TAMPA, Fla. — The pandemic took a toll on many cities across the country, with shutdowns, COVID restrictions, and workplace changes. One study found Tampa’s downtown has been recovering well.
The Hampton Chocolate Factory at Sparkman Wharf deals out sweet treats day in and day out.
"When we first opened, this was a ghost town. There were no people, and there were no restaurants. There was no dessert place,” said Austin Gappelberg.
It opened last January. Brothers Austin and Grant Gappelberg are the owners behind the business.
Now, the area surrounding that sweet shop is becoming a destination.
"Now, it's kind of just like weekdays, weekends, during the season, it's just people everywhere,” said Grant Gappelberg.
It’s just what any business wants to see while cities recover from a pandemic.
A study through the University of Toronto and UC-Berkeley looked at 63 cities across the US and Canada, comparing downtown activity pre-pandemic up until now.
Researchers analyzed cellphone pings in downtown areas during different periods.
"We began, at the beginning of the pandemic, noticing that a lot of people had left cities,” said Karen Chapple, the Director of the School of Cities at the University of Toronto.
Chapple is one of the authors of the study. She said some cities came roaring back, some have slowly come back, and others are just stuck.
Looking at downtown recovery from December 2022 to February 2023, the study found that Tampa’s downtown activity is at 84 percent of what we were in 2019.
"You're the best outcomes in Florida, in the state. Miami's hovering around 60, 65 percent,” said Chapple. “So Tampa's done really well, and it's one of the strongest comebacks in the United States."
The study said key factors positively influencing recovery rates for downtown areas are lower commute times and the presence of economic sectors like accommodation, food, healthcare, and construction.
"We've seen this year in 2023 sales are up dramatically, and we're happy to be part of the Water Street growth,” said Austin Gappelberg.
