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Around the Bay

By Times Staff
Published March 5, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG

Teen cooks up idea to make extra cash

While some teens earn extra cash babysitting or mowing lawns, 16-year-old Susie Knowles has made a name for herself in the kitchen. Knowles, a sophomore at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School, started baking about two years ago after she took a cake-decorating class at a local craft store to earn a Girl Scout patch. "I like working with my hands and experimenting with different flavors," she said. Knowles took her passion to another level this year by starting a business, Susie's Sweets, despite a packed schedule. (She also plays tennis and soccer, is heavily involved in youth group and is working toward her Gold Award, Scouting's highest honor.) Knowles makes cakes for all occasions and will try her hand at any design. "I like (people) to challenge me, and then I'll do my best to make it," she said. Her cakes typically cost between $20 to 25, depending on the size and difficulty. "I think it's cool she has her own business doing something she loves," said friend Parker Duren, 15. "Her cakes are magically delicious. Everyone loves them."

BROOKSVILLE

Displaced by Katrina, thriving here

Cheryl Thornton of Spring Hill is selling personalized candy bars and water bottle wrappers out of her home because she worked for a while at a company in Brooks-ville called OccasionOgraphy, which is there because it's no longer in Louisiana. It's no longer in Louisiana in large part because of Hurricane Katrina. The company started in 1999 in Mandeville, La., 30 or so miles north of New Orleans, and was called Cherubs-N-Chocolate. It sold candy wrappers personalized for weddings, baby showers, birth announcements, relay races, business promotions - anything where candy might come in handy. Personalized invitations and announcements called Angels on Occasion came in 2002. Then came Aug. 29, 2005. Employees lost their homes. UPS and FedEx were down for almost three months in some areas on the Gulf Coast after the storm. Katrina wasn't the only factor in the decision, but it was the main one, and the company was sold three months later. The buyer was a group of investors led by Brooksville businessman David Goberville. Heidi Reuther is just 25 but has been working for the company for six years. She was the only employee who came with the company from Louisiana. She was born and raised in New Orleans, her house there was ruined, and most of her family still lives there. She's getting used to her new home and calls Brooksville "very peaceful" and "very relaxing."

PINELLAS PARK

Mmmm, that photo sure looks delicious

Sometimes a picture of a sandwich on a billboard can make your mouth water; other times a salad on a menu can look like grass clippings. It's Robin Redden's job to produce the first reaction. "We're not lying to anyone," said Redden, 53, master photographer and founder of Robin Photo Design, "but don't believe everything that you see." Redden said there are lots of tricks to food photography, her specialty, but it's also just a lot of work. "We tell the client, if we're shooting hamburgers, bring 10," said Tim McCormick, 43, Redden's partner of 20 years and husband of two. "We might go through eight hamburgers trying to get the right one." At their studio on Gandy Boulevard, Redden and McCormick are quietly enjoying their 20th year behind the lens. While they have plenty of clients, both food and otherwise, they say they've never been adept at marketing themselves. "Word of mouth has gotten us pretty much everything," said Redden. Over the years, Redden and McCormick have broadened their interests beyond food and photography. Their agency now does anything from a business card to a billboard, including printing huge translucent sheets used to wrap vehicles in advertising. They went digital in 2000 and shoot with a camera that captures 66 megapixels because they may have to photograph tiny items to be blown up to the size of a building.

PINELLAS COUNTY

Growing costs catch up with small businesses

The sign on Park Boulevard pretty much says it all: Gov. Crist. Too late. Closing. Insurance. Taxes. The epitaph for Kathy Schuckert's 16-year-old antique mall resonates with small-business owners across the county who are struggling with exorbitant increases in property taxes and insurance rates. More than 7 percent of business owners reported they had considered closing last year, according to a 2006 county survey. That's up 3 percentage points since 2004, said Mike Meidel, director of Pinellas County economic development. "You cannot stay in business," said Schuckert, who owns Vintage Antiques Fine Replications & Estate Antique Mall in Pinellas Park. First, Schuckert said, she was hit with a tenfold increase in insurance that did not include wind and hail protection. Then, the taxes on the mall, at 7750 Park Blvd., jumped more than $4,000 in a year, from about $14,570 in 2005 to $18,867 in 2006. She decided that her only recourse was to close. "We're selling everything to the walls, (the) blood, guts and tears," Schuckert said. "It's sad. It's very sad."

[Last modified March 2, 2007, 22:32:47]