The South Tampa antiques center goes out of business July 14. The owners plan an auction of their pieces on July 23-24.
By MICHAEL CANNING
Published June 18, 2004
ANTIQUE MALL CLOSING: A major player on the South Tampa antique scene is going out of business. Though the Antique Mall of Palma Ceia won't officially shut its doors until July 14, the effects of its closing already are being felt.
The mall, at 3300 S Dale Mabry Highway, currently rents space to 65 antique dealers, according to co-owner Jack Alexander. Soon they'll have to find new places to sell their stock. Alexander said some have already moved to Late Bloomer's Treasures and Collectibles on S MacDill Avenue. Others have been absorbed by antique shops in North Tampa.
Still others, like Alexander, will simply close up shop. "The saddest thing is that some of these people in the mall are elderly," said Alexander, 74. "And they'll be going out of the antique business."
Why the closing? Chalk it up to South Tampa's progress.
Alexander said the building's owner is selling it to someone at a higher price than he and his business partner Steve DuBeck can afford. The two dreamed of eventually buying the building, but"somebody came along with deep pockets and just shot that out right from under us," said Alexander.
Also, Alexander said that 11 years ago when they first signed their lease, he and DuBeck agreed to pay any increases in property taxes. That's now $7,000 higher than in 1993, according to Alexander.
He also admitted that he and DuBeck are burned out. DuBeck works full time as a customer service representative for Verizon. "We've neglected our house," said Alexander, who shares his Gray Gables home with DuBeck. Now the two plan to spend some time spiffing up their yard.
Alexander also wants to take Internet classes and try dealing antiques on line. If the two decide to return to selling antiques in a shop, they'll probably just rent space at another mall, said Alexander.
An auction is tentatively planned for the weekend of July 23 and 24 to sell off Alexander and DuBeck's stock, which Alexander estimates takes up about 30 percent of the 7,400 square foot building.
Longtime Tampa resident Karl Slover, a midget who played a Munchkin in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, has appeared at the mall on the first Saturday of every month for seven years. He'll make his last appearance to sign and sell autographs on July 3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The building's owner, Clayton Taylor, did not return calls from the Times.
TARGET PROJECT CROSSING STREET: No, that's not a whole new business going in in front of the Wal-Mart at Interstate 275 and N Dale Mabry Highway, as the cleared-out parcel of land there might suggest.
It's actually a part of the huge Walter's Crossing retail development under way across the street, where the iconic twin tower headquarters of Walter Industries recently were demolished.
Ken Morin of project developer Morin Development Group said the $48-million, 13-acre development also will bring significant traffic improvements to Dale Mabry, which is where the cleared parcel next to Wal-Mart and Best Buy comes in. A new entrance and traffic light are being built there to connect it with the Walter's Crossing entrance across the street.
"The idea is to tie the two centers together," said Morin, "and improve the traffic flow through the whole area." The new Wal-Mart and Best Buy entrance will have two entrance lanes and three exit lanes. The Walter's Crossing entrance directly opposite will have three entrance lanes and three exit lanes.
In addition, four lanes will be added to Dale Mabry, two northbound and two southbound. They will stretch from Laurel Street to just south of Spruce Street.
Walter's Crossing will feature a new urban design concept known as "stacked" retail. A two story building will house a Target store on its second floor, with multiple specialty retailers on the ground floor. The building will be attached to a four-story parking garage. Two outparcel buildings also are planned.
Morin said Walter's Crossing will have a Linens "n Things, Wild Oats organic food, Designer Shoe Warehouse, and Pier 1 Cargo Kids in addition to the Target store. Macaroni Grill will occupy one of two outparcel buildings. Rooms To Go will move from its current site next door at the Home Depot-Toys R Us plaza to occupy Walter's Crossing's second outparcel.
Macaroni Grill and Rooms To Go are scheduled to open in early January, Morin said. The rest of Walter's Crossing should be open by July 2005.
TRIAGE MOVING: Triage is expanding - so much that the consignment store is moving to a new building more than three times the size of its current one.
June 18 is the last day of business for Triage at 3705 Henderson Blvd. across from U-Save. On June 22, it will reopen at 4912 S Lois Ave., one block south of Gandy Boulevard. The move will mean a jump from 7,400 square feet to 24,000, according to Triage manager Donna Brown. "We ran out of space years ago," she said.
Triage opened on S Dale Mabry Highway in 1981 carrying only women's designer clothing. In 1993, business owners Linda and David Bell opened Triage Too, a furniture and home decor store on Henderson Boulevard just southwest of Dale Mabry. The Bells later combined the two businesses at the current Henderson location.
Though the store is moving to Lois, the name Triage will remain the same, as will the business hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
- Do you know something that should be everybody's business? Call 226-3394, or e-mail mikecanning@hotmail.com
