Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

Market caters to low-carb converts

LoCarb Connection opens in the Largo Mall with a mission to serve shoppers with a high level of carbohydrate consciousness.

LARGO - After nine years in a high-stress job that required her to fly around the country every week selling high-tech equipment, Holly Recalde was ready for a change.

The idea of starting her own business led her to her favorite subject - food.

"I had been on and off the Atkins diet for the last few years," she said, "and I thought how great it would be to have one store where you could get all the foods for the diet."

After some research, the 39-year-old Redington Beach resident decided to open a store targeting the current trend toward low-carbohydrate foods.

Recalde aimed at Palm Harbor or south Tampa for the new business, but a "For lease" sign in Largo Mall caught her eye and she signed on for the 2,000-square-foot space.

"The mall is always busy," she said. "I probably picked the best location."

She hired four employees, including store and vitamin manager Faith Connelly and grocery manager Valorie Campbell, and opened LoCarb Connection Jan. 2.

"The idea is to have a store where shoppers can come in and don't have to read the ingredients," Recalde said. "We have food for breakfast, lunch and dinner - products you would find in a grocery store, but low carb and low sugar.

"We carry the Keto brand for diabetics, and we have 16 feet of Atkins products. We have over 2,100 different low-carb items and we've probably added 600 additional products at the request of customers."

The store offers diverse choices, from low-carbohydrate Mexican and Asian foods, Margarita mixes, frozen pizzas and meat-free hot dogs to a gourmet area with Romanoff caviars, condiments, cookbooks, gift baskets, a baking section, vitamins and supplements.

Recalde said her start-up costs ranged between $175,000 and $200,000. She saved a little money, she said, by doing all renovating and decorating herself - with lots of help from friends.

Business has been steady, she said, and she's already planning to open another store in Pinellas County within the next four months.

"This is a dream," she said, smiling. "It's not like work; it's fun."

Carna Barnes, a resource teacher for the Pinellas County schools district, has shopped at LoCarb at least once a week since the store opened.

"I've been on a low-carb diet since last August and have lost 38 pounds," said Barnes, a Largo resident, who added that the store will often order specialty treats for customers.

"They order these little specialty cheesecakes - chocolate swirl, key lime, pumpkin, plain and blueberry swirl. They're made with maltitol (a reduced calorie sweetener) and taste wonderful."

She said one of the store's biggest sellers is a 2-carbohydrate-per-slice bread made from almond flour and flaxseed. "It's really, really good," she said.

Ed and Rachel Swing of Largo drove to the shopping center a couple of weeks ago and saw the store.

"We had just started the South Beach way of living," said Ed Swing, referring to the popular South Beach Diet, which emphasizes a low-sugar regimen. "We walked in, and we were absolutely blown away by the store and the service. It's nice and small, and when you walk in you feel real comfortable; they make you feel comfortable."

Swing said he enjoys the sample tables at the back of the store where customers can taste everything from waffles and cheeses to soups and ice cream.

Since committing to the South Beach Diet, the Swings said they keep only low-carb foods in their house.

Nadine Pazder, a registered dietitian for 25 years who works at Morton Plant Hospital, notes that while everyone from Burger King, which offers a bun-less burger, to sit-down restaurants with entire Atkins-style menus may be advocating a low-carb diet, it's not a good idea to try to eliminate carbohydrates entirely, since they're still necessary for good health.

"Carbohydrates are the fuel that your brain, nervous system and vital organs depend on to function," she said. "If you go to the gym to get a decent workout, you need carbohydrates to fuel those muscles."

Pazder emphasized that whole grains and high-fiber carbohydrates are integral to health. According to the National Academy of Science, children and adults should eat 130 grams of carbohydrates a day.

But she said a low-carbohydrate diet can be beneficial by making people more aware of what they're eating.

Albert Manero, who lives in Palm Harbor and is a national vice president of Fletcher Music stores, said he has been shopping at LoCarb a couple of times a week.

"I've lost about 25 pounds on a low-carb lifestyle over the last few years, and I'd like to lose about 10 more," Manero said. "There is a history of diabetes in my family, and I'm all for anything that doesn't promote eating a lot of sugar.

"The store has everything, and if they don't have what you want, they'll get it. Some of the low-carb stuff doesn't taste that great, but it's getting better and better."

Largo Mall, 10500 Ulmerton Road, Suite 620

Grocery store specializing in low-carbohydrate foods

Four employees

"We walked in, and we were absolutely blown away by the store and the service."

- Customer Ed Swing.