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Business headlines
By SHARON L. BOND and PIPER JONES CASTILLO Echelon on sale for chamberST. PETERSBURG -- Echelon Real Estate Services has taken over selling the old Florida Power building at 125 Fifth St. S for the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. The sales price is $1.27-million. The chamber thought it had a deal earlier this year to sell the building to a developer who hoped to put a bank in it. That deal fell through, according to Stephanni L. Morton of Echelon. Florida Power moved out of the building in May 2001. Late last year the chamber bought it to get more space than it had in its location near BayWalk. After it purchased the Florida Power building, however, more space became available, and the chamber decided to stay where it is, 100 Second Ave. N. Laundry to replace ChristosST. PETERSBURG -- The old Christos restaurant on Central Avenue at 35th Street N is being remodeled into a laundry called the Garden's. It will open in December. Washers and dryers will run on payment cards rather than quarters. It will be the second laundry in St. Petersburg for Scott Broughton. The first opened in September at Tyrone Gardens shopping center on 58th Street N. Broughton said he was leasing space there. He bought the Christos space. The washers and dryers in both laundries are programmed to take payment cards, bought from a machine in the laundry for $1. A customer then puts the card back in the machine, feeds money into it and, the amount is recorded on the card. For example, a customer can put $8 on the card and then use a washer that costs $1.75. The customer pushes the card into the washer slot, which that used to take coins, and $1.75 is subtracted from the $8. Broughton says the cards are easier because customers don't have to worry about lugging coins around. The system also makes it easier for him to lower or raise prices by as little as a penny. Regular customers keep their cards, so they don't have to spend the $1 each time they do the laundry. They just have to add more money to the card. Allura Jewelers opens FridayST. PETERSBURG -- Allura Jewelers is opening Friday at 6835 Fourth St. N. Owner Gabe Tanko will offer jewelry for sale as well as goldsmithing services. He will do custom gold work and repair jewelry. Travel agency now operatingSEMINOLE -- Linda and Bill Slator have opened Cruise Holidays inside Portobello Square, 13031 Park Blvd. The travel agency specializes in cruise vacation and packages. The Slators have worked in the travel industry in Pinellas County for more than 30 years, most recently operating Carlson Wagonlit Travel/All Global Travel in St. Petersburg. Their new business, with four employees, is also associated with Carlson Wagonlit of Minnesota. Pump, irrigation business openST. PETERSBURG -- Williams Pump Co. has opened at 7830 38th Ave. N, Unit 15, St. Petersburg. Kellis and Denise Williams started the pump and irrigation business out of their home in Seminole in 1984. Program on trade with RussiaST. PETERSBURG -- The city of St. Petersburg will present "International Trade with Russia, a World of New Opportunities," at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 6 at Bayfront Center, Sunshine Pavilion Room. Speakers include Viktor Yurievich Krotov, executive vice governor of St. Petersburg, Russia; Sergey Volodin and Sergey Bogaditsa, both of the Russion Trade Representation, Washington; Philip De Leon, international trade specialist, the U.S. Department of Commerce/Business Information Service for the Newly Independent State, Washington, D.C. The cost is $25. For information, call Julie Apted, 821-4069.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
