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Business Happy To See Tan Lines

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By MICHAEL H. SAMUELS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 21, 2007

TAMPA - A tanning salon with a South Beach feel has opened on South Howard Avenue.

The Hyde Park Tan Lounge, 204 S. Howard Ave., is a full-service salon that also offers skin therapy and teeth whitening. It features tanning beds imported from Italy, co-owner Sam Singleton said.

"It's got a different feel to it," Singleton said. "It caters more to the South Tampa crowd."

The salon is decorated with floor-to-ceiling white linen fabric walls, zebra carpeting and Italian glass countertops, he said. There are nine, private tanning stations, and customers can choose beds or stand-up rooms.

Singleton said his business partner, Terry Blachek, has 20 years in the fitness business. This is the duo's first tanning salon.

He said the first weeks of business have gone well, with as many as 20 people waiting to use the stations.

"That's a good problem to have," Singleton said.

The salon is in a 1,480-square-foot building and has room to expand.

The salon is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For information, call (813) 868-4444.
Bird Store Flies Coop, Stays On Dale Mabry

For the third time, TLC Birds of Tampa has moved.

This time, it has relocated five blocks north to 4027 S. Dale Mabry Highway.

The store moved from 4512 S. Dale Mabry Highway after The Sports Pizzarena opened next door.

"We were already in a difficult location," manager Robert Fields said. "Then they took all our parking away. Our client base has taken a nose dive after that."

He said the business also is growing fast and needed more space. The new shop is 2,400 square feet, with 1,900 square feet of showroom space; the previous location was 1,800 square feet.

The business moved in mid-October and is working on erecting signs along Dale Mabry to boost visibility.

"We're finally all settled in," Fields said.

The store sells birds, cages and accessories. Fields said the new space allows the store to sell bigger cages and larger parrots and macaws.

"That's a hard nut to crack," he said. "Now we have got space to hold all of them."

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

For information, call (813) 541-6520.

Mocha Is The Color Of Chateau SoHo

The pink building on South Howard Avenue has gone mocha.

The former 42nd Street restaurant turned Chateau France is now Chateau SoHo, 516 S. Howard Ave.

"We just transformed the menus," chef Tony Savage said. "We're not as expensive, not as high-end. Not as froufrou. It's more what the people are looking for."

The menu incorporates three styles: French, Cajun and Creole. Savage said those are styles he knows best from working in New Orleans for 20 years before Hurricane Katrina.

Entrees range from $14.99 for mussels over angel hair pasta to $50 for steak and seafood. The average is about $25, Savage said.

He also said the restaurant offers two-for-one $8 martinis on Friday nights and is creating wine specials on Wednesday nights.

The restaurant can host banquets for up to 40 people, floor manager Jose Alvarez said.

Chateau SoHo is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.

For information, call (813) 253-0042.

Opening a new business? Expanding or relocating? Contact reporter Michael H. Samuels at msamuels@tampatrib.com or (813) 835-2109.

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