Starbucks Opening Another Location in Carrollwood

At 10002 North Dale Mabry Highway, the mermaid is in and the fish is out.

The popular seafood restaurant Long John Silver’s – best known for their freshly prepared battered Alaskan pollock, chicken, and shrimp – has closed its doors and will be replaced by the Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks, complete with a drive thru.

“We’re excited about our new store on Dale Mabry Highway opening in late September or early October," read a company statement from Starbucks. "This is our first new store in Tampa in three years, and it’s a perfect location for us.”

Noreen Klein is a 25-year member and current president of the Carrollwood Area Business Association (CABA), and Klein said that the location is perfect for local residents commuting to work, and the employees housed in the office buildings located on West Linebaugh. (Carrollwood also has a Starbucks at 14394 N. Dale Mabry Highway just south of the intersection of Bearss Avenue).

“We always welcome new businesses to the Carrollwood area," she said. "I personally view it as a positive sign that our local business community is growing, expanding and hopefully prospering."

Klein also added that Carrollwood has been very fortunate to have vacant buildings fill up quickly. 

“If you drive down Dale Mabry, you don’t see too many empty store fronts, which are a plus; not only are the unattractive, but they bring values down.” 

Like the less than half a mile down the road (at 10410 N. Dale Mabry), Starbucks promises a “really special” interior, complete with generous, comfortable, and flexible seating options -  including a community table that will seat more than 10 people, with outlets for laptops and other electronic devices. 

Similar to all of their new company operated stores, this location is designed to be LEED certified.  (LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally-recognized green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in March 2000.) 

For example, the reclaimed wood used for the community table, planking on the bar and the screens dividing the space was provided by Greenworks Cabinetry.  With headquarters in Deerfield Beach, Greenworks is one of the few eco-friendly cabinet manufacturers in the nation, whose goal is to design eye-pleasing, long-lasting furniture, while conserving natural resources and improving indoor air quality.

Owner Jon Kaplan began his business catering to residential clients, and has is now a national provider to many companies, including over 200 Starbucks locations nationwide, primarily throughout the east coast and southern states. 

“The whole focus is to develop green products so as not to contaminate the indoor environment while preserving natural resources,” said Kaplan.    

According to Starbucks and Greenworks, the wood came from cypress trees outside of Gainesville that were originally cut down in the early 1900's and eventually sunk to the bottom of rivers in central and northern Florida when large loads of logs were being floated down to the saw mills.

“These logs have lain dormant for 100 years, but are now being recovered for projects like ours instead of cutting down more trees. In addition, the existing decking at the front of the store has been recycled and taken to another local project,” read a statement from Starbucks. 

The popular coffee shop's new neighbors are also eager for their grand opening.

“We’re excited to welcome them to the neighborhood," said Rachel Cobo, an associate at , located across the street at 10019 N. Dale Mabry Highway. "I know many people who live here are looking forward to the convenience of having a Starbucks close by.  And, as with any business new to the area, we hope it will let potential customers know that we’re here and perhaps bring in some new clients."