Bartender Melvin had a great surprise birthday party Sunday at Bradley’s on 7th. A packed bar of guests to be honest. Happy Birthday Melvin. A huge hit this past weekend was the ‘Dakotas’ Midwest Get Together’ on the balcony at Hamburger Mary’s. Local Dakotan residents met for the first time. We meet daily in our store people coming to live, relocated or are yearly visitors to Tampa. So Teacup set up a party at Mary’s to have a Meet n Greet for everyone from the Midwest. It was a blast and funny that 12 were from the same North Dakota city of Mandan and knew of the others when living in North Dakota but were never introduced until last Saturday. A wild time for the Tampa Bay Concierges Assoc. receiving a gift bag full of Ybor spots. They went on to touring Ybor City with eats, drinks and stops at Don Vicente Historic Inn, Liquid Lounge, Czar’s Zoya Hooka Lounge, Hamburger Mary’s, Bernini’s and lastly the Castle. The annual “Open Your Eyes to Ybor City” event was sponsored by Ybor City Development Corp. The weekend will be a very busy one with  Gancho Circuit Party, Gasparilla Pirate Fest, Olivia’s 3000 All Women Cruise out of Tampa, a circus at Steam Fridays plus major VIPs visiting otherwise it’s just the fabulous regular routine of local exciting clubs and bar events. GaYBOR District will be packed! Another great super talent goes on to compete in Hollywood this week. Alissa Summers, headliner at Steam Fridays at the Honey Pot, is heading to Hollywood to compete in the upcoming Logo TV’s hot dragathon series, RUPAUl’s Drag Race Season 4. Good Luck & Viva La GaYBOR!!!

Wow just 2 weeks away. Cupids love arrows hits many at strange times and places. It is as big as Christmas but you don’t have to worry about the stores cramming Holiday music and decorations down your throats or making you guilty of not spending enough on gifts. Valentine’s Day is the day you share with your partner a personal intimate gift. Delectable Belgium chocolates, hot fantasy underwear, sparkling jewelry or going out to eat at a restaurant you’d normally not think about going to. All for love!!  We don’t have all the creations but we do carry those special eclectic fun gifts for your new or happy long time found love at the official crazy Ybor City spot,  MC FILM.

With a steady hand and mind, Diane & her husband Dean James have purchased many historical commercial properties in Ybor City and downtown Tampa. The 2 crafty artisans create magic with the making of the historical steel light bridges all along on 7th Ave in Ybor City, Also the fancy flared steel waste baskets throughout Ybor City. Once beginners in the art of glass masters they have ventured into making stain glass windows, sand etching glass and blowing glass.  She is  a very strong advocate to area history, local preservation groups and safety concerns in Ybor City. A founding member of the GaYBOR District and is a nurse by trade. Diane is very involved with the her grandchildren, their Pennsylvania farm and the many properties she owns and manages.

I remember asking Peter…

“No, I just have a lot of them.” he told me.