The Tampa store doesn't sell the discount-priced medications, but directs customers to sources.
By MICHAEL CANNING
Published June 27, 2003
CHEAP PRESCRIPTIONS, EH?: Our society's growing appetite for discount Canadian drugs now has an outlet in South Tampa.
Canadian Drug Discounters of South Tampa opened last month at 1906 S Dale Mabry Highway, across from Hao Wah Chinese restaurant.
The Food and Drug Administration still seems unsure about how it's going to handle the rising tide of cheap prescription drugs flowing from the Great White North. But Daryle Whitaker, owner of the South Tampa business, isn't worried. All she does is get customers here in touch with Canadian pharmacies. "We're not a pharmacy," she said. "We never touch the meds."
In fact, once the business matches a customer with a pharmacy, the customer places the order directly with the pharmacy.
The rising cost of prescription medication in the United States has spurred an interest in the Canadian drugs, which have tight government price controls. Discounts can range from 20 to 80 percent.
Still, Whitaker says her business has plenty of room to grow. "Lots of people are finding out about us," she said. "But they're not ready to buy yet."
APARTMENTS GO CONDO: The makeover is nearly complete for the former La Plaza Del Sol apartment complex in Beach Park.
The property, which partially fronts Kennedy Boulevard near the approach to the Howard Frankland Bridge, was bought early this year by the Condo Group LLC of Atlanta. Since then, the company has converted the complex's 108 units to condominiums and renamed the property Siena Villas.
Upgrades include new kitchens, appliances, crown molding, French doors, a clubhouse and fitness center. The one- and two-bedroom units range in size from 830 to 1,198 square feet and sell for $90,000 to $130,000.
Condo Group spokesperson Liza Lapidus says exterior renovations should be complete by the end of July and interior renovations should be done in the fall. Eighty percent of the units have been sold, she said.
ANOTHER SOUTH TAMPA SCOOP: Yet another ice cream parlor is coming to South Tampa. But, unlike the new Sara's Scoops, Edy's Grand Ice Cream and the pending Ed and Eddie's Homemade Ice Cream, this one isn't a waffle cone's toss from Plant High School.
A Haagen Daz store is scheduled to open at WestShore Plaza between Maggiano's and P.F. Chang's late this summer, said plaza marketing director Tara Waterston. The store will have entrances inside and outside of the mall.
In other WestShore news, June 18 marked the last day for the Bombay Co. Waterston said. Bombay's lease was up, and it opted not to renew. The home accessory store based in Fort Worth, Texas, is actually having a decent year. Although it plans to close 40 other stores, it plans to open 90 new locations, and its first quarter revenue is up, the Dallas Business Journal reported.
PLAYING THE PALACE: Six luxury townhomes are going up at 3025 Grovewood Court, just north of the Academy of the Holy Names, off MacDill Avenue.
Neil Bartley, a real estate agent who has owned the property for 25 years, named the project the Alcazar, or "palace" in Spanish.
Each three-story unit will have a two-car garage, gourmet kitchens with oak, cherry, granite and stainless steel surfaces, a balcony, Roman bath and wiring for stereo systems.
Units will average about 1,500 square feet and will be priced from $265,000 to $279,000. So far, one is under contract, Bartley said.
Until recently, the site housed a branch of the Palma Ceia Academy, which merged with the school at 4320 Henderson Blvd. Bartley is a co-owner of Palma Ceia Academy.
Construction on the Alcazar should be complete in six months.
- Do you know something that should be everybody's business? Call 226-3382, or e-mail mikecanning@hotmail
THE FIND: Tote bag and sarong
Toss your stuff in a colorful canvas tote bag, wrap up in a matching sarong and you're ready for fun in the sun. This set, which goes for $36, is available at Ciara's, 615 Channelside Drive. The store offers a wide selection of casual accessories, handbags and jewelry. Call 233-2020.
