ST. PETERSBURG - Ace Hardware plans to move into the empty Swanson's Market at 2739 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N.
Dave and Gail McDonnell now have their hardware store at 2500 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N. Asked why he bought the grocery store, Dave McDonnell said:
"It has 50 parking spaces. We have five where we are. It has 10,000 square feet. We have 3,000 where we are."
The McDonnells, who had the Ace Hardware store at Northeast Shopping Center before the space was torn down to make way for a new and expanded Publix, paid $665,000 for the grocery store. He doesn't know yet how much they will have to spend to renovate it. He said the grocery was built in 1938 and has been a a Margaret Ann and a Piggly Wiggly, among other brands.
The McDonnells own their current store location. They have been there since 1979, but McDonnell said it had been a hardware store since 1948. They plan to lease the space after they move.
The current Ace store is taking payments on some utility bills as Swanson's did. McDonnell said payments could be made at the existing Ace for Teco, AT&T and Progress Energy.
Florist opens second location
BELLEAIR BLUFFS - A second location of Lorilarson Flowers has opened here. Owner Laura Larson has her new shop at 784 Indian Rocks Road. Her first shop is at 9336 Oakhurst Road in Seminole.
She has floral design classes as well as the usual services of a florist.
Shoe shop tries on new location
LARGO - The Shoe Doctors shop that used to be in ParkSide mall in Pinellas Park has moved to 1901 West Bay Drive.
All mall tenants except ParkSide Cinemas and Applebee's must move because ParkSide will be torn down to make way for a new shopping center.
Shoe Doctors owner Gary Fordham said he moved the store to Largo because he found space near where he lives. He was in the mall for 15 years. The new shop is about 9 miles away from the mall, he said, and sits next to the diagnostic clinic at Largo Medical Center.
