Hub Grub Bike Ride in Seminole Heights this Saturday

This weekend, the Seminole Heights Bicycle Club is hosting a biking tour in our neighborhood to visit the budding restaurant and pub scene. There are some old faves and new haunts, and the weather should be awesome for a ride. Here's the plan and what do you know - it looks like it will pass by a little known shop called Tampa Street Market!

Here's the post from Alan Snel at Bicycle Stories:

"The inaugural Hub Grub Bike Ride -- the Seminole Heights Bicycle Club's bike tour of 8 Seminole Heights restaurants -- is set for Saturday. Please start gathering around 2:30-2:45 PM as the ride leaves promptly at 3 PM from the Garden Center, 5800 Central Avenue.

The St. Petersburg Times did a nice story to preview the Hub Grub Ride.

The eight restaurants are not too far from each other. But I tried to design a bike route that includes several miles of biking while also keeping off Hillsborough Avenue, which can be dicey for a bicyclist in the I-275 entrance and exit ramps area. Here is the line-up of restaurants and our bike tour:

START: Garden Center, 5800 Central Avenue.
Central Avenue south to Osborne, make a left
Osborne to Nebraska Avenue

MILE 1: Reservations Gourmet-To-Go, Nebraska/Osborne corner
Nebraska north to Giddens, make a right, then a quick left into Taco Bus back parking lot

MILE 1.5: Taco Bus, 913 E. Hillsborough
Walk bike through crosswalk across Nebraska and head south
Right on Frierson, left on Taliaferro, right on Osborne, right on Central Avenue

MILE 2.9: Starbucks, Central/Hillsborough
north on Central to Hanna, make a left, go through Florida Ave. intersection, left on Tampa Street, left on Idlewild, make a right into Front Porch side parking lot

MILE 3.9: Front Porch, 5924 N. Florida Ave.
south on Florida Avenue to Bungalow Bistro/The Refinery

MILE 4.4: Bungalow Bistro/The Refinery, 5137 N. Florida Avenue
You can bike right through the side door of the restaurant and out the other side doors! Cross the street and bike south on Florida Avenue for only a minute or two.

MILE 4.6: The Independent, 5015 N. Florida Avenue
Go next door to Cappy's

MILE 4.6: Cappy's, 4910 N. Florida Avenue
south on Florida into Highland, make a left on Osborne and go through Florida and Central intersections to Nebraska Avenue, make a left and go 1/2 mile

MILE 5.9: Ella's, 5119 N. Nebraska Avenue
reverse route and head back to Garden Center. Nebraska, south to Osborne, right turn and go to Central Avenue; right turn and back to Garden Center.

MILE 7.4: Return at Garden Center.

Preservation...

Photo lifted from ninebullets.net
I'm sure I would write about music more if I had time, but I do read quite a few blogs about music. So if you believe in music then you probably don't need to be told about why you should check out the new CD from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. I have had the amazing pleasure of seeing them a few times in their hometown and I can assure you it is worth the long wait in line and the crowds. I put them on my list of "Essential things to do in New Orleans even if they seem touristy".

Anyhow, another blog that I read is the local blog ninebullets.net which is a pretty solid americana, roots rock, and alt country type blog. Every once in a while they branch out and review something off their normal tack and I will leave it to the guys over there to talk about this album because a) they've listened to the whole thing and b) I couldn't have said it better myself.

-Charles

"I’m going to keep this relatively brief because if you know anything at all about the Preservation Hall Jazz band, you know it’s a brilliant record.

So, if you enjoy jazz, swing, blues or anything at all about American Roots music, and you enjoy hearing your favorite songs performed by an incredibly eclectic and talented collection of artists, backed by the best jazz ensemble in America, then this is a record you need to own. You’ll probably also want to buy several additional copies so you can distribute them to any friends who may have been physically incapacitated and, thus, incapable of purchasing this Essential Listening album.

If you’re not interested in the history and tradition of American music, or in contributing your money to the preservation of an American institution, then you’ll probably want to continue listening to whatever Starbucks tells you would best complement your double tall, nonfat Grande Caramel Latte.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Tom Waits – “Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing” (from Preservation)

Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Jason Isbell – “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” (from Preservation)"

Head to their site for the music links - http://ninebullets.net/archives/preservation-hall-jazz-band-preservation "

Saturday Social March 13th at Tampa Street Market

March 13th – Mark your calendars! Loko Cuisine has graciously returned to help us fuel our spring revival and celebrate the new look of the shop. The mouth-watering menu is inspired by the St. Paddy’s Day fare of Ireland and is sure to get Green on your mind.

RSVP at www.lokocuisine.com

Urban Charette Open Mic at Tre Amici Tonight

From our friends at the Urban Charette:

"The Urban Charrette Open Mic – Community Building Through the Arts – TONIGHT 7pm-9pm!!!

Act I: Defining Success
Wed, Feb 17, 7-9pm
Tre Amici (1907 N 19th St)

Community Building through the Arts: Conversations on the Future of the Arts in Tampa Bay Hosted by the Urban Charrette and the Artists and Writers Group

"The Artists and Writers Group is partnering with the Urban Charrette to host a series of conversations called Community Building Through the Arts.

These discussions will hopefully yield some good direction on how we can focus our energies to help strengthen and develop the Tampa Bay arts community.

Come join in the discussion about how we define AUTHENTIC ART in our community. What does that mean? What does it look like? How does it Feel? Come offer your perspective. This discussion will continue and go interactive during ECO.lution.

Come down and learn from local arts organizations how art is being used to create a stronger, more livable community here in Tampa. More information can be found at www.sdattampa.com.

Tampa Street Market - Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why?

On "Big Blue" also know as the Unofficial Official Seminole Heights Blog there was a call out to us to do a basic info story on what we do and what we offer the hood. I thought it might be fun to try to fit it into a basic question and answer from our grade school days, so here goes:


Who: Tampa Street Market - Amy and Charles Haynie along with our dog Baci, daughter Ella, and any and all friends and relatives we can convince to cover the store when we are not there. We live in the hood - within earshot of the Front Porch.

What: A furniture and gift store that specializes in eco-friendly, fair trade, and local products for people that want something unique and one of a kind for their home but don't want to get a second mortgage to afford it. We build furniture from scratch but also include a fair amount of refinished and repainted antique furniture with new low VOC finishes. Saving good furniture from the landfill is an important part of our green philosophy.

Expect to find:
-unique and one of a kind furniture of our own design
-cool antique and re-invented lamps
-local art from artists like Anika Easter and Ron Pieniak
-recycled gifts from Resource Revival, Alchemy Goods, Green Toys, Green Guru and Sugarpost
-green gifts from Envirosax, Chico Bags, and Dynomighty
-eco printed cards from Tweeprints, 9SpotMonk, and Modern Printed Matter
-local jewelry from Nested Yellow
-fair trade goods from Indika, Made by Survivors, and Spiral Foundation
-upcycled clothing from Guatemala by Chi Chi Amor (and operated by local residents of SH)

What we are not (because you asked): an antique store, a thrift shop, or the Friday Downtown Market

Where: 4715 N. Florida Ave at the corner of Florida and Osborne next to Seminole Heights Antiques and Karen's Place (technically in the same historical building). Our first location was next to Cappy's Pizza in the old Covivant Gallery space which we outgrew within the first year and a half.

When: We've been open for 3 years last December with a brief hiatus in 2008 when we moved locations. The hours are Tuesday thru Saturday 11-6 and Sunday 12-5. That being said, we don't have paid help (see earlier comment about friends and relatives) so if we have to be somewhere else, say a wedding, funeral, or the like then the shop is closed. The hours are a known source of frustration for the owners and customers alike and so we try to be accomodating and have the shop covered within reason. We wish we could be open more and of course that comes from how much demand we receive. As the economy has made it harder for us little guys to stay in business we have to be creative. If you are coming from far away and are concerned or need us to stay open late, then just email Amy@tampastreetmarket.com. She has a fancy new Iphone just for answering questions like - "How late will you be open today?" or "Do you still have those blue pineapple shaped lamps I saw on the website?"

How: The business grew out of our love for antique furniture re-invention and our continual search for cool products and designs. The "street market" name comes from the idea that street markets can have just about anything but most of the time are a source of unexpected and interesting finds. We often seek out markets in cities that we visit and incorporate these new styles and ideas into our work. As our design aesthetic evolved, which Amy calls "Industrial Cottage", custom work was requested more often and now we have a unique line of our own furniture that is built custom from steel and salvaged wood.  For examples go to places like Ella's restaurant or Groovy Cats and Dogs. Trips to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair and the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum in New York were key to increasing our interest in designing our own furniture.

Another part of the business besides the furniture is probably best described as gifts and home goods. This grew from the need for a diverse product line (not everybody needs a new dining table) and from meeting crafters and designers working with recycled materials on a smaller scale than furniture. That philosophy grew to include books about green design, cards from recycled materials, clothes from recycled materials, and fair trade items that pay good wages to artisans around the world. If it's eco-friendly, fair trade, or local then it might find a home in our shop.

Why: Some pinch-me moments have been:
-seeing a piece of our furniture in the Tampa Museum of Art on display
-getting awesome press for us and the neighborhood
-building a desk for City Council's Mary Mulhern and delivering it to a crowded City Hall
-chatting with Josh Dorfman in Brooklyn about green furniture before he was a famous Discovery Channel celebrity

One quote that is pretty over-used these days is Gandhi's "Be the change you want to see in the world." However, as residents of this often blighted and misunderstood neighborhood, we decided that instead of just complaining about how no cool shops are open here, we should "Be the change we want to see in our neighborhood." It has been the hardest thing we've ever done, we feel like we are always working, and we don't sleep much. When you see how happy people are with their homes or how much they love buying a gift that is going to help worthy organizations around the world it definitely feels worth it. We are happy to be part of a growing trend of businesses that wear their ideals on their sleeve and do what they because they love it. Thanks for supporting us and if you haven't been in yet, then let me be the first to ask "What are you waiting for?"

Charles Haynie -02/2010

For more info try our website http://www.tampastreetmarket.com/
or the blog http://www.tampastreetmarket.blogspot.com/

Sunday Morning Market in Seminole Heights a Success

Photo from Alan Snel at Bicycle Stories



The sun was shining on Seminole Heights yesterday as arts, crafts, food, and community organizations met hundreds of residents on the lawn of Hillsborough High School on Central Ave.  The cold didn't scare people away and as soon as the sun came out, it was packed!  We saw so many friends and customers that it was a little overwhelming at times, but the show of support from our neighbors was very inspiring.  Artists that we invited to the event were blown away by the neighborhood support and that will allow the market to grow with each new date.  The next market will be March 14th and we can hardly wait!
Personal highlights for me were seeing groups like the Urban Charette, Seminole Heights Bicycle Club (with biking blogger Alan Snel, BGOSH, and the Seminole Heights Community Garden in full force meeting neighbors and getting the word out about their respective missions.  Future blog posts will cover each of these with events such as the Pub Grub Ride and Paint the Town Green.  Other highlights were the awesome vegan Crimson Velveteen (red velvet on steroids) cupcakes from the Organic Juice Co-op, sampling our new Gluten Free Bakey Viitals awesome cookies,  and Joe's Oat Patties for lunch.  Apparently Viitals has organic coffee so I'll happily be diverting some of my Java cash from the green giant down the street. 
There were lots of great artists including jewelry, clothing, and a really awesome woodworker that we chatted with early on in the morning whose name escapes me (I suck at names BTW).  Thanks for everyone that came out and feel free to drop a comment and link to other artists or groups that you enjoyed at the show.
CharlesH

New design trends for cold nights.

 'Malle a Feu' by Atria is a hot fireplace design that disguises the traditional fireplace within a contemporary white trunk.--Ultra cool and casual! http://www.lefeunomade.com/cheminee-ethanol/malle-a-feu.htm

How about concrete and fire--tell me more!

http://www.solusdecor.com/

Or how about this outdoor patio from Apartment Therapy--Oppulence meets casual California style. I love it and want it in my yard!

Hands Across the Sand on Saturday

This came over from the well connected folks at Tomorrow Matters Tampa Bay.
-CharlesH

"For Immediate Release Contact: Cathy Harrelson, 727-415-8805
February 9, 2010 Phil Compton , 813-841-3601

Hands Across the Sands Saturday
Pinellas Legislators, Coastal Businesses and Residents Join Together &
Speak Out Against Threat of Big Oil to Way of Life on Gulf Beaches

Florida ’s beaches today face an unprecedented threat from Big Oil’s determined drive to drill in the eastern Gulf of Mexico . Saturday February 13th thousands of Floridians from every walk of life and political persuasion will join hands at 1:30pm on more than 80 Florida beaches to defend those beaches from the threat of offshore & nearshore drilling to our coastal environment and economy.

Prior to the Hands event, Pinellas County elected officials will join with local businesses at noon to explain why Florida ’s coastal economy must now be protected in both Tallahassee and Washington

WHEN: Saturday February 13, 2010, 12:00 noon
WHO: Pinellas County Elected Officials
WHAT: Hands Across the Sand press conference with Pinellas elected officials
WHERE: Sirata Beach Resort, 5300 Gulf Blvd. St. Pete Beach , FL 33706
Scheduled to speak at the noon press conference at the Sirata Beach Resort are:
Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch , District 7
Senator Dennis Jones, D.C., Florida District 13 (R-Seminole)
Senator Charlie Justice , Florida District 16 (D-St. Petersburg )
Rep. James C. “Jim” Frishe, Florida District 54 (R-St. Petersburg )
Rep. Rick Kriseman, Florida District 53 (D-St. Petersburg )
Shahra Anderson, Regional Director, office of U.S. Senator Bill Nelson
St. Petersburg City Councilman Karl Nurse
Rep. C.W. “Bill” Young, Florida 10th Congressional District (R-St. Petersburg), has also been invited.

Drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico has been considered for years, but never more seriously than today, with debate in both the US Senate and Florida State Legislature to occur in the next few weeks. Floridians are sounding the alarm statewide and joining hands in an outpouring of support to protect America ’s best beaches and the $65 billion tourist industry sustained by our coastal environment.

Directions to press conference at Sirata’s beachfront North Deck: Enter Sirata Beach Resort entrance, turn right, driving under registration portico. Right, then left past Avis building, another left to park near yellow wall with sign for “north deck” on left (beach access is on the right).

Visuals: Bi-partisan unity among local elected officials, joined by business leaders and owners from Gulf Blvd.’s beach resorts, on issue of defending Pinellas beaches from oil drilling, standing together on world famous St. Pete Beach at Sirata resort, with view of Tradewinds resort next door.

Note: Hundreds of participants in nearby Hands Across the Sands events will begin gathering at 1:00 pm to join hands from 1:30 – 1:45. Separate advisory will highlight local events.

-Sounds like a worthwhile event and should probably get some media coverage.
-CharlesH

Give Market this Sunday in Sem Heights a Chance...

Photo - "Mary and the Rabbits"
Personal Collection - shot in Brooklyn
CharlesH

Some readers might know that the reason we call our shop "Tampa Street Market" is because three years ago when we started it, Tampa didn't have a street market. We needed a place that could house a little bit of everything and still retain a cohesive identity. I would guess that most Seminole Heights residents have never visited our little shop for some confusion over what it might contain. Now with a second market in Tampa on the way this Sunday, I'm sure the confused phone calls will continue.

Seminole Heights is having an open air market on the front lawn of Hillsborough High School from 9-1 this Sunday the 14th. There will be music, food, produce, art, and all kinds of stuff. For us, a street market is a place to find just about everything - produce, plants, food, flowers, art, crafts, and cool antiques. Without some of these , a market lacks the allure of the urban treasure hunt that it is. We love visiting markets in NYC that could easily fit a new folk artist between a flower booth and a pile of antique cameras. I bought a silver cigarette case at the Portobello Road market in London while I was munching on some locally produced gourmet soup and that remains a fantastic memory of urban exploration.

I am glad that we are being included in this market, even though we are being encouraged to only bring our handmade crafts and furniture and no old funky stuff. I don't know why it is so hard to explain to people what our shop can offer them and I have no idea why we get so many "spinners" (our term for people who spin on their heels and exit our store as quickly as they came with a look of intense fear or confusion).

I have told everyone we know about the market and hope that it gets people out of their houses on what might be a chilly Sunday morning this weekend. There were something like 25,000 people in Seminole Heights in the 2000 census and that doesn't include the neighboring areas. A blog post on "Big Blue" this week asked what people can do to keep our neighborhood moving forward.

I say "Go to the market. Give it a chance. Give every business in the 'hood multiple chances. If you have a bad experience, see what you can do to remedy it. Offer constructive suggestions to business owners. We are people. We are neighbors. We aren't huge corporations that with big ole cash reserves. Most of us don't have a backup plan! We are doing all we can to make you happy so all we ask is that you give us all a second chance and... So your food was slow at the restaurant once? So you had to sit at the counter at a diner once? So a shop was closed early and you missed them? We are people with families and homes and dreams and failures, just like you. Don't give up on your own neighborhood, we locate our businesses here because we love the 'hood as much as you do.

For info on the market try http://seminoleheightsmarket.com/


-CharlesH

Back in the saddle again

First things first... we are open, the shop looks awesome, and we are ready to rock! We've done plenty of late nights, running around with the voice of Tim Gunn at the door shouting "Make it work!"

We did get it done finally and we are really happy with the results. Ella has a larger and more secure play area. Baci has more room to stretch out and nap. Amy has the space to organize the office and dig out of our mess of paperwork that was 2009.

We got the chandelier hanging dividers up to help section the shop better and we also set up some moveable dividers for artwork. We hope to hear from more artists that are interested in renting space so we can continue encouraging the local artist community in our neighborhood.

We also learned that one of our favorite locals - Ana of "Nested Yellow" was selected as an emerging artist in the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts! Congratulations to her and to all of the people that got her jewelry for Christmas this year! She does amazing and beautiful work in natural themes with a good mix of metal and salvaged materials like antique buttons or stones.

We are working to get a booth at the Sunday Morning Market in Seminole Heights that is coming up in two weeks. If you are interested, let us know as we are putting together a group of artists to band together and show how creative this community is.

Thanks for your patience with our closing this month. Come by the shop and see all of the new stuff - you will be amazed!

-Charles