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A Commitment To Success

Photo by KELVIN MA/staff

Galeria Leo Artzi president Elliot Greenbaum and Curator Liliana Villaverde, who also sells advertisements for Tampa Tribune sister publication Centro, try to cater to local artists in their Channelside gallery. But the struggling housing market and real estate environment in general has made things difficult

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

Updated: 02/04/2008 09:34 pm

CHANNEL DISTRICT - Elliot Greenbaum and Liliana Villaverde of Davis Islands opened Galeria Leo Artzi in October with hopes of selling only the works of local artists.

For Greenbaum, it was a bittersweet homecoming. In 2005, he sold his Seaboard Cold Storage property, located in the Channel District for more than 40 years.

Renting space from a developer for the gallery brings him back to a neighborhood he knows well. But Galeria Leo's stay at 209 S. 12th St. will be short-lived. The property is part of almost 6 acres earmarked by St. Petersburg developer Sembler Investments to become Seaboard Square, a hotel and residential project set to begin in March.

Villaverde, an account executive for Centro Mi Diario, a Spanish publication of Media General, owner of The Tampa Tribune, said the gallery's works include sculptures by Channel District dance instructor Louisa Menchkoff and surrealist Darwin Leon.

"The truth is these are great works of art," Greenbaum said.

He's upset about the theft of two of Leon's paintings in a recent break-in.

"The artist was livid," Greenbaum said. "These each represented six months of work."

The urban setting has other challenges for a fledging gallery. The sluggish housing market is curtailing the expected influx of residents to the Channel District. But Greenbaum is optimistic. He plans to relocate to a nearby condominium complex, such as Grand Central at Kennedy, where ground-floor retail space is plentiful.

"We're committed to making this work," said Greenbaum, who paints and writes poetry under the pseudonym Leo Artzi and remains president of Seaboard Cold Storage at its new location, 5601 N. Anderson Road.

Galeria Leo Artzi is at 209 S. 12th St. For information, call (813) 220-4078 or go to www.leoartzi.com.

Janis D. Froelich

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