Tampa's Blind Tiger is opening in ... another mall? Owner Roberto Torres can explain
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Nov 19, 2020

The Blind Tiger, one of Tampa's signature coffee shops, is opening in Westfield Brandon in December — and while the pandemic has devastated enclosed shopping malls, owner Roberto Torres says the location isn't a contrarian play at all.

"This particular mall is an outlier for malls and for this company [Westfield]," Torres said. "Right now, they are sustaining the numbers and sales they did last year.

"It’s the dynamics of Brandon. There really isn’t a walkable part of Brandon, so this becomes it. It’s almost a mile long inside and there’s everything under the sun in that mall, so people very much go to that mall."

Torres is taking over a former Starbucks in the mall, outside Dick's Sporting Goods and across from Apple. It's the third former Starbucks he's leased; the others are in Westchase and WestShore Plaza. It's slated to open Dec. 11, and this location will feature refreshed branding.

The location was put on hold by the pandemic: Initially, Torres was slated to get the keys on March 9, and "everything collapsed on March 12," he said.

It's 1,600 square feet and will be Blind Tiger's seventh store. All in, Torres said, his startup costs will be around $50,000. Much of the infrastructure he needs is already in place from Starbucks.

The size is on the large end for a coffee shop, but Torres said this location will have a larger selection of retail items than his other cafes.