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Everybody's Business

Shoppes' doors beginning to open

It waited a year for its first tenant, but now others are scheduled to open soon at the Shoppes at Interbay Village.

By MICHAEL CANNING
Published February 18, 2005

Completed more than a year ago, the Shoppes at Interbay Village finally has its first tenant, Salon Tua for nails.

The second, a Joffrey's Coffee and Tea Co., is scheduled to open in about three weeks, business owner Marian Lasher said.

Originally scheduled to open last November, the coffee shop at Interbay Boulevard and MacDill Avenue will sell Boar's Head deli sandwiches, hot dogs, desserts and Joffrey's coffee and tea products. Lasher is also considering ice cream or gelato.

Shoppes developer B.J. Jabbari says a pizza delivery business will move in by April, when a new adjoining parking lot should be finished. Jabbari is reserving two spots of his own in the center so that he and business partner Bob Zamini can open a high-end Mediterranean restaurant.

Jabbari said the 1,800-square-foot restaurant should open within three months. Expect to see delicacies of Morocco, Lebanon, Greece and other Mediterranean nations on the menu.

APARTMENTS GO CONDO: If you could buy a unit at one of South Tampa's apartment complexes, where would it be? Post Properties Inc. is betting that Post Walk at Old Hyde Park Village would be high on many people's lists.

So it began converting its 134-unit property on the outskirts of Old Hyde Park Village from rentals to condominiums a few weeks ago. The new name: Hyde Park Walk Condominiums.

Units range from 670 to 2,300 square feet and cost $137,500 to $525,000, said Anthony Everett, vice president of project co-developer Toni Everett Co. As of last week, 150 people were on a waiting list for the one- and two-bedroom units.

Current residents have the first option to buy their units until mid March. Typically 10 to 25 percent of the tenants stay on, he said.

As part of the conversion, the property will get new paint, landscaping and pool furniture, Everett said. New signs should go up soon.

Low-interest rates generally make newer rental communities in desirable areas ripe for condo conversions. The Post Walk at Old Hyde Park Village opened in 1997. Post is doing similar condo conversions in Dallas and Atlanta.

TOFFEE ACHIEVERS: Jim and Lisa Schalk seem pretty good at something they didn't intend to do.

They started making toffee in 1989, and people kept asking for it. Six years later, they reluctantly started Toffee to Go. They handled the production out of kitchens of hotels that Jim managed. They did the packaging and shipping from their home in Virginia Park.

Retail and wholesale accounts followed. Then a Web site. Business doubled every year, Jim Schalk said.

Then in September, the Schalks' toffee won the best candy award at the AmericasMart market in Atlanta. A few months later, they decided to open a Toffee To Go store at 4318 W El Prado Blvd.

It turned out to be a wise move. During the Christmas season, they sold 5,000 pounds of toffee.

The store at El Prado and Manhattan Avenue sells toffee in three flavors: milk chocolate with almond, dark chocolate with pecan, and white chocolate with macadamia nut. The store also has gourmet cookies, salsas, dips, pickles and cookbooks that can be arranged in gift baskets.

The Schalks ship toffee all across the world and sell it at about 100 retail locations nationally. Still, corporate sales account for the bulk of their business, Jim Schalk said. The candies end up in a variety of tins and boxes as gifts and party favors.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and by appointment Saturday through Monday.

Do you know something that should be everybody's business? Call 226-3394, or e-mail mikecanning@hotmail.com

These unusual wool rugs, hand-knotted in Pakistan, bear maps and war machines. They're sure to start interesting conversations, especially among military folks, history buffs and your well-traveled guests. Prices of these start at $195 at Wertz Center, 3219 Bay to Bay Blvd. Call 837-6622.

- AMY SCHERZER

[Last modified February 17, 2005, 10:49:04]