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Dated mall in Seminole getting new look, Perkins
By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN SEMINOLE -- A father and son are spending more than $1-million to rejuvenate a dreary shopping center at the northeast corner of Park Boulevard and Starkey Road. Like similar old centers in the bay area, Starlight Park needed a makeover. The original structure was built in 1960 and an extension was added in 1977. By the end of this month, Starlight will sport a modern face that will blend with the cream and blue color scheme of the Eckerd drugstore in the corner of the lot. "It needed a lot of improvements," said Carl Streck, who bought the 4.5-acre property with his father, Fred Streck, in October for $2.85-million. Tenant Mary Box is glad her new landlords are giving the strip a face lift. "In the business we're in, looks are very important," said Mrs. Box, co-owner of Rod Runners, an interior design business for windows. "We're really happy campers." This week, workers are installing brick pavers on the existing sidewalks, replacing the metal siding with stucco and painting it cream, and planting palm trees and shrubs in 15 small islands in the parking lot, which will be repaved. "I actually cleaned all those beds myself,"' said the younger Streck, who at 22 is a recent political science graduate of Auburn University. Workers also are finishing the shopping center's crown jewel: a Perkins Restaurant & Bakery. Once an auto parts store, the corner unit has been transformed with decorative details such as brick walls and Victorian-era lighting. The 160-seat restaurant is scheduled to open Monday. Workers gutted the store, installing new plumbing and wiring, new ceilings, and tile and carpeting. Opening the restaurant was the impetus for improving the shopping center. After the Strecks opened a Perkins in Palm Harbor last year, they began looking for a second location. They not only found an ideal spot at Starlight Park, Carl Streck said, but ended up buying the whole shopping center. Fred and Carl Streck own Priority Developers Inc., a Tampa company that is building a 126-home subdivision near the intersection of the Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54 in Pasco County. Fred Streck, 56, also is the former owner of Remington's Steak House on Bearss Avenue in Tampa. Carl Streck said he and his father enjoyed eating at the Perkins in North Tampa so much they decided to buy into the franchise. The chain has about 500 family-style restaurants in 35 states and Canada. Perkins got its start in 1958 when Matt and Ivan Perkins opened their first pancake house in Cincinnati. Perkins still serves pancakes and breakfast fare, but also offers lunch and dinner entrees. Retirees are a big customer base for Perkins restaurants. Streck said he hopes to draw from nearby condominiums, including Five Towns, a complex of 35 buildings near the northeast corner of Park Street and 54th Avenue N. Eleven of the shopping center's 13 units are occupied. In addition to Perkins, Starlight Park's tenants include: Rod Runners Custom Window Decor, Mystic Tux, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, Bullpen Sports Bar & Eatery, Clean & Bean Laundromat Cafe, New Wave Hair and Nails, Starlite Barber Shop, Family Dollar, Save-A-Lot and Rent Rite. A Westshore Pizza will move into one of the two vacant units in March, Streck said. "We're really excited about this," said Jay Wasylyna, an assistant manager for Rent Rite. "We're looking forward to all the new business it's going to bring. The more attractive it is to passers-by, the more walk-in business."
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