Beautification project in Lealman brings art and business to area

Mural project in Pinellas County

It took Ashley Cassens about two weeks to transform a blank wall on the side of 54th Avenue Deli Mart in Lealman into a vibrant mural. Kailey Tracy reports.

LEALMAN, Fla. - It took Ashley Cassens about two weeks to transform a blank wall on the side of 54th Avenue Deli Mart in Lealman into a vibrant mural.

She finished it in May. 

"I feel like murals are magic for me and for other people that see them," the artist said.

Her mural is part of a bigger beautification project put on through a partnership with Pinellas County, the nonprofit Creative Pinellas and the Lealman Community Redevelopment Area. They’ve wrapped utility boxes across the area with artwork and added a couple of murals.

"We've been working with Creative Pinellas for the last several years on public art projects within the Lealman Community Redevelopment Area, and that's what we refer to as the Lealman CRA," said Amy Davis, assistant to the county administrator and a community coordinator.

"The project, usually in the past, has entailed just murals. This year, we've had two murals added to our inventory here, so now we have a total of nine murals throughout Lealman. But also, this year it included three utility box wraps, so that was exciting to have added to the project," Davis said.

One of the goals of the project is to help local businesses that are near the artwork.

What they're saying:

"Public art can really help with community renewal. It can also help with economic development. It draws attention to buildings such as this building," Davis said.

That’s just what it has done for the owner of 54th Avenue Deli Mart. Cassens’s mural is painted on the building the business is in.

Weekend Forecast: How much rain will the Tampa Bay area get this weekend? Here's a look

"So many people didn't even know that there was a convenience store right here," Dilip Nayak, the owner of 54th Avenue Deli Mart, said. "So, it's actually good for us. They've been stopping by, you know, just to look at it, what's going on in here, what kind of business is there. So, it is really eye-catching. It really helps."

"I’ve been working for almost 10 years and this is the greatest initiative I've seen in the last few years. It really looks great, and I have been actually noticing everything all around this city," he said.

A member of the CRA Citizen Advisory Committee sits on the selection committee to decide where the art will go, and works closely with the CRA staff and Creative Pinellas, Davis said.

"The goal is to bring some public awareness to the community, to uplift the community," Kim Blessinger, the Lealman Community Redevelopment Area Citizen Advisory Committee Chair, said.

"When you spot a wrapped signal box, you're like, ‘oh, there's one.’ And when you spot a mural, you know, you’re like, ‘oh, look at that.’ So, we're excited to bring more to the community and to, you know, cover up more walls with beautiful art instead of it just being, you know, a boring blank wall," Blessinger said.

Artists also brought other signal boxes to life across Pinellas County as part of the project. They had about $50,000 this year for the project.