It’s a time-honored tradition for a local Chamber of Commerce to host a ribbon cutting ceremony whenever a new business opens up in town.
But last week in Oldsmar, officials took that old “welcome to the neighborhood” concept one — no, make that eight — steps further.
The city hosted an 8-in-1 ribbon cutting ceremony at the Forest Lakes Plaza at 3780 Tampa Road on Friday afternoon, and many local dignitaries were on hand to help show their appreciation to the tenants for making it through the massive construction project that included adding a Thornton’s gas station at the plaza.
After separate ceremonies at each of the eight businesses, a large contingent of merchants and city officials gathered at the newly minted sign that marks the completely remodeled lot; following the ninth ribbon cutting of the day, participants spoke about the significance, of the event.
“I mentioned to one owner about this being a rebirthing of the plaza,” Mayor Doug Bevis said. “We wanted to thank the businesses for enduring the mess of the construction over the last few months.”
“It’s tough for these businesses to survive as it is, so we wanted to welcome the new businesses and thank the old ones for being a part of this city for so long.”
One such longtime merchant was extremely grateful, not to mention surprised, by the ceremony.
Jennifer Hearn and her family have owned the Hungry Howies at the plaza for nearly 30 years, and she said the gesture by the city to recognize their patience and perseverance meant a lot to them.
“You don’t normally see a ribbon cutting ceremony for a business that opened in 1987,” Hearn, who along with her sister, Julie Cavalcanti, represented the pizza shop at the event.
“We’ve been here for a long time and seen a lot of changes to this area, so to have the plaza remodeled to make it better for our business, and then to have the city officials recognize our part, has really been a pleasant surprise.”
The appreciative gesture was not lost on new tenants, either.
Vinod Rishi, owner of the Desi Tadka Indian restaurant, said that the merchants in the plaza are like one big family, and they all stuck together during the construction.
“This remodel is beautiful, so much better for all of us,” Rishi, who opened his eatery three years ago, said. “We like it very much.”
“We all try to help each other here,” he added, “and we would like to thank the city for recognizing our part in the project.”
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