Cleveland Street Downtown Clearwater
Thank you to all who attended our Downtown Clearwater Cleveland Street Walkabout on Tuesday July 25, we had 29 Bay Area Concierge Association (BACA) members who braved the heat & humidity to attend that evening. I wish to thank Lina Teixeira, President of the Downtown Clearwater Merchants Association, for initiating the event, enlisting the merchants and putting it all together, and to her 3 downtown assistants: Seth Taylor, Chloe Brannen and Zach Thorn, who were very informative serving as our Tour Guides. I also wish to thank Camille Hebting from The Clearwater Ferry for her part in organizing the event along with Lina, these two industrious, forward-thinking women, along with our 3 tour guides, are a tremendous asset to the city and to the promotion & survival of the downtown district. Remember to tell your friends and guests about the Clearwater Ferry and also to use it yourself, to get between the beach and downtown, a great and scenic way to beat the causeway traffic!
Thank you to Kara Lynn of Kara Lynn’s Kitchen for all of her healthy, neat little treats she prepared for us and also for marshalling our crowd and generally serving as a good will ambassador – isn’t she just adorable?!?. If you’re looking for something healthier than a fried fish sandwich, look no further than her cute little café; and if you have a particular guest with dietary restrictions, send her to KaraLynn. Thank you for the gift card that was found within the ‘Swag Bags’ that Lina & her helpers put together.
Thank you to the Clearsky Café on Cleveland owner Dan Shouvlin and GM Scott Szalay. Another amazing dining venue from the Clearsky Café Group (other locations in Clearwater Beach & Dunedin), what a beautiful building they have restored to resemble a turn-of-the-century brick and tin ceiling interior space reminiscent of a classic speakeasy; and also their serene air-conditioned courtyard space with the faux windows and calming bubbly fountain. Boy the food we sampled was delicious! And plentiful! And all the drinks! Thank you Scott for going above and exceeding our expectations, we really appreciate you and your staff and thank you for your generosity. I was fortunate to have arrived early to Clearsky before the event and Scotty indulged me with numerous small-plate appetizers, each one better than the last; really loved the Chicken Cordon Bleu Sliders, the Lamb Kabobs and the Albondigas Meatballs! The café has only been open for a few short months and already they have a good following, a great place to relax before and after a performance at the Capitol Theatre right across the street. Congratulations & Good Luck Dan & Scott, we wish you continued success downtown.
Thank you to Aubrey Page of Page Nails for showing us around your spotlessly clean beauty salon…. wow what a nice relaxing spot in which to pamper yourself for a few hours. So many stations for nails, facials, massages, etc.. it was hard prying our members out of the plush leather pedicure massage chairs to continue on the tour! And thanks again to Kara Lynn for the little goodies she brought over to the salon, the huge strawberry I ate was so ripe & juicy!
Thank you to Leo from LaFondita de Leo for taking great care of our members, everyone looked so relaxed around the big table munching & drinking and taking in the cool vibe; this joint really swings on the weekends with crowds dancing to a sexy bachata or steamy salsa Latin beats.
Thank you to the Lucky Anchor Bar, we really loved all your beer samples and playing that video golf game, so realistic! What a cool little hangout to escape the crowds to, like a little neighborhood bar where everyone knows your name. Really like the outdoor tables and the big Jenga game! Good luck with your expansion plans, we look forward to seeing your operation next year!
Thank you and welcome to the lovely Italian family (father, mother & son) at the Cleveland Street Café for their little goodies, this is a really neat little classic Italian café and we wish them the best of success as the new owners.
Thank you to Marlene Rose for the sweet treats that made for a happy ending to our walkabout, what a beautiful contemporary little art gallery you have there; really love the multiple colored glass Buddhas statues and also those glass sculptures that resembled fruit candy jellies.
Thank you to Tony and his lovely wife at Tony’s Pizza; like Lina, Tony is a big player downtown in the revitalization effort. Thanks for the gift card, also found in the swag bag.
Thanks again to Lina and her assistants in her Studio 617, what a cool gallery with all the wearable art! Loved the styro-peanuts head piece – if you need a crazy costume, look here first…. if you don’t see something, perhaps she can recycle some things into something neat! And check-out the photography that changes artists frequently, some neat pictures and some very tasteful nude photographs.
Thank you to Kayla Corbin, local franchise owner of College Nannies, for attending our event. Concierges: if your guests are in need of Baby Sitting Services, check their website https://www.collegenanniesandtutors.com/clearwaterfl for details or contact Kayla direct at 727.674.0277 or via Email KCorbin@CollegeNannies.com; (509.551.9340-Cell)
Thanks again to all who participated, both attendees and merchants and thank you for the discounts and gift cards that were contained in the swag bags. There were so many faces I’m sure I’ve overlooked a couple of folks and for that I apologize. We all had such a wonderful and informative time that we look forward to possibly having our Cleveland Street Walkabout as an annual BACA event! See you next year!