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Letter to the editor

Creatures of Delight moving north

By SHARON GINN, Times Correspondent
Published December 28, 2007

(1) New Year's Party Kit -- everything you need to ring in the New Year - hats, blowers, confetti ,etc, for 10 people, $25, at Let's Have a Party, 1541 S. Dale Mabry Hwy.
	[KEN HELLE | Times]

YBOR CITY - Thomas Kopian and his colorful, silly and slightly squishy dragons soon will be taking flight toward Long Island - along with fish, penguins, frogs, clouds and other goofy characters from Kopian's Creatures of Delight product line.

Kopian has owned the Ybor City studio and retail shop at Eighth Avenue and 15th Street for 14 years but recently decided to relocate the business to his home state, said co-owner Stewart Buffaloe. Creatures of Delight will close Jan. 6.

"Over the past couple of years, we've just seen retail sales go down and down," said Buffaloe, who has co-owned the shop for six years. "Unfortunately, Ybor City has gotten to the point that people don't come. ... There's nothing going on here to make it look like it's going to turn around in the near future."

Creatures of Delight still does a brisk wholesale, custom and Internet business with the colorful creatures created by Kopian, which he calls "hand-made products of a warped mind."

They are sold at galleries and shops around the world. The studio's on-site workshops, where customers can come and hand-paint their own creatures, also have been popular, Buffaloe said.

Relocating to Long Island will put the business closer to the New York trade, gift and licensing shows, and allow Kopian and Buffaloe to focus on the wholesale and Internet side of the business. They hope to eventually franchise the Creatures of Delight workshop concept.

The retail side of the business has been taking away "time that could go to the other sides of the business," Buffaloe said. "In the past year, we've gotten a lot of opportunities and haven't been able to explore them."

A Famous move

There's a prominent For Sale sign in front of the South Tampa location of Famous Tate, but the 54-year-old appliance company is not going out of business.

Far from it, general manager Claude Ward said.

The Famous Tate store at 2207 S Dale Mabry Highway is moving to the former site of Galloway's furniture store, which closed Dec. 14 after 60 years.

Owner John Galloway decided to retire, close the store and sell the building at 3347 Henderson Blvd.

The decision "was very hard," said Galloway, the son of founder Ralph Galloway, who died in 2002. "But everything seems to have fallen into place."

Famous Tate is set to close on the property Jan. 8, Galloway said, and the transaction so far is going smoothly.

Ward said the new store will likely open in March and will be three times the size of its current store, which will allow the company to begin carrying mattresses in South Tampa for the first time.

The new store also will have a scratch-and-dent section and simply more space for showcasing appliances. "The emphasis on luxury brands will be huge," Ward said.

Business actually has slowed at Famous Tate with the downturn in the real estate market, but Ward said the South Tampa store has been too small for several years, so the time is right to relocate. The building is on the market for $3.39-million.

"It's totally a progressive move," he said.

"The timing could be better, I'll give you that, but we're trying to make use of the slower time to do these types of things."

Still open, for now

Maria May expected to close her auto detailing business and retire a year ago, but two different contracts to sell her building have fallen through.

"We're still for sale, but we're still open," said May, owner of Maria's End-to-End Auto Detailing at 1101 S Howard Ave. "Every day someone comes in and says, 'Oh, I heard you were closed.' "

The barbershop next door, however, has shut down. May's friend Robin Caryl had to close her popular shop after undergoing major surgery on her right arm this year. Caryl can no longer cut hair full time. "It's been a real rough year for her," May said. "That's all she knows."

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

The find

New Year's Party Kit

Jana Alexander found everything she needs - top hats, blowers and confetti - conveniently packaged for 10 people in a New Year's Party Kit. Add champagne and celebrate. The kit costs $25 at Let's Have a Party, 1541 S Dale Mabry Highway. Call 254-1100.

[Last modified December 27, 2007, 07:51:49]