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Safety Harbor wants a lively downtown

There aren't too many empty storefronts in downtown Safety Harbor, but city commissioners want to fill them - preferably with restaurants and retail.

By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published November 21, 2005

SAFETY HARBOR - When City Commissioner Kara Bauer strolls down memory lane, she visits downtown Lake Forest, Ill., just outside Chicago.

As a child, she would walk with her family down its tree-lined streets on crisp fall days and smell cookies fresh from the baker's oven.

She recalls green-and-white striped awnings shading wide sidewalks, flowerpots bursting with red geraniums and people drinking hot coffee at outdoor cafes.

That's what she wants for Safety Harbor.

"It's very doable," Bauer said.

But it's going to take work, she said, because she believes "the practice has been reactive rather than proactive when it comes to bringing in new business or retaining existing businesses in Safety Harbor."

The downtown core is struggling enough to fill vacancies and entice more shoppers to Main Street that a workshop was held at City Hall recently to study the issue.

There are nine vacant commercial spaces in the downtown redevelopment district, six of them on Main Street, according to a report to the City Commission generated by the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce.

"It's really a small amount if you look at the overall numbers," said Cynthia O'Donnell, president and chief executive of the chamber, referring to the more than 180 businesses she said are in the downtown core. "But I don't like to see it, especially on Main Street."

Merchants and city commissioners all have theories about why some business owners have pulled out of buildings on Main Street.

So does a former tenant.

"Safety Harbor is a high-rent district," said Dave Stapp, who owns Chantilly Cakes and who used to lease a 1,100-square-foot space at 509 Main St. for about $2,500 a month. "Money is the main reason we left."

He said he wasted a lot of dough - literally had to throw it out - because there were not enough walk-up customers to buy the cakes and cookies he made from scratch. After five years, he moved his business to a building just north of Ulmerton Road in Largo; he said he is doing better than ever.

"In Largo, we have 1,800 square feet, and the rent is $900 a month," Stapp said.

The building where Stapp leased is known as the Galleria building. Records show it is owned by Bay Area Property Management, which, according to the chamber, is owned by Anne E. Blackburn.

According to the chamber, she is asking $5,500 a month to lease a 4,124-square-foot area of the building. Some business owners think that lease rate effectively keeps the building vacant.

"It's right in the center of downtown," said Dawn Pendola, who along with her husband, Patrick, owns the Whistle Stop Grill and Udderly Cool ice cream shop on Main Street. "She should just sell it to someone who wants to see the community thrive."

Blackburn declined to comment for this story.

Dunedin City Commissioner Dave Eggers, who is also a commercial broker, said that overall the rents in Safety Harbor don't seem out of line.

"We just leased a suite in Safety Harbor (that is) 955 square feet for $1,150 a month plus sales tax," he said. "That rental rate is not a bad number."

Also, local business owners speculate the low foot traffic might be due to the high number of professional businesses such as an attorney's office, a chiropractor and several hair salons along Main Street rather than shops and restaurants.

"I can think of five beauty parlors off the top of my head," Pendola said. "When people come to town, they say, "Where are the shops?' I guess (the beauty shops) are making enough money to be on Main Street and the retail shops can't make it."

Eggers said she's right.

On the risk scale, he said, restaurants are the riskiest, then retail, then office space.

If a landlord leases a space to someone who sets up an office, "they won't be concerned (the renter) will go out of business in six months," Eggers said.

But City Commissioner Andy Steingold is determined to create a more charismatic Main Street. If other cities can do it, so can Safety Harbor, he said.

He said he would like the city to hire an economic development officer "to go out and attract new businesses the people of Safety Harbor want."

"I'm not an advocate for tall buildings, but I am an advocate for bringing in delightful, charming cafes and shops the public wants," Steingold said.

The city has more than a dozen events annually, including art shows, a seafood festival and concerts, Steingold said. While hundreds if not thousands of people flock to the events, most can't get a table at one of the 11 restaurants in the downtown district.

"I volunteered pouring beer at the Safety Harbor Wine Festival and spoke to different people who said they had a wonderful time but brought to my attention the lack of restaurants in our downtown area," Steingold said.

Some business owners are taking matters into their own hands.

Sherrie Pennington, owner of the Crimson Moon book and gift store, said she is "bringing some of the boutiques in downtown to do some joint advertising."

She picked six shops and four restaurants in a five-block area on and just off Main Street. Together, the businesses pitched in and printed 2,000 advertisement postcards, which were mailed this month to Safety Harbor residents.

Pennington said people are already responding to the direct mail campaign.

"I'm not trying to undermine anyone. We just can't wait any longer," Pennington said. "The chamber has had a marketing plan for a year, and nothing's happened. Safety Harbor has had the motto, "Best-kept secret.' I say, let's get the secret out."

--Eileen Schulte can be reached at 727 445-4153 or schulte@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 21, 2005, 01:05:18]