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Tampa: Are we there yet, shoppers?
What do we have? More importantly, what don't we? Let us count the ways Tampa's shopping scene has and continues to evolve.
1. Zara: Vogue worthy style at decidedly less snobby prices has finally landed at International Plaza. Thank the shopping gods for delivering!
2. Whole Foods: The sign is up on Dale Mabry Highway, replacing the store formerly known as Wild Oats. We are elated, but the pride is bittersweet. If it's taken this long to get Whole Foods, we have no hope of Dean & DeLuca. And we still yearn for Trader Joe's.
3. Ikea/Crate & Barrel: In two years, we will look back and wonder how anyone decorated before the arrival of these titans of chic and affordable home furnishings. Let the countdown begin ... Ikea, Summer 2009. Crate & Barrel, 2009. And let's begin a campaign for The Container Store, and West Elm.
4. Saks Fifth Avenue: In the dark days before Saks, women had to go as far as Atlanta to find anything more exciting than Talbots. Repress the memory. Now we have full-line Chanel boutiques in Saks and Neiman Marcus. An embarrassment of riches!
5. Tiffany & Co.: How did anyone say "I love you" before the little blue box?
6. Anthropologie: Girly, flirty, hippy, happy. So few of us can look like we roll out of bed with good taste, which is why we have shelled out big bucks for their little tee's ever since this gem opened in Tampa's Hyde Park Village. And while we're counting blessings, here's to Urban Outfitters, an edgier cousin in Ybor.
7. Lest we think we're arrived and get a swelled head, let's pay homage to stores that Tampa Bay has landed and lost: FAO Schwarz, St. John Knits and Lladro among others.
Still waiting, after all these years ...
8. H&M: Why, why are we cursed? In real cities, H&M is the staple of cheap style on a budget. We pine away and dream of taking trips to New York.
9. Bloomingdale's and Barneys: We adore our Nordstrom, Dillard's and Macy's, but the department store lineup remains sadly incomplete. Tampa is not asking for the moon. Just give us Bloomie's and Barneys CO-OP.
(Photo: You won't see the Bloomingdale's brown bag in Tampa, but the little blue box is here.)
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THE AUTHORS
Stephanie Hayes came out of the womb wearing high heels. While other kids were reciting multiplication tables, she was learning to calculate an extra third off the half-price discount during buy-one-get-one week. She loves animal prints, black mascara and anything that sparkles. She objects to visible panty lines, Crocs and anything that costs more than a car payment. And she doesn't drive a nice car. She can be reached at (727) 893-8857 or shayes@tampabay.com.
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Kameel Stanley has never encountered a thrift store she didn’t like. Her
mother taught her that the true value of clothes isn’t how much they cost,
but how many outfits one can create from them. Having grown up in Michigan,
she was delighted to learn upon moving to Florida that she almost never
needed to wear socks or boots again. There’s a lot of turnover in her
closet, and she’s obsessed with dresses, necklaces and wedge heels. She can
be reached at (727) 893-8643 or kstanley@tampabay.com.
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A disciple of the little black dress classics school, Letitia Stein stretches her budget by looking for styles with staying power. She lives for 80 percent off shoes at DSW, floral sundresses and bohemian chic tops. She confesses to being a bit of a snob when it comes to handbags and jewelry. She can be reached at (813) 226-3400 or lstein@tampabay.com.
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Coming from a long line of fashionable women, Kim Wilmath considers herself lucky to fit into their hand-me-downs. Her wardrobe staples include her grandma's vintage blouses and her mom's funky jewelry. When she's in the market for "new" items, Kim hits her favorite thrift stores -- a habit she also picked up from mom. But when circumstances require a visit to the shiny stores in the mall, you'll find Kim at the sale rack like a good little diva. She can be reached at (813) 661-2442 or kwilmath@tampabay.com.
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