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Business Headlines
By SHARON L. BOND, Neighborhood Times Business Editor Athenian Garden adds third spotST. PETERSBURG -- Athenian Garden will open its third restaurant in the city July 15 at Coconut Grove Shopping Center, said Spiro Gogas, whose family owns the Greek-American restaurant. "We are making it all nonsmoking. We've done that at Tyrone since 1995," Gogas said. He said he had seen too many friends and workers adversely affected by smoke to provide a smoking zone in the new restaurant. The first Athenian Garden, which opened in 1977, is at 6940 22nd Ave. N in the Tyrone area. The family also has a delivery/carry-out store at Gandy Boulevard and Fourth Street N. The new restaurant, which will have a bar with a full liquor license, will be at Fourth Street N and 30th Avenue on the northwest side of the shopping center. Gogas said many of the customers who dine at the Tyrone restaurant are from the northeastern section of St. Petersburg and have asked him repeatedly to open an Athenian Garden closer to downtown. The new one will be in a space in Coconut Grove that has seen numerous restaurants open and close over the shopping center's 15-year history. "We've got a challenge on our hands," Gogas said. He would not say exactly how much the family is spending to refurbish the space, only that it was more than $150,000. "It's a lot of money for a place that has a scary past," he said. Local chambers unite for expoPINELLAS PARK -- Four chambers of commerce in South Pinellas are among the 11 joining forces for this year's business showcase scheduled for July 11 at the Pinellas Expo Center. The event involves 10 Pinellas chambers and the Tampa Chamber of Commerce. Those from South Pinellas are St. Petersburg, Gulfport, Seminole and Tampa Bay Beaches. Planners say more than 275 exhibitors and 1,800 business will be showing off their latest wares. "This multichamber business showcase will be a phenomenal event, a great opportunity for presenting your business or service to Pinellas County," said Jimmy Johnson, executive director of the Greater Seminole Area Chamber of Commerce. The event gives members of smaller chambers a chance to become known by those in larger chambers, which can produce new business leads and contacts, said Doug Kemp, vice president of special events for the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce. Sponsors of the event include Continental Airlines, Budweiser, Star Graphics Group, infoUSA, Coca Cola and Worknet. For more information, call the St. Petersburg chamber at 821-4069. Tijuana Flats will join StarbucksST. PETERSBURG -- Tijuana Flats Burrito Co., a Tex-Mex restaurant started in 1994 in Orlando, will join Starbucks in a building being constructed at 900 Fourth St. N. On its Web site, the restaurant advertises itself as a place for casual dining, and says everything is made to order. Neither a microwave nor a freezer will be on the premises, it says. It has a Hot Bar, where patrons can sample hot sauces. Tijuana Flats began selling franchises this year and now has nine restaurants in Florida. Construction is just beginning on the 3,000-square-foot building at 900 Fourth St. N, which is owned by Felix D. Fudge. He said Starbucks will take about half of the space. With the addition of Tijuana Flats, there is room for one more tenant in the building.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks Letters |
