For The Pet In Your Life

Pet owners now have a new place to buy healthful, natural pet food and fresh-baked gourmet dog treats, as well as a variety of natural pet products. Woof Gang Bakery Winter Park, 918 Orange Ave., was founded on the principle that caring pet owners want to provide their pets with the happiest, healthiest quality of life possible. The store offers premium pet foods, including raw and grain-free dry cat and dog food and an assortment of fun, fuzzy, floatable and tough toys, as well as fashionable accessories including collars, leads and a wide range of grooming products. The Winter Park location has doggie day care that offers a climate-controlled, cage-free play area for your furry best friend. The bakery also will hold weekly adoptions for local pet-rescue groups, monthly Yappy Hours, as well as private parties, fundraisers, dog-training sessions, pet photography, and much more. Orlando residents Bill and Sandy Walker, and daughter Ashley, are the franchise owners. “Our pets are a part of our families, and we believe in providing them with the very best care and nutrition,” says Ashley.

Tap into Taps Wine & Beer Eatery

Winter Park Village is now home to an exciting new bar and restaurant concept named Taps Wine & Beer Eatery. Located in the old Barnie’s spot across from Regal Cinema at 480 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 130, the three-in-one concept features a beer pub, a  wine lounge with self-pour wine dispensers, full liquor license, lunch and dinner. Jamie Pellizzi and James Devito founded the original Taps four years ago in downtown Tampa. They wanted a new place to hang out that was neither a standard restaurant nor a nightclub and that would appeal to everyone from working professionals to casual vacationing visitors.  After experiencing quick success there and wanting to expand, Pelizzi and Devito called on businessman Bob Green to be the proprietor and general manager of the Winter Park Village location.  “I never knew I wanted to be a restaurateur, but this is a great concept, and when given the opportunity, I knew I wanted to be involved,” says Green. The establishment has more than 350 beers and more than 100 wines, along with a menu of appetizers, salads, sandwiches and more. On weekends, they will feature live music. Hours are 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekends, with food served into the wee hours. 407.677.5000. tapswineandbeer.com

New Photo Shop

Coming to a 2,700-square-foot studio in Hannibal Square this August is Venture Photography, 444 W. New England Ave. The concept originated in the United Kingdom and in 2007 made its way into the United States with studios in Connecticut, Minnesota and New Jersey.  Winter Park studio owner and Baldwin Park resident Pete Westlake will open the first Florida studio that will offer families a way to capture precious moments. “I am excited about bringing Venture Photography to Winter Park,” he says.  “I believe it is a great match. At Venture we tell your story through our photographs. Winter Park has some awesome stories and we cannot wait to begin telling them,” says Westlake. Photographers, designers and interiors experts offer a fresh new modern approach to the traditional family portrait and can even include your pets. Take a look at their award-winning photographs at venturephotography.com.

Plans call for more locations throughout Florida and the United States. 407.790.8798.

New Floyd’s 99 opens

After years of driving past the old Pittsburgh Paints storage facility on Fairbanks Avenue, Winter Parkers Sarah Picard Sleeth and Kyle Sleeth decided to make a longtime dream come true and open their second Floyd’s 99 rock n’ roll barbershop on the busy corner. “Improving this corner and being able to bring the core values of our business into Winter Park is my way of giving back to my city,” said Sarah.  Floyd’s 99, 610 W. Fairbanks Ave., is in the middle of the renovated intersection of Fairbanks, Orange and Pennsylvania avenues.  Kyle and Sarah also own the area’s only other rock n’ roll barbershop, which opened about a year ago at 3150 S. Orange Ave. As part of the grand-opening party in May, Floyd’s 99 held a fundraiser with VH-1 to help keep music programs in Florida’s public schools despite budget shortfalls. The shop is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Sunday. Additional Central Florida locations are in the works. 407.790.7799. floydsbarbershop.com

Short Takes

• Winter Park’s Fannie Hillman & Associates is celebrating Nancy Bagby’s astounding $480 million in residential real estate sales since 1985.  Last year, in a challenging economy, she led all company sales agents with sales of $16.6 million and this year posted a 25-year career-best first quarter of more than $9.2 million. Not bad for someone who decided nearly 26 years ago to start a career in real estate “almost as a lark” and has been Fannie Hillman’s top producer for the past two and a half decades.

• Phil Kean Designs Inc. was presented with the Grand Custom Award for the third year in a row at the 2011 Parade of Homes Awards Ceremony. PKD’s custom home, Miwa, won the Grand Award and First Place Award in its category. PKD’s other Parade entry, LaBelle, received a Merit Award for Custom Home and another Merit Award for a kitchen remodel.

• Be on the lookout for the new Yum Yum Cupcake Truck, a Winter Park-owned mobile bakeshop serving cupcakes throughout Central Florida. Building on their success at the Farmers’ Market, the company, owned by locals Joey Conicella and Alex Marin, has branched out and now uses social media to let their Twitter followers and Facebook fans vote on the cupcakes they should carry and where their truck will be. This two-man show based in Winter Park has gone from baking 200 cupcakes a day to more than 900. Keep an eye out for the “Truck-Lucks” around town (think pot luck). Food trucks meet at spots around town, such as Maitland’s Lake Lily, where everything from Korean BBQ to cupcakes can be purchased. 407.494.9336.theyumyumcupcaketruck.com

• Mike Winn, broker with Winter Park Land Commercial, represented seller Ewing Winn Properties, LLC in the sale of the 8,352-square-foot building at 270 W. New England Ave. in Winter Park. The buyer was represented by NAI Realvest chairman George Livingston, , associate Drew Saphos and principal Christie Alexander.

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Willow Shambeck lives and works in Winter Park, is active in the community and is a former Park Avenue business owner. She can be found dining on Park Avenue and in Hannibal Square, walking her pups around town and raising money for charities such as Easter Seals of Central Florida and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.