Southeast Seminole Heights Civic Association, Inc

Kash n' Karry Cultural Festival

Posted in: SE Seminole Heights
Kash n' Karry Cultural Festival

Dear Neighbors:

This afternoon I spoke with Taryn Jones, Community Affairs Specialist for Kash n' Karry/Sweetbay Supermarkets. She gave me some additional details about the upcoming festival and about future plans for Kash n' Karry stores.

The festival will be held at their Nebraska Avenue/MLK., Jr. Blvd. store on Saturday, January 8 from Noon until 4:00 PM. The purpose of the festival is to bring our many neighboring communities together and celebrate the area in which we live. Other communities who have been invited to participate with a booth are: Tampa Heights and Belmont Heights. I also suggested that they may want to invite both V.M. Ybor and Ybor Heights.

It will be a ''carnival like'' event that will have lots of activities for our youth, as well as programs and community information for adults. Here are some of the booths that will be at the festival:


Tampa Community Health Screening (free screening)
Kash 'n Karry Pharmacy (free ''over the counter'' samples)
Fun for Kids:
Face Painting
Fun Foods: snow cones, cotton candy, etc.
Jumping Capsule
Food Sampling from Kash n' Karry
Various Community Resources: Boys & Girls Club, Recreation Dept.
Entertainment: Middleton Band; Calypso Band, etc.
Live Media Reports: Radio 95.7; TV Stations



I have expressed the various concerns you have shared about the cleanliness of the store and parking area, lack of a customer friendly atmosphere, ''panhandling'' in the parking lot, and the general lack of a ''we are glad you are shopping with us; please visit us again'' attitude.

Ms. Jones was very receptive to our concerns about the store. She plans to address these concerns with upper management during the planning process for this event. She also said she would like to hear from any of our neighbors about their shopping experiences at the store. She can be reached at: 620-1139, ext. 587. Her email address is: TJones@kashnkarry.com

Also, she would like to have any suggestions we may have re: other groups or community service/resource organizations that may be interested in having a booth/table at the festival.

Ms. Jones is also sending us a website address that describes how Kash 'n Karry stores are being converted to Sweetbay Supermarkets. This is a new chain that is part of the Hanaford Stores in New England. The first store in the Tampa Bay Area has opened in Pinellas Park, in Seminole, Florida. Additional stores are opening in Ft. Myers and points South. There is a 3 year plan to convert all Kash 'n Karry stores in Florida into Sweetbay Supermarkets. Our neighborhood K 'n K will be converted in 2006. Some of the new features in this new type store will include a sit down deli/coffee shop; a sushi section in the deli, and an expanded wine and cheese department.

I welcome your comments on whether or not you would like for your Southeast Seminole Heights Civic Association to accept Kash 'n Karry's invitation to be a participant in their First Neighborhood Cultural Food Festival. The opinions of our neighbors will certainly be taken into consideration when your SESHCA board votes on this issue. Presently, the board has a motion ''on the floor'' to participate and a second to the motion. We have had some discussion. The board will be asked to vote tomorrow, as we need to advise Kash 'n Karry of our decision.

I will email the Sweetbay Stores website as soon as I receive it. Please visit the site to learn more. Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns and opinions on this issue.

Beverly Ardisana-Morrow, President
SESHCA


By Beverly Morrow
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