HSN buys keepsake retailer Chasing Fireflies
By Mark Albright, Times Staff Writer Monday, April 2, 2012 HSN Inc., the St. Petersburg e-commerce retailer, has acquired Chasing Fireflies, a children and family lifestyle brand with revenues of $39...
View ArticleAirline ratings up? Just get me where I'm going with my bags
By Robert Trigaux, Times Business Columnist Monday, April 2, 2012 It sure doesn't feel like it — wedged in the middle seat on a maxed-out flight, paying extra for baggage and begging for peanuts — but...
View ArticleBurger King's new menu mimics rival McDonald's
Associated Press Monday, April 2, 2012 MIAMI — Burger King is trying to revive its ailing empire with a rival's recipe for success.After years of lackluster sales of its Whoppers and fries, the...
View ArticleEurozone jobs slump
By PAN PYLASAP Business Writer Monday, April 2, 2012 LONDON — Unemployment in the 17 countries that use the euro hit its highest level since the currency was introduced in 1999, official figures showed...
View ArticleFans' passion helps lure NCAA hockey championships to Tampa
By Justin George, Times Staff Writer Monday, April 2, 2012 TAMPA — Linda Alfonso had never been to a Tampa Bay Lightning game. But last year, she caught playoff fever and went "all in" — as was the...
View ArticleCompetition is spicy on Fourth Street barbecue corridor
By Katherine Snow Smith, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, April 3, 2012 ST. PETERSBURG — Tomato or vinegar based? Kansas City or Texas style? Pulled or chopped? East side of Fourth Street or west? For here...
View ArticleTropicana Field's Whitney Bank Club gets a new name
Times staff Tuesday, April 3, 2012 Tampa Bay Rays fans will see more than new names on the field when the season kicks off Friday vs. the New York Yankees. The Whitney Bank Club at Tropicana Field...
View ArticleInternational Plaza gets three new chain stores
By Mark Albright, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, April 3, 2012 TAMPA — Three chains new to the Tampa Bay market will open stores at International Plaza in coming months.One of them, Urban Outfitters' Free...
View ArticleKey Treasure Island property sold
By Sheila Mullane Estrada, Times Correspondent Tuesday, April 3, 2012 TREASURE ISLAND — More than 10 acres at the city's northern tip changed hands Monday, ending more than 60 years of ownership by the...
View ArticleChicken upstart taking on Chick-fil-A
By Katherine Snow Smith, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, April 3, 2012 ST. PETERSBURG — An upstart fast food restaurant is proving it's not chicken. PDQ, which serves up chicken tenders, chicken salads and...
View ArticleBids fly for bed and breakfast
By Katherine Snow Smith, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, April 3, 2012 ST. PETERSBURG — About 50 people, including close to 20 potential buyers holding yellow bid cards, showed up at the recent auction of...
View ArticleWellCare Health Plans whistle-blower to receive about $21 million
By Jeff Harrington, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, April 3, 2012 TAMPA — Whistle-blower Sean Hellein will receive nearly $21 million for triggering a successful federal inquiry into Medicare and Medicaid...
View ArticleHonda begins shipping CRVs through Tampa port
By Elizabeth Behrman, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, April 3, 2012 American Honda Motor Co. will now be using the Port of Tampa as an import gateway for Honda CRVs destined for Haiti, the Bahamas, the...
View ArticleSaladworks makes healthy eating convenient
By Marty Clear, Times Correspondent Tuesday, April 3, 2012 BRANDON — Calvin Rucker and his wife, Felicia, have made healthy eating more convenient for many Brandon residents.The Ruckers recently opened...
View ArticleThe new Brandon Saladworks offers a healthy take on fast food
By Marty Clear, Times Correspondent Tuesday, April 3, 2012 BRANDON — Brandon Saladworks staged its grand opening March 26, but the soft opening may have been more impressive thanks to a visit from New...
View ArticleRuth Eckerd Hall announces details of plan to renovate Clearwater's historic...
By Drew Harwell, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, April 3, 2012 CLEARWATER — One of Florida's oldest theaters is getting readied for a makeover.The Capitol Theatre, opened in 1921 for vaudeville and opera,...
View ArticleRising gas prices fuel big gains in sales of small cars
Associated Press Tuesday, April 3, 2012 DETROIT — The auto industry looks set to ride the appeal of smaller cars to its best monthly performance in almost four years. General Motors said Tuesday that...
View ArticleFed officials worry recent job gains may fade
Associated Press Tuesday, April 3, 2012 WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve policymakers are worried that recent strong gains in hiring could fizzle if U.S. economic growth doesn't pick up. But there's no...
View ArticleSouth Tampa gets Holy Hog Barbecue, Little Greek Restaurant, orthopedic center
By Amy Scherzer, Times Staff Writer Wednesday, April 4, 2012 PALMA CEIA — Burnt ends may sound like something left on the stove too long, but barbecue aficionados know otherwise. "It's actually points...
View ArticleCollege Hunks is relocating to Ybor City
By Jeff Harrington, Times Staff Writer Wednesday, April 4, 2012 The national moving and hauling outfit that began as a pair of college "hunks" hauling trash away from homes is graduating into bigger...
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