Business briefs

By PIPER JONES CASTILLO

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 2, 2001

Tan Fanny owner to close bikini shop

"It's not so much the bathing suits I'll miss, but it's the sign, Tan Fanny," said Ted Laughlin, a 20-year Madeira Beach resident. "I've driven down Gulf Boulevard a billion times, and the sign has always been a highlight when I go to work," he says. "The person who named that store definitely had a sense of humor," said Laughlin, who works two blocks from the business.

That person is Susan Humphrey. Humphrey, owner of Tan Fanny, 13356 Gulf Blvd., has decided it's time to close the custom-made bikini business. "I got remarried last May, and I just feel it's time to pursue other things," said Humphrey, 44.

After runs at other professions including stints as a hairdresser and a truck driver, Humphrey, an Ohio native, opened the business in 1982.

"Sewing was what I did best," said Humphrey, who spent years dealing with customers one-to-one, sizing up a customer's body type and creating flattering designs. The average price for a Tanny Fanny creation was $90.

Humphrey came up with the name, Tan Fanny, while she was trucking. "My first husband and I were making deliveries, and I'd stare out at different signs along the routes. Some were eye-catching. I put different things I saw together, and I knew Tan Fanny was a great one."

Although Humphrey doesn't plan to be a sole operator of a business again, she won't rule out another run in the swimsuit business. "I might be interested in working as a partner or relocating into a shop, jointly owned. The plus to that is if I work in somebody's shop, I'd do fittings and I'd be able to have someone else do work," she said.

"In Tan Fanny, I was doing everything myself. It was time-intensive," said Humphrey, who has a 15-year-old son, Jesse, attending Seminole High School as a freshman this year.

In the next few weeks, Humphrey will concentrate on selling the remainder of her fabric, along with the store's equipment. "I have a couple sewing machines and several hundred yards of spandex left to sell," she said. "I won't ever sell my designs though. I always made my own, and I'm not letting go of that."

Humphrey plans on converting the building back into a residence to rent out as a beachside cottage.

Owners open a second laundromat: Soapy's Too

Skip Rennell and Lucy Kaufman have opened up their second laundromat, Soapy's Too, at 1202 28th St. S, St Petersburg. The original Soapy's on 34th Street S opened last October. Both are open 24 hours.

Former FBI agent starts security consulting firm

Horace "Bud" Loomis has opened a security consulting firm at 3209 58th St. S, Suite 135, Gulfport. Loomis is a former special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as former director of security for Standard Oil in Cleveland. Before opening the office in Pinellas County, he operated a private office in Houston.

New member joins CPA peer review committee

Richard H. Caton has been appointed to the Florida Institute of CPA's Peer Review Acceptance Committee for 2001-2002. Caton is a shareholder at Gregory, Sharer & Stuart P.A., St. Petersburg.

Two groups to stage job fair on Sept. 20

Abilities Workforce Services, a provider of vocational evaluation, skills training and job placement services to people with disabilities throughout Florida, and the Suncoast Human Resources Association will hold a job fair from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 20 at the Holiday Inn Select, 3535 Ulmerton Road. For information, call Marilyn Purvis, 538-7370, ext. 364.

-- Please send your business news items to Piper Jones Castillo, Neighborhood Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. E-mail: piper@sptimes.com. Phone number: 893-8827.

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