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Ybor City adjusts after Centro's boom
By BABITA PERSAUD © St. Petersburg Times, published November 24, 2000 It's Thursday evening and a father bounces his son on his shoulders, strolling past the neon-bathed storefronts along Seventh Avenue. "Do you want body piercing or ice cream?" he says to his wife, before letting out a snicker. Centro Ybor has only been open seven weeks, but already the $45-million shopping, dining and entertainment center has made an impact on Seventh Avenue. As expected, Centro has brought more families, as evident by the amount of strollers now wheeled up and down the cracked sidewalks of Seventh Avenue. Marian Lasher, owner of Joffrey's Coffee, sees groups of young moms on Saturday mornings. And yes, it has brought more business. At La France vintage clothing store, a few doors down from Centro, hours were expanded, opening Wednesday through Saturday evenings (not just Friday and Saturday), which has "been helpful paying the bills," said owner, Jill Wax. At Sweeter Charity, a shop which used to be hidden in an alley and is now directly on the path from the six-level parking garage to Centro, traffic has also increased, although it is a "different clientele," says general manager Rhode Davis. These don't wear tie-die and patchouli. They wear khakis and remark when they walk through the beaded curtain into her shop: "Wow, this puts me back in the '60s." Further from Centro, though, the ripples are beginning to subside. "I guess the effect has worn off," said Gerald White of Moses White and Sons BBQ, a few streets from Centro. Nothing could compare to that first weekend, Oct. 5. "Phenomenal," said Aaron Michalouski, a manager at Carmine's Cuban restaurant, which has been on Seventh for decades. "It was so impossible to keep up with the influx of people." Carmine's stopped seating for an hour, just for a breather. "We didn't imagine it would be like that. We stocked up a little bit and staffed up. When it hit like that, it was totally unexpected," said Michalouski. Moses White ran out of ribs at 2 p.m. that Saturday. Ybor City Diner closed for an hour-and-a-half at 6 p.m. on Saturday to sweep the floors, bus tables, regroup and call for an emergency food delivery from suppliers. "The place was a mess," said general manager Phil Romano. "We had been hit solid all day long. Slammed." The rush started Friday, peaked Saturday and continued until Sunday. Customers spilled over from Centro, where only three restaurants, Big City Tavern, Dish and Jax's inside GameWorks, were open. Waits were up to three hours at Dish. During the second weekend, business was "not as slammed, but still busy," said Romano. The third, "it tapered off," said Romano. He hasn't changed his hours. Weekend business is up, but Centro isn't bringing in business in the early part of the week, as hoped. "It really hasn't jumped the way people expected," said Romano. At Centro, business has been booming, said Taylor Ward, Centro's spokeswoman. The traffic has been mostly on the weekends. At Big City Tavern, in Centro, a Friday and Saturday night wait is up to 90 minutes, said manager James Cosentino. Earlier in the week, he says, is "a little flat." At GameWorks, though, the influx is more constant. Lunch, happy hour, and Sundays when Bucs games are broadcast on the big screen, brim with people. "It's just floored us the amount of business," said LeeAnne Stables, senior vice president of marketing.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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