Nebraska Ave. Business Association forms to fight blight
Shedding reputation, opening businesses
A group of business owners on N Nebraska Ave. in Tampa is banding together to beef up their customer base. Evan Axelbank reports.
TAMPA - Roland Hines has long known if he can make it on Nebraska Ave., he can make it anywhere.
"I am very proud, it's my dream to have a Jamaican restaurant," said Hines. "Its been my dream forever."
His Caribbean restaurant, "Hines Caribbean Cuisine," has survived for five years at Nebraska Ave. and 26th St., but sometimes it feels like that's all he's doing.
"(There are) ups and downs," he said. "Sometimes good days, weekends are the best days."
On the fifty-or-so blocks that make up Nebraska Ave. between 7th and Hillsborough Ave., business owners are singing similar songs.
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How do they get out from under decades of crime, homelessness, drug use, prostitution and violence to succeed?
"People are driving and not stopping," said Albert Cooke of Complete Home Inspection Services. "We want them to stop and want them to come into the business."
25 businesses are now members of the new Nebraska Avenue Business Association.
They're worried nearby developments like Armature Works, Gasworx and Water Street soak up customers.
"We're not trying to compete with them, we're trying to compliment them," said Miguel Gonzalez, the NABA chair.
The challenge these businesses have is perception.
How do you convince people this is the place to shop when you don’t have a big marketing budget and Nebraska has a reputation that is hard to shake.
"There's obviously strength in numbers," said Gonzalez. "Division makes everything collapse. When we start bringing the businesses together, everyone is rowing the boat and basically moving towards the higher goal of reactivating this area of town."
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What's next:
The association admits it's up against history.
They highlight newspaper clippings from the 1920s and 30s, showing there have always been bigger dreams for the 2.5-mile stretch of road that splits the city between east and west.
Anthony Fonseca just brought Station House Barbecue to the area, and is hoping for more foot traffic.
"This is where God put me, so that's all that matters," said Fonseca.
For more information on NABA, click here.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Evan Axelbank.