Originally Posted By 83degreesmedia.com
A popular South Tampa toffee shop that's been in the Tampa Bay region for over nine years is relocating. Specializing in corporate gifts, Toffee to Go outgrew its space on El Prado Avenue before deciding to make the move to its new location at 3251 W. Bay to Bay Blvd...
A popular South Tampa toffee shop that's been in the Tampa Bay region for over nine years is relocating.
Specializing in corporate gifts, Toffee To Go outgrew its space on El Prado Avenue before deciding to make the move to its new location at 3251 W. Bay to Bay Blvd. just in time for its busiest time of year: The holidays.
Toffee To Go's new two-story location consists of about 3,000 square feet downstairs including a retail shop portion, as well as back of house space for offices and a kitchen area that is about quadruple the size of the kitchen at the former location. The 2,500-square-foot upstairs includes an attic with space for storage.
When seeking out the new location, owners Jim and Lisa Schalk were sure to find a space large enough to do the bulk of its business: Cooking and production such as breaking, bagging, boxing and shipping the toffee.
“We're different because we actually manufacture our product in our facility,” says Lisa Schalk. “We ship to probably about 400 gift shops all over the country, so it's extremely busy in the back of house.”
On any given day in December, Schalk says anywhere from 500 to 1,500 boxes of toffee will be shipped out.
With plenty of room to grow at the new location, which celebrated its opening on October 8th, one of Schalk's favorite things about the Bay to Bay Boulevard space is the amount of retail traffic Toffee To Go has been fortunate enough to receive.
“At our other location, people would see us at an event and have to seek us out. We were located in a strip mall, but where we are now, we're extremely visible,” says Schalk. “We've only been open for two weeks and it's been fabulous. Once people try our toffee, they're hooked.”
Apart from toffee, Toffee Go To specializes in gourmet popsicles and will soon offer brittle and caramel, offering free samples daily. Although there are set hours at the new location, Schalk says they cook anywhere from 15 to 24 hours a day. If you see the open sign, go on in.
Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Lisa Schalk, Toffee To Go
