t laugh. Here’s the secret to not getting overwhelmed with it: Only cut the coupons for the things you buy, instead of buying something just because you have a coupon. It really is like free money. And if you can time it just right and hit the supermarket sales, well, you’re golden. I save nearly $15 weekly with coupons. That means about $720 yearly shaved off my expenses.

Stay in. Instead of going out with friends, have them over for dinner and drinks. Cooking at home is always cheaper (especially when it comes to the bar tab), and I think, more intimate. Candles and Dollar Store party favors and such.

Hopefully we all won’t have to keep tightening up the belts another notch for very long! I hate to utter this, but this financial crisis we’re in has made me cheap. There. I said it. And now that it’s out there, if anyone has any other tips for me I’d really welcome them. Happy hunting, everyone!

The tumbling giants: Curse or boon?

2009-01-19T20:16:00.006-05:00

I knew Albertson's supermarkets closing was a bad sign. Add to that the various Linens' n Things and Bed, Bath and Beyond stores that have disappeared. Bennigans also pulled out of our area, taking with it their fantastic baked potato soup. GAP spin-off Old Navy is downsizing.
KB Toys is already closed - its stock sold off after filing for bankruptcy protection. And Sweetbay supermarkets just announced they are closing seven of their Tampa Bay area stores.
But now a long-time electronics retail giant, Circuit City, is going out of business. They have been the nation's second biggest consumer electronics dealer (Best Buy holds the crown), but that wasn't enough to save them in bankruptcy court. Friday, they failed to find a buyer and will simply liquidate their 567 stores in the U.S. This could mean another 30,000 people will be unemployed. Joining them will be laid off workers from Pfizer and Blue Cross.
Industry experts that circled their wagons when gas prices dropped are now warning of more lean times to come, as spending will likely decrease further. Bad, bad, bad.
But what does this mean to our local independent retailers? Surely they will see some business from some Circuit City customers. Bay News 9 interviewed one electronics place that could not believe they were still in business while the giants around them tumble. They're counting their lucky stars, and hoping to cash in on some displaced consumer dollars.
One independent retailer in a Tyrone shopping center that houses the defunct Circuit City is cringing at the thought of another giant chain closing, though. The store's owners believe that living in the shadow of the big guys has brought business into their doors that wouldn't normally be there. They count on the foot traffic from these places, and fear that no more store means no more people.
Whether good or bad, we can count on this: Everyone is going to be affected. From the butterfly effect to a tidal wave. Time to cautiously tighten the belt again.

Winds of change to come?

2009-01-16T01:05:00.002-05:00

Being a freelance copywriter is very often feast or famine. I go through certain points of the year where I have a tangible lull, and then have seasons of crazy busy time. Over the years, I've learned how to hold one finger in the air to test the winds. I usually know what's coming. For instance, grant writing and research tends to pick up in the spring. So does direct mail marketing letters, as anyone with an overstuffed mailbox knows. And companies seem to want their business plans authored by October 1.
But I didn't see this coming.
An onslaught of requests for resumes and cover letters has hit my inbox. Like, fifteen this week alone. And these are very educated folks with a long pedigree and they're OUT OF WORK. These are frightening times. Folks aren't just trying to get a better job or move up the proverbial corporate ladder; they are trying to feed families and avoid foreclosure. They have been victims of the cutbacks of late, laid off or just plain fired. (I axed all my fees for the unemployed. There is no way in good conscience I can take money from someone who needs a job.)
It amazes me how many people are one accident or illness away from poverty. I just got my hospital bill from my three-day visit in December: $20,437. How do people without insurance cope? Pay for medicine? Do they sit and have to choose between eating or taking the prescriptions necessary to keep them alive?
Perhaps with this change in our government's administration we can look forward to a windfall instead of a downturn. We need relief on all fronts.

Fave store contest: Milagros

2009-01-15T22:28:00.000-05:00

I would have to say that I LOVE Milagros! I call their products my "lotions and potions," and it is truly my addiction. I love the smell and feel of this store. It's open, warm, and inviting which tempts your senses with a divinity to create the perfect scent, or attracts you to the perfect one that has been concocted prior to your arrival. The soaps with a purpose really do their job as described and I adore that you can take any scent and create a layering with the body wash, lotion, and spray. I give gifts of Milagros treasures all the time, and I haven't had anyone not come back for more!

Jennifer Steele
Spinderella's Steals

Fave store contest: Designer Consigner

2009-01-15T22:24:00.001-05:00

Mary Reed:

My most favorite local shop in the area of St. Petersburg, fl. is the Designer
Cosigner. The women there are so friendly and personal whenever I go there to shop
for a special outfit or for clothing for work or a job interview or any other type
of shopping buy. I can also be ready to get personal and impressionable help from
the ladies there.
The owner of the shop, Julia, makes me feel very special because I
do shop there a lot because I can always find a bargain and never go over my budget
when I go there to shop.I can talk about my personal happenings in my life and the
friendly ladies there will help me think of a solution or just give me
inspiration.They are an excellent group of women who are eclectic and stylish in
their own way.I hope that their shop is around for a very long time to come in the
future. They let me know when there are special sales as well as when they get in a
special item they think I might like.
Totally great ladies!!!!

Fave store contest: Halle's

2009-01-15T22:23:00.000-05:00

MARY EGUIA

Halle's-Trinitry Town Center-Beautiful store,everything to decorate your home year
round or for the holidays. The Cobbled Path ,Race track road.another beautiful
store.

Fave store contest: Cherie's Eklectica

2009-01-15T22:21:00.001-05:00

Linnea Barone's entry

I believe one of the best, intriguing gift shops around the Tampa Bay area
is CHERIE's EKLECTIKA, located on Beach Drive. This gift shop sells various
items that you do not find in your ordinary gift shop. I was able to pick up
some Christmas gifts that were great and out of the ordinary. You can spend
hours looking around and reading all the great cards they have. Also i
cannot forget that the staff is great and makes you feel very comfortable!

GO CHERIE's.

Open call: Good ideas for Valentine's Day, anyone?

2009-01-11T15:44:00.004-05:00

So I walk into CVS the other morning to get a few toiletries. It was 6 a.m.; the only crazy person out shopping was me. An occupational hazard of being a night crawler.
As I made my way to the register, I happened to walk through the 75 percent off Christmas aisle. Kind of maudlin, really, the way the leftover holiday bits of this and that sat unbought and unwanted, shoved into a corner of the aisle. And right next to that, a garish pink and red display for Valentine's Day. Big stuffed animals holding cards and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and the like. I found the juxtaposition of these two polar opposite holidays interesting. But are they really so different? Both days of celebration have become overblown, bloated and commercial.
And as I stood looking from the tinsel to the silk roses, I understood that I am just as guilty of contributing. Each year I too get sucked into the whole obligatory candy-coated lacy Valentine's Day thing. Not that I don't relish the chance to remind my husband that he's still the hottest guy on earth. Not that I mind the chance to try and finds words to express how huge my love is for him a la Hallmark.
It's just that maybe all the commercialized stuff takes away from the real thing a bit. What is there about a red heart-shaped box of Whitman's screams eternity? Or roses for that matter? If you only give them once a year to the one you love there's no point.
This year, I am on a mission to be different. But where exactly do I start? This is where you guys come in! I just know you romantics can help me come up with something unique for the ol' February 14 deadline that's barreling down on us all. Comment here, or drop me an email at editingdiva911@yahoo.com. I'll post your ideas.

In memory of Daddy

2009-01-07T21:24:00.006-05:00

When I was seven years old, the nation was embroiled in the Iran Hostage Crisis. And for the first time, I was interested in world news. I wrote letters and spoke out in class and became a tad obsessed.
My father, bless his heart, urged me to be the controversial little person that he saw emerging. "Challenge everything," he told me. And he bought me a 'Khomeini is Crazy' tee shirt. I wore it to school, and they sent me home, of course.
Daddy had crust and sass, and an offbeat sense of humor that offended some, but made me laugh. I inherited all these things from him, and no price can ever be put on them.
He was also the ultimate independent shopper (I think I learned this from him, too) ... he boycotted Walmart and the like, and preferred to trade at little places where they knew him by his first name. He worked at a small lumber company in Providence, RI that right up until his death fought Home Depot and Lowe's to stay afloat. The names he called those two giants I can't even put in print.
Six years ago today, I got the worst phone call anyone could receive. They had found my father dead in his apartment at 56. He'd never been sick a day in his life. I never got to say goodbye. I flew home, and had the awful task of going through Daddy's things to square away his affairs.
Through that, I got to re-learn the man that he was. He wasn't a sinner, and he wasn't a saint, but he was everything in between. Everything that I am today at 36. I see more of my father in me as each year passes, and I am grateful for that.
So good night, Daddy. And thank you for everything.

Great local find - and new life for your broken china!

2009-01-04T22:07:00.008-05:00

A Dunedin woman with a passion for homemade jewelry found a great way to showcase broken china and glassware - and a hobby went haywire with beautiful results!

Cracked Up Jewelry, the creation of local jewelry artist Lori Rosenberger, is truly where broken china comes to life. Lori takes all kinds of broken glassware - from Limoges to 1940s dinnerware and everything in between - and handcrafts it into unique, lovely pieces. Her online collection boasts bracelets, earrings and necklaces from Depression glass, Hobnail, milk glass, art deco, Flow Blue, Mulberry and even broken pop bottles. Fantastic vintage-inspired creations!

Lori specializes in custom work, and can even take antique photographs and transform them into romantic wearable treasures. What a unique gift! And a great way to breathe new life into a broken heirloom.

Cracked Up Jewelry's work is displayed at local consignment shops from time to time, but you can view her current collection at http://www.crackedupjewelry.com/

Marketing tip: Think through Big, Scary Ideas

2009-01-03T22:30:00.003-05:00

Small Business Achievement Thinking Through Big Scary Ideas
by Mark Mikelat,
www.BuildingAspirations.com

Mark Mikelat is a consultant for small businesses. He is on faculty at Long Beach City College and is the founder and owner of www.BuildingAspirations.com.

Big scary ideas can grow your business, Mikelat says. "If you want big results sometimes you need to make big decisions. The challenge is that this idea is contrarian to our human nature. We work to maintain safety, comfort, and familiarity in our lives. ... Big scary ideas will bring accelerate growth your small business."

He gives an example: A client of his had opportunity to be on a TV show; in her application, she submitted just one line. No spark, no personality. Of course, she wasn't selected. Producers probably assumed she wouldn't make for an interesting show.

"This was her time to shine through, demonstrate her expertise to get on the show," Mikelat writes. "Why did not my client pursue this opportunity with greater enthusiasm? The reason is simple: it was a big scary idea. She had never been on television and the idea was intimidating. I understand that. Of course it is intimidating. That is why it represents such a great marketing opportunity. You can print out flyers and put them on cars in a mall parking lot. That will provide poor results because the idea is safe. Being on TV is not safe. Yet, this unsafe opportunity could have provided her the opportunity to sell 10,000 books by an enthused and engaged audience."

Mikelat isn't saying to just try everything at random. You need to check the risk, and weight it against possible rewards. In his client's case, he says, there was risk, of course, maybe perhaps stage fright. But no significant expense ... and the reward, that potentially would have reached thousands of viewers, and brought his client much new business.

Words that need to go out with 2008

2009-01-01T21:07:00.013-05:00

Out with old, in with the new.
Ringing in the New Year is a bit like starting over. The slate may not be completely clean, but it is a good time to steel your resolve and attack anew some things you wanted to square away in 2008 but did not get the opportunity. Hey, we're all there on that one. My list is a mile long.
Along with bidding farewell to 2008, there are a few other things I'd like to kiss goodbye as well: words that I never want to hear used again. Ever.

In no particular order:

"Bling." Enough, for pete's sake! Especially now, in these lean times.
"BFF." As in "Best Friend Forever." A throw-back from our texting-happy nation.
"Bail-out." Over it. Should now and forever only refer to a relative in jail in need of assistance.
"Hot Spot." I never really figured this one out, anyway.
"Embedded journalist." They're on assignment, O.K.? Can't we just call it that?
"Insurgents." Don't get me started.
"Forecast cone." Weather people could just say they have no idea where the storm's going...
"Prequel." I want Hollywood to come up with some new ideas.
"Rehab." Sorry, Dr. Drew. Take it off my T.V.
"uber" anything. Ultra more than covers it.

And I'd like to add to this list any texting abbreviation that I can't understand. You know the script. All the OMG and such. (My 16-year old stepdaughter speaks in some sort of cryptic texting lingo that is unidentifiable. I wonder sometimes if she isn't working for Central Intelligence. Perhaps I'm just getting old.)

It would be nice to return to proper English again in 2009, whatever that may be. Somewhere between Elizabethan Shakespeare and things that are suitable for public consumption. Slang aficionados may want to hang me, but I still bid farewell to these words and all the images they bring with them. Anyone that uses them gets charged a quarter.

Happy New Year, everyone! May it healthy, safe and prosperous for all.

Life on Saltines and Jell-O

2008-12-28T22:34:00.003-05:00

I had a recent bout with some bad gastrointestinal mojo, which landed me in the hospital for a few days. Not a fun place for a paramedic to be. Us medical people don't make very good patients.
Turns out I have ulcerative colitis AND bleeding peptic ulcers AND ulcers in my duodenum, thrown in for good measure. I'm pretty much full of holes. Why? Stress, spicy food, H-pylori, who the heck knows. Can't get a straight answer of any of the doctors that I now have to see.
What they DID tell me is not to eat anything heavy, greasy, fried, spicy, creamy, acidic, alcohol-based, vinegar-y, and caffeine-laden. This is pretty much everything out there. The good stuff. Like coffee. Or a cocktail with dinner. Or dinner at all.
And hot wings. You guys have followed my mission to find the best wings in Tampa Bay; alas, I'll never know. They just don't make enough Mylanta for me to chance it.
So I have been living the last few weeks on saltine crackers and different flavors of gelatin. If I am feeling brave, I sneak down a little chicken soup. This is not fun. I LOVE food. Lots of food. And having to go around watching people eat it all up is, at the very least, excruciating.
Right now as we speak, the guy next to me is eating gumbo. And yesterday my husband actually ordered a pizza and wolfed it down while saying to me "You poor thing."
Poor thing indeed. I am usually laid-back about a lot of things, but I now am in a constant state of being on the verge of throwing a tantrum. Especially during the holidays when full platters of heavenly stuff are being passed under my nose. My mother even makes her own holiday candy! It's got chocolate and peanuts and peanut butter all rolled into ...
I can't even talk about it. It's too upsetting. And when did every commercial on T.V. become involved with food?! Does every fast-food restaurant have to launch a new burger at once? And can't people meet for a facial instead of a drink?
And just who does Outback think they are with those steak ads?
O.K., I'll stop. But let me tell you this: Appreciate and love and each little snack you're munching right now. When you go out, order everything on the menu for me. Raise a toast to my ulcers. I'll be the one in the corner having green Jell-O and a side of cardboard.

Black Friday, the Sequel

2008-12-25T19:34:00.002-05:00

So Christmas is here, everything's been unwrapped, and we're all laying around fat and happy. But not for long.
Somewhere around ten o'clock tonight, we'll all get that little itch to get back out there with the masses tomorrow and do more shopping. Return stuff. Get more stuff. Use the gift cards that are already burning a hole in your pocket (like they are in mine).
Retailers, David and Goliaths alike, are waiting for this day to potentially save their holiday season. Sales percentages this year represent the worst numbers in decades. The majority of retailers, despite monster deals and promotions, are reporting losses.
Not a good forecast for our already bleak economy. Bad revenue now leads to more layoffs later, which has a ripple effect that touches us all.
So tomorrow is perhaps the second biggest shopping day of the year: Black Friday, the Sequel. And I hate to keep beating this drum, but if our big retail giants are going a little hungry right now, that means our local independent retailers are starving. So if we're going to spend a little post-holiday cash and scratch our shopping itch, let's all try to do it at our favorite mom and pop places that need it a little more than Target and Walmart. So everyone can enjoy the holiday bacchanalia!

Thanks, AJC

2008-12-24T23:17:00.002-05:00

Too often mainstream newspapers focus on what the Big Box stores are doing. Pick up any major metropolitan paper on Black Friday, and you'll most likely see a story about what's on sale at Macy's, Sears, Target, Walmart. Story will probably be on the front page. Of course, you can flip through the paper and see their full-page ads, too, touting these very same sales.

As it gets closer to Christmas, you'll probably see a variation of that article again and again. Stocking stuffers, gift guides, last-minute gift ideas. ... all focus on what's available at the chains and franchises.

So we were happy to see a fresh approach at the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Along with their stories on the chains, AJC reporters also went out into their own neighborhoods, checked out what the local businesses were doing.

We hope other papers follow AJC's lead.

Here are excerpts and links to two stories the paper recently published:

Little stores, big hopes
Location counts for local, independent retailers. During dismal season, intown shops with higher foot traffic may fare better than those in suburbs.

By Jamie Gumbrecht
Tuesday, December 23, 2008

During this scrimp-and-save holiday shopping season, the problems hitting major chain retailers are being felt by small, locally owned stores, too.
In fact, it may be even worse for the little guys, such as Peony Lin, owner of Lavender boutique in Alpharetta.
“We have seen an increase in shoppers versus last month, still not as good as it was last year,” Lin said. “They’re cutting down on their purchases, much more cautious. They’re always asking for sales, coupons. They’re always trying to find the best deal.”

Go local for unique gifts

By Nedra Rhone
Sunday, December 07, 2008

The holidays can drive even the hardiest of shoppers batty, and the mall-averse may find themselves particularly vulnerable to the holiday shopping blues. Fortunately, there are more and more options —- local craft markets, neighborhood specialty shops and online shopping —- to satisfy the nonmall shopper who seeks a one-stop experience.

Show charity year-round

2008-12-22T21:33:00.003-05:00

I always feel a little bad for the Salvation Army bell-ringers. Lots of people do anything they can to avoid them, like putting their heads down, walking around them quickly or using another entrance and exit from the store.

And still they stand, silently soliciting by their lone kettles. I stopped to talk to one in Ellenton recently on my way into Publix. I only had a couple of dollars, but as always, it was appreciated. And I hated to ask, but since we are living in scary economic times, I wondered how the donations were faring.

Horribly, he told me. No one has any money to spare, which means the less fortunate shall get less help. It's everywhere; every time I turn on the news there's an update on the crisis situation in our food pantries and homeless shelters. Things are dire.

"Maybe things will perk up soon," I told him. "Then next Christmas will be a little better for all."

But he told me something that we all know in our hearts but tend to forget in the minutia of everyday life: "We need to give all year. Not just as Christmas."

How true. People are poor year-round; children don't stop needing clothing and toys because the holiday season has ended. Families don't stop needing food on the table. And I took a look at my life after he said this, and counted how many times I've cleaned out the pantry and tossed away things that the soup kitchens could have used. How many articles of clothing have been gotten rid of with the tags still on them.

We need to show charity as much as we can, not just at this time of the year. So I'm urging all my readers, join with me. Make a pledge for the New Year to give something to those who have nothing.

Let there be light!!!

2008-12-20T19:42:00.004-05:00

This is a magic time for everyone.

Christmas is in the air, can you feel it? See it? Taste it?

Being that I am a very visceral person, I like tactile things, things that I can wrap my senses around and get the full effect. One of the best things about this time of year are the various light displays around the Tampa Bay area. I don't mean the commercial ones, I'm talking about what people put up at their own houses.

This time of year, I drive around after dark with some Christmas music playing on the radio and some hot chocolate in the thermos (I know it's too hot for that, but I still need the effect!) and just look at what our Tampa Bay neighbors have done. There's nothing like a little holiday sight-seeing to get everyone in the mood.

I have literally driven all over the area these past few seasons and witnessed all kinds of Christmas sparkle: the beautiful, the festive, the religious, and of course the ridiculous. But even the ridiculous is not so ridiculous, if that makes any sense. It seems the more overboard these displays are, the bigger the oohs and aahs.

One the best holiday set-ups I have ever seen is in south St. Petersburg in the area of 17th Avenue South and Youvil Court South. There's only maybe three houses there, but they all join in and put up a mega-display that rivals any commercial site anywhere. Over the top doesn't even cover it; there are just no words. Go and take the kids and see it for yourself. (and if you can, drop them a couple of dollars toward their respective electric bills; they have a collection box outside to help fund the effort.)

I'd love to hear about any other displays that have struck you. Sign in and blog here!

Christmas is too far away - I gave in!

2008-12-18T20:54:00.002-05:00

Every year this happens to me, and I hope that I'm not alone: I can't make it all the way to Christmas. Someone just has to open something NOW!

You see, each year someone gets a big gift from me; something that they've dreamed about having or something maybe they saw on TV or in a store and thought they'd never be able to have. I don't have kids, so I like to spoil at least one family member this way. It's not that I have a tremendous amount of cash, but when I have it, I like to spend it on people.

Like one year we sent my mother for a full day at Safety Harbor Spa - some place she'd never go on her own. One year it was Coach bag my sister was in love with but couldn't afford. And last year I got my hands on a painting by Luke Chueh that my husband wanted.

This year, I found out that my sister's two boys, 10 and 5, had no computer. The older one is starting to need one for school projects; the little one loves playing the Sponge Bob Squarepants game on Nickelodeon's website. And they only have access to a computer when they visit their grandparents. So I splurged: A full HP desktop, flat screen, printer, the whole she-bang (at a small LOCAL retailer, thank you very much).

I dropped the gifts off so they could have them Christmas Day, but I couldn't take the anticipation anymore - so they opened them right then! (It took very little convincing.) I was more excited, I think, than they were. At 36, I was jumping up and down when the wrapping paper came off!

But I couldn't stop there. I had my sister and brother-in-law open their stuff, too. Awful, I know. But this way, I think, Christmas lasts just a little bit longer, doesn't it? In these scary times we're having, with the economic downturn and all the federal bail-outs, I think it's important to make all the good times last as long as possible. Give out as many smiles as you can. Show some love.

After all, isn't that what it's all about?

A heart-lifting childrens' Christmas tale by local author

2008-12-15T20:50:00.002-05:00

What if your Christmas tree could talk?
What would say exactly? And what would it think of our Christmas traditions?
Local Tampa Bay author James Andrew Bowen explores these very questions in “A Tree’s Christmas: A talking tree’s story of its Christmas adventures.”
Yet however whimsical the subject may e, the story is anything but silly. A tale of family memories, of love and of faith, “A Tree’s Christmas” is told first from 13-year old Anne’s point of view. Through her eyes we see her family’s Christmas traditions, and learn of the special memory her and her father share every year when they lay their Christmas tree down in the garden to become part of the earth again.
It is a story not only children can relates to , but the adult audience as well; we all have those special ornaments that are handed down season to season that bring with it tales from Christmases past, and memories of departed loved ones.
Later chapters pick up this unusual story in the Christmas tree’s voice, with a running commentary given by Lucky, a 14-year old Irish setter and steadfast sidekick. The emotional adventures these two experience is sure to put a new perspective in reader’s hearts, both young and old. And the circle of life theme alone will tug at your tear ducts. I won’t give away the surprise ending. A great read!
Bowen is a local writer from Tampa, and this new Christmas classic can be purchased at www.atreeschristmas.com. It will be in local book stores soon, and I hear rumors of a local book tour and signing by the author. A Spanish-language version is also available. (Psst! A portion of all proceeds go to benefit the PACE Center for Girls in Hillsborough!) I’ll keep you guys posted on local dates.

localshops1.com members in the news!

2008-12-14T00:38:00.003-05:00

Two of our members have recently been in the news! (for doing GOOD things!)

Michele of North Tampa is the queen of spice! Her hot sauces -- Intensity Academy -- have been featured on the Today show, too. And we hear she recently won a bunch of awards! Everyone, please congratulate Michele. Or better yet, buy her sauces :)

Here is the link to the Times article: http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article932747.ece

And our very own Old Gold Lady, aka Jackie Simpson, also has much to brag about. She was recently featured in tbt* and then again in the Times.

Here are the links:
http://www.tampabay.com/features/consumer/article910872.ece

and

http://www.tampabay.com/features/life/article929827.ece

Need extra cash? She'll buy your old gold. Broken, even!

Tips for business owners: Thriving during the recession

2008-12-10T10:41:00.001-05:00

Business coaching seminar
Tom Shay, http://profitsplus.org/

Business owners gathered in Gulfport on Monday for an informative seminar by nationally acclaimed business coach Tom Shay.

Among this tips:

* If something hasn't worked for a year, drop it. Go over your advertising and marketing budget. If you're not getting return on it, maybe it's time to reconsider where your money is going.
* Don't forget about your customers. It's important to get new people in, of course, but retaining existing customers is just as important. Send them cards, let them know you're thinking of them. And remember, happy customers will refer friends to you.
* Times are tough, we know. But the average recession lasts 17 months. Now is not the time to slash your prices or lower quality. Remember, your image is very important. Don't sacrifice it just to get through the next few months.
* Read, read, read. A good business owner isn't someone who's good at his or her craft. A good business owner is someone who knows business. "The average business owner doesn't read business books," Shay says. "That's why he's average."

Independent Retailer by Carolyn Weise

2008-12-06T00:53:00.001-05:00

Independent Retailer by Carolyn Weise
http://www.microbelift.com/

What's all the hoopla about independent reatails?

I mean, what's the difference if we buy from a large box store a small Ma & Pa store in town? We're looking for bargains, right? We're looking for the best bang for the buck, you're darned right. When it comes to my pets, especially my koi, these days I am looking for real value and honest workmanship. I want to buy something that will stand up to weather, time and whatever else I can throw at it in the course of my hobby.

My purchases need to be more than inexpensive, they need to be durable. They need to be backed by knowledgeable vendors who just might care about me and my purchase. It's not enough to have the salesman smile at me when I pay for items. I want them to talk to me like I matter! I love it when they know my family. I'm not going to be "cheated" by friends who care.

If I return an item and tell them it didn't work for me, I want them to figure out why, not just give me the money back.

I want to know if its something I did wrong or if there is a better product to use. Sometimes, if rushed to make a purchase, or if there isn't a sales assistant at hand, as i most big box stores. I will buy the wrong thing. But having a sales person who knows my hobby and is familiar with his stock, I am in safe hands. He will recommend something that has worked for him, personally.

That's the difference - and the value - I am looking for in an Independent Retail Store!"

How do you officially kick off the holiday season?

2008-12-02T05:29:00.002-05:00

So what's the true start of the Holiday season for you and your family?

Some people tell me it's when they buy that first Christmas present. Or the Black Friday shopping craze the day after Thanksgiving. For my mother, who picks out a new ornament every year for the tree, it's finding that perfect one.

For us, it's when my husband puts up the outside lights and something goes drastically wrong. Like the year we didn't use enough clips to secure the icicles to the roof and they all sprang off at once, while we were in the driveway admiring our work. The year before, something wasn't grounded right and things got sparkly and bright in a way we didn't mean.

This year, we laid everything out perfectly, bought the correct anchoring, made sure there were no splits in the extension cord ... and hung everything up without testing the lights first. Two strands are out, and my husband says they're staying that way until the end of the season. Unless I want the season to end now.

Oh, and my wayward dog has christened the tree by whizzing on the stand. Does it every year.

So it's officially the holidays for us. Long may they rave.

Log in and share your own stories here! (Mostly so I know that I'm not alone.)

We're on the radio!!

2008-12-02T02:53:00.001-05:00

In case you missed it, localshops1.com was featured on WMNF, Tampa Bay's community radio station, on Monday night.

One correction, though: localshops1.com has almost 600 businesses listed. The report gives an incorrect number.

Here is the link to their story:

http://www.wmnf.org/news_stories/6453

To hear the complete story -- and preview localshops1.com's song! -- you need to download the audio portion. Segment of localshops1 is about 45 minutes into the program ... The above link also includes this shorter, text version of the report:

Though rain may have cancelled most of the performances that were scheduled for a children’s talent show in Gulfport on Sunday, it did not dampen the spirits of Localshops1.com, the organizers for the event. The Gulfport-based website is devoted to the promotion of independent, local businesses in the Tampa Bay area.

David Knoll a local Gulfport singer, serenaded the crowd with an original song about localshops1.com. The audience consisted mostly of parents and the owners of the neighboring shops that line Beach Boulevard and who came to support the website. Pat Largo, the marketing manager for the website, said Localshops1.com was launched on Aug. 1. He said the website was created as a resource and alternative method to shop and keep money in our local markets that thrive in Pinellas and the surrounding counties.

The founder of Localshops1.com, Ester Venouziou said the website helps bring the community together, and the talent show was just an example of their outreach efforts. Shopping locally helps support your neighbors, Venouziou said, instead of helping to support huge corporations.

The proceeds from the raffle that was held at the talent show were being donated to the Woman Warrior. Inc., a non- profit organization that brings spoken word poetry and other artistic outlets to at-risk teens.

Adrienne Nadeau, president and founder of the Warrior Woman, said she has always loved poetry and felt that it was an important form of expression to bring to young adults. She said she looks forward to the future plans of the organization.

Bianca Cypser is the owner of Complexions Skin Care in Gulfport; she has worked with the founder of Local shops1.com since the beginning. She said since working with the website and participating in their events, it has given her life a new meaning.

-- Ester
localshops1.com

November contest finalists!

2008-12-01T12:33:00.002-05:00

In November we asked, what are you most grateful for?

Want to see who won the great prizes from Backyard Getaway in Bradenton and If and Only If in St. Pete? You'll have to wait a few days. Winner will be posted this week, on localshops1.com.

Meanwhile, here are five of our favorite responses:

"I am most thankful for The Word Of God. Whatever problems you face in
life, I know what book can show the answer. Isn't this Reason for the
Season??"
-- Jackie L. Simpson, aka the Old Gold Lady

What or Who Am I Most Grateful For

*Her name is Mimi. She is small, still young and came into my life three
years ago and is the one who I am most grateful for.

It all began one cold, windy November afternoon in a sedate
Clearwater neighborhood. My dear church friend, Edward had called
me and said that I should meet and get to know Mimi. He said
he was interested in finding a new, loving home for her.

When I arrived at Edward's spacious home, I was enthralled by the
many miniature Dachshunds running happily throughout his
living room. I learned that Edward breeds Dachshunds
and when they have reached an adult stage he tries to find good
homes for them.

A happy group of young and adult Doxies yelped, jumped, begged
for attention and,wouldn't your know, managed to set a nice run in
my new pantyhose.

"Well ,which one is Mimi?", I asked Edward. He pointed to a corner
of the living room where, curled up on a large soft pillow was the
sweetest, little Dachshund I had ever seen.

Her soft, long haired coat was reddish-black. Her graceful snout
and dark eyes added to her overall beauty.

I called to her and she slowly, shyly came to me. Edward said it would
be okay for me to pick her up which I did. Once in my lap, Mimi
immediately lay down, gently resting her head on my breast and looking up
at me with her large,sad eyes.

I fell in love at that moment!

Mimi is now my constant companion. We take drives together to a park,
to the grocery store and a drive which she does not always enjoy, to
the vet. Otherwise, she loves to ride in the car.

She sleeps with me at night and even begins to yawn, perk up her ears
sit up straight to alert me that it is time for us to retire. This happens
every evening at 10 o'clock. Mimi must have a built in timer.

Yes, I am so very grateful that Mimi has come into my life. She has
brought joy and love to me.
-- Joanie Simpson

*I am grateful for the ability to BE grateful.

*I have experienced death, loss of love, heartbreak, parenthood, business
success & failure, drastic life changes,
trauma, and many other /seeming/ reasons NOT to be grateful. However, in
the face of all of these outside circumstances
I have learned to go within and find gratitude FOR those experiences and the
lessons I walked away with in the end.
And, with these new eyes my life has become a journey into a daily gratitude
list. So, the act of giving thanks is done
with a smile and a loving heart, which, I extend to my fellow human being
wherever and whenever I can.
I have learned to view the world differently than I once did, and in that
the gift of being truly grateful was born.
Living my life in a state of appreciation is gratitude in action for me.

Jennifer Steele, Spinderellas boutique

I am thankful that my 76 year old father has found some happiness
in working part-time after a rough 2007. In February we lost my Mom (they
had been married for 52 years), a month later I had to have their beloved
dog, Elle, put to sleep and two weeks after that his good friend, Bill, died
in an home accident. Just when he thought he was able to start working
again - we found out he needed quadruple bypass surgery in November. He
came through with flying colors and started working in April - four hours a
day, four days a week. I am grateful he has found some purpose.
-- Linda Flack

*First let me say, we are not always born into the family we want to be in.
As we grow older we can pick who is apart of our family. The one person that
I am most grateful for is a woman who didn't know if she wanted children. I
was dropped into her lap at the age of 5 and I didn't know her anymore then
I knew the other people in my life. She stepped up and took on that role
into the unknown. Uncertain of everything she would do or say. I wasn't born
to her and I was already my own person. She was concerned of the trauma I
had already faced at such a young age. She showed me love, understanding, a
caring touch and always an ear to hear what I had to say. If it had not been
for this wonderful 5 foot 1 very petite but voiceful women who I learned to
call MOM, I would have never known love. She was taken from me way to early
and there was still to much for her to be apart of. I am so grateful that my
mom took a chance on a little damaged 5 year old girl and wrapped me in her
unconditional love. *
-- Tamara Hart

Promoting your business

2008-12-01T03:04:00.001-05:00

Tom Shay, a nationally acclaimed writer and business coach, offers marketing tips on his Web site, profitsplus.org ... it's free to browse.

Here's a marketing tip, especially for December:

'Tag team' coupons

December is the month when we see the most cars in the parking lot and you should take advantage of the opportunity to get your message to as many people as possible.

When we first did this in our business, we partnered with another business that was located on one of the out parcels of the shopping center where we were both located; for the most part each business had its' own unique customer base so by working together we could introduce our customers to each other's business.

We created 7 coupons - one for each day of the week, and we used the same 7 coupons for several weeks before making any changes. Each of the coupons were printed on a different color of paper so that a customer shopping on multiple days would easily see they were getting different coupons. One side of the coupon featured one business, and the other side was for the second business.

Each business agreed to hand out coupons to their customers as well as put coupons on the windows of cars parked in the immediate area of each store. This promotion is easy to create and implement, and costs very little.

---

Localshops1.com encourages businesses to work together. It really does benefit everyone.

Please check out our Web site for hundreds of listings. If your store isn't there, you can add it. It's free.

-- Ester Venouziou
localshops1.com

Survey time!

2008-11-28T10:16:00.001-05:00

Just a few questions (about shopping, of course!) and you can win $25:

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2ers9k9fo2dxqld/start

Let's all show some local love to our shops!

2008-11-27T03:41:00.002-05:00

Every year I cringe when I watch the news stories about people that actually SLEEP outside the big ticket stores to get their hands on whatever thing is "it" that year for gift giving. Has the holiday season really become that commercialized?

Maybe I just see another side. I have responded to injuries and assaults in stores when shoppers flip out after Best Buy runs out of iMacs on sale or Target didn't stock enough Bratz castles. And I won't even get into when Walmart doesn't have things at the price they advertised them at. Last season, in the wee hours of Black Friday, I drove through Tyrone on my way back to the station and watched the cops wrestling someone to the ground outside Macy's.

I mean, really. What have we become?

This year, I say we boycott the whole deal. How about spreading the wealth to our local businesses? And get some original gifts for everyone on our list, things that they'll never expect and that no one else will have! One of a kind boutique things, or a gift certificate to that little mom-n-pop place on the corner that you know has the best lasagna. A day of spa gifts from a place that's not on the map, or an awesome coffee gift set from that cafe you love to sit in on a Sunday morning. A handcrafted journal from the local stationary store.

If we all pitched in, this could be the year that we shift the tides. And make it a happy holiday for more than just the department stores.

A bit of Chicago in the heart of Bradenton

2008-11-24T19:43:00.007-05:00

Just like my endless mission to find the best hotwings on earth, my other half is always on the lookout for real Chicago-style food. I've been dragged in and out of various hotdogs and pizza joints taste-testing beef sandwiches and such (well, o.k., not dragged per se; I love food).

I think we've found what he has been looking for: Joey D's of Bradenton. This little family owned and operated eatery is tucked in on 14th St West, and admittedly doesn't look like much from the outside. Inside, though, is an impressive shrine to Da Bears. They boast to be the only local place you can actually watch the Chicago football games, and have huge screen TVs on every wall.

But what got me was the smell: that warm, cheesy, baked, meaty, garlic-y goodness that wraps around you when you walk in the door. Pure olfactory heaven.

"I want some of whatever that is that I smell," I told the waitress when it was time to order. It turned about to be their special deep-dish Rush Street Stuffed Pizza, filled with onion, green peppers, mushrooms and sausage. And while it takes 30 to 40 minutes to cook, it was well worth the wait. A medium 14" pie was more than enough for the two of us with leftovers for the next day. A large, I'm told by other patrons, will kill you.

They also have a full menu of other Chicago-style goodies, like Vienna beef hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. My picky husband, who grew up in Chicago, swears that Joey D's is the real deal.

Joey D's is right on the corner of US 41 and Cortez Road, open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays until 11 p.m. Dine-in, take-out or delivery. (941) 753-8900. Give them a try if you're in the neighborhood. Amazingly wonderful good eats!

Or as one customer put it, their pizza is "Un-frickin'-believable!"

We agree.

My traditional Thanksgiving includes lights and siren

2008-11-20T02:12:00.005-05:00

Like the rest of the civil service world, us paramedics tend not to get to celebrate holidays as traditionally as we would like.

And if you work nights like I do, Thanksgiving dinner is more often than not a hotdog from 7-Eleven at about 2 a.m. I'm not complaining; it's the nature of the business. I haven't had a Thanksgiving Day off in ten years or better. I've delivered a baby, taken care of umpteen choking victims, gone to fatal wrecks and shootings, and everything in between (except sit down and eat turkey). My mother in law makes me a plate every year, and every year it gets eaten the day after.

But to me, the unusual has become the usual during the holidays.
I'd like to share this bit with you: One year, I was at a bad accident scene in St. Pete that happened in a residential neighborhood at dinnertime. The car was twisted around a tree so badly that it took the fire fighters more than 30 minutes to get the patient extricated out. I was waiting with my equipment, and was aware that families had come out of houses to watch. An older lady asked me how we could do this job on Thanksgiving. My answer is the same it always has been: "How could we not?"

Later at the hospital, my patient safely delivered, I got in the cab of the truck to write my report and almost sat on a plate of food! Turkey and gravy and potatoes and collard greens and stuffing and corn bread! No 7-Eleven hotdogs that night, as my partner and I got to have a feast thanks to that lady, who snuck that food into the ambulance while we busy taking care of the patient. Just one of the little miracles along the way...

So I invite all of you to tell your unusual Thanksgiving stories, as I'm sure there are some out there that need to be told. Log on and share your tale! We all need some little miracles and laughter.

Pick 'em fresh!

2008-11-18T01:51:00.002-05:00

With the weather being pleasant and cool during the day, it’s a prime opportunity to take advantage of nature’s fresh bounty. Many fruits and vegetables are in season right now at the local farmer’s markets, bursting with fall’s explosion of colors and flavors. A feast for the eye.

Because I’m a New Englandah, autumn to me means picking it myself; I miss the days when we went out as kids to select pumpkins and gourds, and picked apples from the trees. When times were simpler and slower; and the only rush was the sun going down.

Locally, there are still places you can pick the produce on your own, and load up a basket or two of the freshest stuff around. Dover, Ruskin and Plant City all have u-pick ‘em farms, and there are a few more off of I-4 going towards Orlando.

Closer to home is Hunsader Farms in Bradenton, 5500 C.R. 675, which is about half-way between State Road 64 and State Road 70, about ten miles east of I-75. They’re known for their cantaloupes but have a bevy of other fresh fruits and vegetables. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, they have a U-Pick Hotline at (941) 331-1212 listing the produce and their harvest dates. How convenient is that!

Ready right now are cantaloupes, various citrus fruits, cucumbers, gourds, hard squash, beans, okra, black-eyed peas, zipper peas, peppers, pumpkins, sweet corn, tomatoes and watermelons. After December 1, broccoli, cauliflower and Florida sweet onions join the list.

It’s worth throwing a cooler or two in the back of the car and taking the family on a little daytime getaway. Beats a trip to the grocery store any day.

Promoting yourself

2008-11-18T00:00:00.002-05:00

Tom Shay, nationally acclaimed writer, speaker and business coach, has tons of ideas to help you promote your business. His Web site is http://www.profitsplus.org/

Here are a couple marketing tips:

Public speaking: Many community organizations need speakers for their meetings. If you sell clothes, you can talk about fabric care and the colors and fashions for the coming season. If you sell auto parts, you can talk about how they can take care of their vehicle to maximize mileage. When you complete your presentation, you can give away samples, have a 'door prize' and leave your business card with attendees.

Advertise your employees: What is one of your biggest competitive advantages? It is likely that you would say it is your employees. So, why not make a point to remind your customers? In your print advertising you could include a picture of an individual with each ad. The copy in the advertisement could have an employee telling why they like a particular product. Your television advertisements could utilize employees as models or the voice of the commercial. Your employees could be the voice of your radio commercials. In the store you can put photos of the employees so that your customers can get to know them on a first name basis.

It's official!

2008-11-16T23:48:00.001-05:00

In the Times' business page Monday!!!

Ester Venouziou announces the launch of Local Shopper LLC, P.O. Box 530144, St. Petersburg, at www.localshops1.com. Local Shopper promotes locally owned, independent shops, and previews about 500 stores and restaurants in Manatee, Sarasota, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article905725.ece

Gift ideas that'll rub you the right way

2008-11-16T00:14:00.003-05:00

I'm sure, like me, you guys get some strange gifts each holiday season. Like frou-frou bath stuff in some weird scent that gets thrown in a drawer, or a crazy sweater no one has an use for. I admit, it gets tougher and tougher to shop for people as the years go by. Sometimes, I give up and get people gift cards.

If we're going to go that route this year, let's at least make it something you know that they will use and love: massage and spa gifts. An affordable way to support local business, and much more appreciated than a plastic card from Target.

The best gift I ever got under the tree was an hour-long massage at a small local spa in Ellenton, North River Body Therapies, given to me by my hubby. Yes, jewelry is pretty and perfume smells great, but an hour under the expert hands of Nicole Dietrich took the cake.

It's one of those little places that you miss if you're not looking for it; it is hiding in the Plantation Bay Ellenton Plaza, tucked away far from the madding crowd. The signs on the parking spaces read "Relax - you're here now!"

Soothing doesn't even begin to cover the atmosphere inside.

I looked around. These little local spas in our Tampa Bay area are advertising great specials right now for the holidays. Hot stone relaxation massages, facials, sugar scrubs, body wraps and more. What better way to say you love and appreciate someone than to give them an hour of bliss for Christmas?

My spa near me, North River Body Therapies, has an interactive website at www. NorthRiverMassage.com and offers evening and Saturday appointments. I think most of them are extending their hours for gift-giving and getting.

They really do have what I'm "craven"

2008-11-13T05:45:00.005-05:00

The advent of cellphone use has done nothing to improve my husband's communication. He hates the phone. He hates being on the phone. He carries one only for emergencies - and, I'm certain, to watch it flash and ring and ignore it when I'm calling.

So if he's off to the store with a list, and heaven forbid I need to add something, most of the time the call goes unanswered. And we go without peanut butter or something crucial like that.

He backed out of the driveway just the other night on a mission to secure us some pizza. Raven's Pizza to be exact. There's a little buzz in the backroads of Manatee about how good their food is. So when I got an ad in the mail from Chef Marko telling me not to cook that night, I took him up on it. Then I saw them on the menu, just as my husband was leaving:

"WINGS!" I shouted in my driveway, waving my arms. "Get the hot wings, too!"

He would have never answered the phone had he hit pavement. Good thing, because those wings were GREAT. Definitely not the typical wings you get as an afterthought from some pizza places. Saucy, and big, not a bit dry. Even the mild ones had some bite! They get a place on the list!

Of course, I welcome you to judge for yourselves. Raven's is open daily at 8255 U.S. Highway 301 N in Parrish. (941) 776-9116 take-out or delivery. Or logon to www.GetRavenPizza.com to order that way, too.

Second-hand stores a better stop for knick-knacks

2008-11-08T20:43:00.002-05:00

It's not everyday that I get to educate my very-savvy mother.

She has all the tricks when it comes to deals, and seems to be forever pulling some little unknown mom-n-pop place out of her purse for the cutest shoes or dress. She's the kind of gal that always has a one of the kind accessory or wrap or conversation piece on the table.

So when she dragged me recently into Pottery Barn to look at some knick-knacks for the house, I was a little fahklempt. Not that I have anything against Pottery Barn, mind you; it's just that I bust my butt for every cent I earn and like to hang on to as much of it as possible. I'm a little thrifty.

The things she picked up, like an antique-y looking wooden photo frame and watering can, were cute, yes, but when I glanced at the price tag .... whew!

"Ma! You can so get this stuff at a little second-hand place, and do it yourself!" I whined. My mother, besides being savvy, is very skilled with the whole crafts thing. (I haven't gotten farther than making the clay ashtray in grade school.)

There are little second-hand places all over the Tampa Bay area, too numerous to count in fact. And the treasures there are great! I can't believe some of the things that get left at these little shops, just waiting to be discovered and reborn with a little TLC.

We easily found a similar wooden frame and watering can between a couple of stops at some thrift stores. My mother picked up the few necessary supplies needed to finish them at a crafts store, and over she saved about $75. Yeah, $75. That's a nice chunk of change right now.

And, we supported two local businesses! Yay, us!

Did you all see this?

2008-11-07T01:23:00.001-05:00

We were in the St. Petersburg Times!!!

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article884571.ece

Here is a preview!

Web site for independent businesses is off the chain

By Austin Bogues, Times Staff Writer
In print: Sunday, November 2, 2008

Ester Venouziou enjoys shopping at independent stores with good customer service.

The 38-year-old page designer at the St. Petersburg Times avoids the big-box stores.

In fact, her devotion to shopping small was so great that she started a group on the social networking site Facebook.com.

The group, "Breaking the Chains," was an instant hit with friends and co-workers.

In August, Venouziou took it a step further. She launched an online business that promotes locally owned, independent stores, restaurants and service providers.

The Web site, www.localshops1.com, allows independent businesses in the Tampa Bay area to market themselves online.

Follow link for the full story:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article884571.ece

How many lives did you save today?

2008-11-03T18:41:00.003-05:00

If you don’t have a fire extinguisher in your home, the answer may be none. And the better question is “Why?”

The reason shouldn't be because you or family don't know how to use one. I know they look intimidating. But a local fire equipment distributor (there are quite a few in the Tampa Bay area) will come out and not only install extinguishers in your home, they'll give a how-to lesson for the whole family. Good way to protect yourself, your loved ones and support local business while you're at it.

Fires, no matter what their cause, grow and spread rapidly. They feed on oxygen, and will use almost anything in your home as a fuel source. Small fires become big fires, and then become tragedies.

A portable fire extinguisher can save lives and your home by putting out a small fire or containing it until the fire department arrives. Multi-purpose fire extinguishers that can be used on all types of home fires are large enough to put out a small blaze and compact enough for anyone to handle easily.

And most can be purchased for under $20. Less than the price of a pizza.

And far less than the cost of a tragedy. Local fire equipment distributors offer hands-on fire extinguisher training in addition to professionally installing this life-saving device. So everyone in your home has access, and knows how and where to use it.

Of course, having a fire extinguisher in your home is only part of your survival planning. An escape route laid out ahead of time with your family, along with smoke detectors on every level in your home, can mean the difference. Know when to go.

Featured Business: If and Only If

2008-11-02T15:33:00.003-05:00

Our awesome intern, Lauren Fuino, recently caught up with Teresa Letize, owner of If and Only If in St. Pete. They talked about Black Friday, happy customers, and, of course, fashion!

You can read more about Terese and her wonderful shop on our Web site, www.localshops1.com, under Featured Businesses.

You can click here for the direct link.

And make sure to check out the Contests link to find out how you can win this beautiful purple necklace and some other prizes!

Halloween contest!

2008-11-02T01:46:00.004-04:00

Local Shopper had lots of great entries in our October contest at our Web site, localshops1.com. Here are some of our favorites! Can you guess which one we picked?
Answer, of course, is on localshops1.com!

-- Ester Venouziou

------------------------

Two entries by Tamara Hart

First, we dressed our two year old son up like a killer tomato. He was so fat with all the newspaper we stuffed in him that we had to put him in a wagon to go door to door. We went to visit our nieces and trick or treat with them. Our youngest niece as we started walking around to collect chocolate, started screaming and ducking. We asked her why she was doing that and as she started running home she yelled, "BATS!! BATS!! BATS!!". We didn't she her the rest of the night. Oh, yes there were bats. The rest of us thought it was pretty cool seeing it was Halloween, plus they eat the bugs that fly around and bite us.

The second Halloween was when one of our other nieces, who is was a teenager, decided to put make-up on my husband. He was going to wear the blow up ballerina costume. She made a real production of it. He looked pretty good too. Even with the mustache. When we went out with the kids to get treats someone yelled at my husband, "Show us what's was under the skirt!!" Well, the costume was connected from neck to ankle, but he could jump up and down and the skirt would fly up and down with him. He twirled around and acted like he was dancing then lifted the little skirt in the back as to moon them. Everyone laughed so hard just from him dancing and then a man fell out of his chair when he lifted the back of skirt to moon them.

----------------

By Lena Hunt:

When I was in fifth grade, my teacher appointed me the task of being a vampire for our school's spook house. Thoughts of strobe lights and being chased by people in black with "chainsaws" crossed my young mind as I pictured the spook houses I had experienced. I begged the teacher to let me be a greeter. She refused.

Grand opening night of our haunted abode, I laid shivering with fear in my own cardboard coffin. Even my fake vampire teeth were chattering! Suddenly, our first paying visitors came through and boy, did I ever scare the living daylights out of them when THEY SCARED ME by simply walking past my spray-painted coffin. I jumped up and dashed out of the mock coffin, nearly leaving my black cloak behind. Strobe lights, figures in black, and screaming chainless chainsaws followed me all the way out of my own haunted haven.

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By Lena's daughter, Lauren Mabra

When I was only seven I dressed up as a rock star; I thought it was the coolest idea. So I threw on my pink wig (compliments of the Dollar Store) and some purple leather pants, then we were off on our Halloween adventure.

Our neighborhood was the ultimate trick-or-treating place. People would give out the whole six-candy-bar pack and not just individual candy bars! My friends and I would be having a heart attack over how much candy we've gotten from just the second house and our parents would be having a heart attack over how cold it was!

By the time we got home, my wig was a huge, pink fuzz ball (so much for Dollar Store quality), but I didn't care about that… I wanted the candy! All of us kids had a secret annual trade-your-bad-candy-for-someone else's, so we dumped all of our sweets out and began.

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By Backyard Getaway, host of our Nov. 15 garden party!

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. My favorite halloween memory was when we took our 2 year old grandson trick or treating for the first time. He was a bit shy at first but once he realized that he was getting candy from every person he met he couldn't wait to get to the next house! But, I have to say my most memorable halloween was a few years earlier. When our kids were young we would have costume parties. My husband would create a haunted house. We had added a room to our home. The roof wasn't on yet just cement block walls. It made the perfect haunted house. One of my sons friends was a bit of a prankster & he decided he would scare the guys working the haunted house. I got the bright idea to scare him. As he entered the room he was suprised by one of the guys & he started swinging & backing up. I was right behind him & ended up with a broken nose & toe!

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By Andrea Johnson

Magical and memorable: Halloween 2003 will always be very close to my heart. Bo and I eloped and were married in Gatlinburg, TN on November 1, 2003. We arrived in town the day before, on Halloween. After checking into a cozy room, and racing to get our marriage license before the courthouse closed - we ate a great dinner, we strolled around Gatlinburg, enjoying the town and the amazingly cool weather. People in bizarre and outlandish costumes roamed the streets. For everyone else, it was just Halloween. For me, that night, everything was right in the world because I was holding Bo’s hand. I lost Bo just 10 months later in a car accident. We would be celebrating our fifth anniversary this year. Instead, I hold the memories from that Halloween weekend very close to me and try to smile when I think of how very blessed I was.

This place should get their own trophy!

2008-10-29T20:43:00.004-04:00

Sometimes I find wings when I'm looking for something completely different...

Since the Publix ate my Albertsons, I have found myself sans a dry cleaner. And since my husband and I both live in uniforms, well, you get the picture.

So we took a drive around Palmetto and Parrish, looking for a new dry cleaners. Our adventures always take us someplace interesting; years ago when we first moved to Manatee County, we got VERY lost looking for the mall but found a good place for margaritas instead.

My husband found a little family dry cleaners off US 301 near Taco Bell. Of course, they were closed because we night folks do everything after dark. But the place next door, Trophy's Sports Pub and Wings, was serving up a storm.

"Wings!" I yelled. (And my husband was more than ready for a beer.)

Deceiving from the outside, this place had two pool tables, room for a band and lots of seating. They also had booths for families to sit down and eat - a practical thing since Trophy's boasts a full menu. I almost stole a bite of my husband's cheeseburger because it smelled soooo good with all the big slices of fresh onion and real cheddar melting down ... but alas, my recent quest for the area's Best Hotwings has already forced me to spend more time at the gym. I didn't want to push it.

Their wings are more than a meal, anyway! I love a good wingsauce that has flavor, not just heat! (and I didn't ask, but I swear their bleu cheese dressing is home-made.) And so crispy, without being dry. So they earn themselves a place on my Best Hotwing's list.

The ambiance is good, too. Kind of like walking into someone's personal sports memorabilia collection that got too big for its britches. Lots to look at here.

Trophy's Sports Pub and Wings, 1035 Hasko Road in Palmetto. Full bar, full menu, nonsmoking, live music on Fridays and Saturdays, karaoke on Thursdays and GREAT hotwings. (941) 981-3803.

Last Minute Costume Ideas

2008-10-27T09:41:00.002-04:00

Well, it is the week of Halloween and I know there are some of us that just haven't gotten a Halloween costume ready yet. Every year I say I am going to plan ahead of time and somehow it just never happens. So I have brainstormed with friends for some really easy, somewhat innovative, last minute ideas. Oh, and they are relatively inexpensive also.
One year my mother-in-law dressed up as a cereal (not serial) killer. She wore a black dress and glued a bunch of little individual cereal boxes to her dress and all of the boxes had plastic knives through them. She even put some fake blood on the boxes. It was very cute.
If you have any long pj's you can always put them on with some slippers, put your hair in pig tails and carry a stuffed animal and go as a todder/baby. (thats what im doing this year)
A play on words is always an easy way to go too. A friend of mine came to work one year as "smarty pants" by safety pinning a bunch of smarty candies to her jeans. That went over wonderfully. I have also seen a "sour puss" (cat costume with a lemon) and "black-eyed peas" (a bunch of letter p's and a black eye on the person). Just to name a couple.
And last but not least...fun with boxes. You can be a lego, a dresser, a clock tower, a box of shoes. So many things!

Well, I hope this helps out any of you last minutes types, like me!

Your Local Shopper

Jenn
localshops1

A lost art rediscovered

2008-10-26T20:44:00.002-04:00

We live in such a point-and-click, click-and-print, click-and-ship world.

I'm not complaining; it makes life a lot easier sometimes. But it is nice when you find someone who takes the time to design and custom make things, who makes sure that the job is perfect and takes lots of pride in their finished work.

It's even better when they're local.

I had a great find in Palmetto while looking for someone to frame some art work my husband just bought. He was a little stressed out about anyone handling the paintings, so it was such a relief to find Robin.

Framing By Robin, Inc., at 731 7th Street West, has been quietly designing custom framing right under my nose for the past 25 years. Robin considers herself a true artist, and when we got the paintings back, it was easy to see why!

She was able to find and match some very unusual framing to these paintings to make them great conversation pieces. And, she was patient with us!

Robin does not have a website; her phone # is (941) 723-1487.

Gulfport clothing swap pictures!

2008-10-25T18:53:00.004-04:00

You might have read about it on our Web site -- localshops1.com -- our clothing swap was a huge success. The response was overwhelming. Close to 100 people must have shown up, some to trade clothes, some to give clothes, some to share their stories. We met a couple from Tampa, one from Tierra Verde, several women from St. Pete Beach, and tons of our neighbors here in Gulfport.

The event raised almost $60 -- and enough clothes to pack three cars -- for CASA, shelter and advocacy group for victims of domestic violence. We heard from CASA volunteers, past and present; as well as women who say CASA saved them. We heard from teenagers who were bored of their clothes, but too broke to buy new stuff; we heard from moms who wanted to surprise their kids with new outfits. Friends were picking out clothes for each other, and strangers were becoming friends. It truly was a wonderful day, and we are grateful to live in a place with so many generous people.

Many asked if we would do this again. We hadn't been planning to, but after seeing how happy people were, we decided that yes, of course! Next one probably will be in early February -- time to start clearing out winter clothes and getting outfits for the spring. Of course, we'll keep you posted on localshops1.com.

A huge, huge thanks to Bianca Cypser, owner of Complexions skin care, for co-hosting this event. And thanks to the other shops in the courtyard -- Sunny Bay Trading, Yummy's hot dogs, Java Nirvana coffee shop and the Industrial Arts Center -- for letting us share the space, use their tables, and turn the courtyard into a clothing shop for the afternoon. You are all absolutely the best.