Seminole Heights retailers look to go big on Small Business Saturday

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS — A group of retailers along N Florida Ave. in South Seminole Heights have banded together to go big on Small Business Saturday.

Blind Tiger Cafe, Barks to Riches, Valhalla Women's Boutique and Royal Suzie hope to use Saturday to expand their clientele.

"This is the part of Seminole Heights that doesn't get as much love, everything from Hillsborough (Avenue) and south, so we wanted to anchor the community institutions and help bring all the businesses together," said Blind Tiger Cafe owner Roberto Torres.

Torres, a Tampa Bay area business owner who has three Blind Tiger locations and is currently working on a fourth in Westchase, has helped pave the way for many of his neighboring businesses along the south end of N Florida Ave.

Matt Masifilo, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneer, becomes the latest to step into the district with Modernesian Kava Social.

"Roberto helped me when I first started and now I'm passing the baton to Matt," said Kendry Liranza, the owner of dog daycare space Barks to Riches.

"We love serving our community," Liranza said. "This is a very small community so we all just help each other out and we try the best we can to offer services to please the community so they know we are here and we're not going anywhere else."

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, visited the five businesses on Wednesday to promote the continued growth of Small Business Saturday.

"It's important if we're going to help lift our economy and boost our neighbors to shop small," Castor said. "When you do that you support your neighbors, and you put more money back into their pocket and keep those dollars circulating right here in the Tampa Bay community."

For every $100 spent in a local store, $68 stays in the community, compared to $43 when shopping at national and franchise businesses, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the last eight years, the Saturday after Thanksgiving has grown into an effort to create a bridge between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Masifilo hopes to continue the movement. He operated Modernesian Kava Social online for four years. After recently opening his first storefront location a couple weeks ago, he looks forward to having a gathering space for residents to unwind and enjoy the earthy drink that fans say gives them a euphoric calm.

"The kava industry is a small industry that's growing fast and I just like being apart of a community where I can start from scratch, from nothing and build it up," Masifilo said. "I just felt the vibe of Seminole Heights. It's on the upswing and still raw so it's more satisfying seeing things grow around you then just jumping into a crowded space."

Contact Monique Welch at mwelch@tampabay.com or Follow Mo_UNIQUE_ .