Couple to deliver sub shop in contest

The Tampa couple say they'll turn over the store to whoever writes the best essay. The American Cancer Society will get most of the proceeds.

By JEFF HARRINGTON

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 27, 2000

Ellen and Bob James don't believe the old business maxim that you never give away the store.

The Tampa couple plan to do exactly that with Varsity Subs, their family-owned deli and ice cream shop in North Tampa, if they get at least 500 entries into an essay contest they are launching Tuesday.

Most of the proceeds from the $100 entry fee, the Jameses say, will be given to the American Cancer Society. They'll keep a few thousand dollars to cover their costs, including the $700 tab for setting up a Web site (www.winadeli.com).

The rules are simple: By the Oct. 31 deadline, write an essay, draw a picture or find another innovative way to say why you want to own a sub shop. The winner picks up the four years left on the lease for the 1,400-square-foot shop and receives all the equipment free, down to two slicers worth $1,200 apiece.

"We've been told that with everything, including our goodwill, it's close to $100,000 worth of value," Bob James said Wednesday.

James, who turns 43 today, said he and Ellen, 32, are itching to get back to the Cayman Islands, where they met during a scuba class and lived until a year ago. They came to Florida to be close to Ellen's father after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Now, her father has recovered and the couple have managed to build a little nest egg through some good investments. "Don't let anybody tell you you can't make money day trading," Bob James said with a laugh.

The deli owners considered turning their shop over to a broker. They said they opted for the contest instead as a way to help an entrepreneur who might have trouble getting a bank loan and help the fight against cancer at the same time.

Victoria Hastie, development director with the cancer society's Greater Tampa office, said she was excited by the proposition when approached two weeks ago but wanted to be cautious before recently accepting it.

"I ran it by my supervisors to make sure it's okay," Hastie said. "I'd say this is unusual, certainly a first for me."

It's a first as well for Les Garringer, Florida deputy assistant attorney general in charge of the economic crimes unit.

"I've seen a couple of times where people have put their homes up. I've not seen one for a business before," he said.

In Florida, it's illegal for individuals to run games of chance or a raffle but awarding something in a game of skill, such as an essay contest, is allowed.

"This would have to be a legitimate game of skill, and they would have to make sure (the deli) does not go to a straw person or back to the original seller," Garringer said Wednesday.

To get around accusations of bias or trickery, the Jameses plan to recruit three people to join them in a five-member panel of judges.

"This is not about the money. . . . It's the lifestyle we want to lead," Bob James said. "(My wife) is into travel; I'm a scuba instructor and the islands are where we want to be."

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