As we get ready to re-launch our 10/100/1000 contest, we caught up with last year’s finalist Brian Weinstein from Tampa Changing to see how the project is coming along…

Franklin Street - then and now

Bryan Weinstein has been hunting down historic photos of Tampa for over a year and a half. After determining where in Tampa the historic photo was taken, he systematically takes a matching modern photograph of the scene. The historic photograph as well as the matching re-photograph are then posted to his website, www.TampaChanging.com, allowing people to view the changes, or lack of, that have occurred over the years.

Last year, Tampa Changing received a lot of exposure when it was one of the ten finalists in the 10/100/1000 contest. Due to the publicity Tampa Changing received from this contest, Bryan was asked to be a guest speaker at two local Preservation Society meetings and has been featured in other local publications. He has had his re-photography exhibited and currently has his re-photography for sale in the Tampa Bay History Center’s gift shop.

After becoming a finalist, Bryan was contacted by many people throughout Tampa Bay. Some were photographers who wanted to submit their own re-photography. Others were residents who wanted to submit their own historic photographs, and others wanted to know when Bryan would be able to re-photograph their section of Tampa, and even the surrounding counties. While Bryan’s efforts are still primarily focused in and around Tampa, www.TampaChanging.com now features re-photography Bryan has taken around the world and an ever-increasing section dedicated to re-photography taken by other local photographers.

by: Brian Weinstein, Tampa Changing

Channel 10 News

The farm to plate movement may be nothing new, but we are seeing more restaurants across Tampa Bay moving away from produce and livestock farmed outside the area and getting back to the local farm.

“It tastes so much better,” said John Matthews, “If you haven’t had fresh broccoli before, you have no idea what you’re missing.”

To say Matthews is passionate about locally grown food is an understatement.

His life revolves around it.

He created the Suncoast Food Alliance about four years ago after noticing the struggle for restaurants to get locally grown food on their menus.

While there’s no shortage of farms in our area, there is a problem with convenience.

So, he became a “middle man”, picking up the harvest from local farms and bringing them directly to the restaurants.

Full story

LocalShops1.com is thrilled to announce it has been accepted as the Tampa Bay regional network for BALLE, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies.

BALLE is North America’s fastest growing organization of socially responsible businesses, comprised of more than 80 community networks in 30 U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

LocalShops1 is BALLE’s first network in the Southeast.

“This partnership adds a whole new dimension to LocalShops1, and helps us better serve our members,” said Ester Venouziou, LocalShops1.com founder. “Our goal is to work together with other BALLE networks to share ideas and  create new initiatives that will make Tampa Bay a more vibrant, sustainable community.”

LocalShops1’s longterm vision is perfectly aligned with that set by BALLE: Within a generation, we envision a global system of human-scale, interconnected local living economies that function in harmony with local ecosystems, meet the basic needs of all people, support just and democratic societies, and foster joyful community life.

The partnership gives LocalShops1 and its member businesses access to BALLE research and webinars, as well as support from other BALLE networks. In addition to pooled resources, this is also about pooling experience.

“By becoming a BALLE, network, we take our perspective as a regional business that has lived the trials and triumphs facing local companies and combine it with that of a large nonprofit organization that helps independent businesses nationally,” said Venouziou. “It brings together Tampa Bay’s leading advocate for small businesses with an organization with the reach and political clout to drive the movement all across the country.”

For more information, contact LocalShops1.com at 727-637-5586 or events@LocalShops1.com.

As we prepare to relaunch our 10/100/1000 contest, we caught up with Carissa Caricato, last year’s finalist from Hoola for Happiness to see what the group has been up to in the past year.

The project started as the charitable initiative of Hoola Monsters, a local organization that provides hoola dancing instruction and performances, but it has grown into so much more. Hoola for Happiness is not only spreading joy through events, but creating a social movement through laughter, play and a sense  of community.

After the publicity received from of being a finalist in our contest, Carissa, the group’s founder and organizer decided to quit her job to focus on Hoola for Happiness on a full time basis.

“To take hoops around the world and spread joy was my dream from July 2010, but God opened that door a whole year later to leave my job and make it a reality. It was definitely encouraging to have community support and awareness of this idea through outlets like Creative Tampa Bay and Creative Loafing. The outpouring of support I received both verbally and monetarily came quickly after the announcement of the finalists, adding legitimacy to our ideas!” comments Carissa.

The group is now an official non-profit entity, and they have traveled the world to places such as Kenya, Uganda, London, Camboria, Haiti, Liberia, Brazil, Cuba and Dubai. They’re also helping the homeless through partnerships with Feeding Children Everywhere, Hope Children’s Home and Metropolitan Ministries.

For future plans, they plan to continue to spread the joy on a global level. They will also begin teaching hooping classes in South Tampa soon, and have launched a new “Hoola for life” benefit line.

For more information, visit: http://hoolaforhappiness.org.

by: Megan Hendricks, buzz editor
source: Carissa Caricato

Tampa Bay Business Journal

Construction has begun on phase 1 of the Zack Street Promenade of the Arts in downtown Tampa.

The roughly $1.2 million project includes the construction of a pedestrian-friendly area emphasizing “the integration of public art into the streetscape,” a written statement said.

Full story