Above Photo: Jay and Adam Souza of will open the second location of Kimi’s Ice Cream & Coffees in July in the Shoppes of Boyette.
The Shoppes of Boyette is 100 percent leased. There will be four new stores opening in the coming months, in addition to the recently opened Leaven Brewery which celebrated its grand opening with a Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting last week.
Leaven Brewery, owned by Apollo Beach residents KJ and Jillian Lynch, is now open Fridays and Saturdays, 3-10 p.m. The brewery offers 12 beers on tap that include their flagship beers, plus seasonal offerings and a guest tap featuring beers from other Florida breweries. Food trucks and local restaurants will provide food. For more details, visit www.leavenbrewery.com or call 813-677-7023.
The Venue will be a meeting space for professionals to host training, conferences, networking and other small events. Owned by Julie and Eros Dahl, also owners of the neighboring Riverview Mortgage, the Venue is set to open in late April or early May.
Julie explained, “Our initial vision was to create a co-work space and after doing some research, we found that the greatest need in the area is for a small place for businesses to host events.”
Build-out of the 1,400 sq. ft. space is underway and when complete, it will feature two bathrooms and a kitchen area, in addition t the meeting space. Tables and chairs offering seating for up to 80 people, plus audio visual equipment will be provided.
The Dahls are members of the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce and have been active members of the community for the past five years. “We are looking forward to working with more people in the area and being able to fill this need,” said Julie.
For more information, call 813-773-MEET.
Philly Pretzel Factory is another new addition to the plaza with an anticipated opening of late June or early July, according to owners Michele and John Maffei.
The Maffeis, Philadelphia natives, have been interested in opening a Philly Pretzel Factory franchise for several years and after moving to the Tampa area in 2016 and seeing that there were no franchises in the area, they decided it was the perfect opportunity. “We came in contact with a lot of people from the north who knew about the pretzels and were excited about the idea of having them available in the area.
The pretzels are homemade from scratch, hand-twisted and fresh baked daily. Pretzels, mini-pretzels and pretzel twists will be on the menu along with specialty items like pretzel dogs, pepperoni pretzel melts and pepperoni cheesesteak. Party trays and orders for special events, catering, fundraisers and more will be the focus of the business.
“Our vision of the store is that I want to become the ‘Pretzel Mayor’ of Riverview; we want to be able to become part of people’s lives, part of their special occasions,” said Michelle. “We also want to give back to the community by fundraising/sponsorship and donating.”
She added, “We want people to stop by while they are out shopping to grab a pretzel, or if they are going to have a celebration or party to think about getting a pretzel tray.”
Visit www.phillypretzelfactory.com or call 808-1469 to find out more.
Kimi’s Ice Cream & Coffees, which currently has a location in Apollo Beach, will open a second location in the Shoppes of Boyette. “The target opening date is July 1,” said owner Jeff Souza.
The store will be run by his two sons Jay and Adam, who also run the Apollo Beach store, doubling its business since they took over from the previous owners two years ago.
Kimi’s offers 43 flavors of Working Cow ice cream and more than 25 different sauces and toppings so guests can create a personalized dessert masterpiece. There also is coffee, espresso and tea.
“We have a lot of people that come to our Apollo Beach location from Riverview who said they would come more often if it was closer,” said Jeff.
He said the new store also will offer more sugar free and fat free options, in addition to its doggie ice cream which is also for those who are lactose intolerant.
Hours will be 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday.
The Souzas plan to open three more locations in the south Hillsborough area in the next five or six years. To find out more, visit www.kimisicecreamandcoffees.com or call 645-2038.
Rounding out the plaza, Gel Nails & Spa has expanded into the two spaces adjacent to its existing location and Pho Loc Tho, a Vietnamese restaurant, will open in the remaining 1750-sq-ft. space in early summer.
The Shoppes of Boyette is located on the northwest corner of Boyette and Balm Riverview roads. While the plaza is at full capacity, there is one out parcel available. Call 941-954-2300 or visit www.icorr.com for more information.
