NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — When it’s teatime in New Port Richey, this is the place.
“When I came in and wanted to do tea, they said, 'Are you sure?' A tea shop in downtown," said Kelly Hackman.
More than seven years later, Hackman’s White Heron Tea & Gifts is still here.
And her husband owns Cotee River Brewery around the corner.
“I’ve grown up here, born and raised here. So for me to put roots here was really important," she said.
In recent years, downtown New Port Richey, once known as a ghost town, has come alive with many new businesses and residential development.
And Hackman said she wants to help make sure people know everything the area has to offer.
So on her own dime, she made a brochure that lists everything downtown—restaurants, shopping, breweries, and other points of interest.
Other business owners had no idea she was even working on the project.
“They were kind of surprised that I took the project on because it is quite cumbersome going through the whole city and trying to figure out in the downtown district (which) is retail? Who (are) restaurants? The categories they fit into," said Hackman.
Wright’s Natural Market on Main Street is in the brochure and owner Jeff Wright said Hackman really stepped up.
“She’s helping support not only herself as an entrepreneur but other businesses downtown and bringing more people to downtown and different people to downtown," he said.
The brochure is so successful that now other businesses have also chipped in, so more could be printed.
Hackman also designed a website.
“When we came here. When I opened seven and a half years ago, there was a lot of vacancies, and now it’s nice to see all the places getting filled up and people coming downtown and enjoying all the different amenities," said Hackman.
Downtown businesses hope the ongoing facelift on U.S. 19 will also help, including demolishing blighted buildings, building a robotic skills center, and adding more residential units.
There are also plans for a big welcome sign to greet people into the city.
