Located just around the corner from a Starbucks on Fowler Avenue in Tampa, Felicitous Coffee & Tea House celebrates the meaning of its name with success and a recently renovated patio.
Living up to the definition of its name -- pleasing, delightful, fortunate, happy, lucky and apt --
Felicitous, at 11706 N. 51st St. in Tampa, is a quaint coffee shop that relocated from Lutz. The shop is now inside of a fewer than 1,000-square-foot 1940s Florida bungalow with original wood floors and historic windows.
“I chose this location because it was a cute bungalow that was commercially zoned, within walking distance of the
University of South Florida, off the beaten path from all of the other strip mall stores and needed to be renovated very badly,” says owner Rani Chehal.
Chehal, an interior designer who specializes in designing floor plans, was up to the challenge, renovating the little blue house that was once a rental property and, later, a hair salon. Over eight weeks, Chehal renovated Felicitous into what it is today: a bright, welcoming, decorative building featuring eclectic furniture and one-of-a-kind artwork.
“When renovating and getting ready to open this location, I had two things in mind: An economical budget and designing with comfort and coziness,” Chehal says.
Recently, stone pavers were installed on a new outdoor patio, where
events such as open mic and poetry nights are hosted. The coffee and tea shop also hosts yoga on the lawn, game nights, food truck rallies and pet adoption events.
“I hope to see a day when Tampa has become a community of residents that are choosing to shop and dine mainly at independent businesses,” Chehal says. “Hopefully, that will become the norm here in Florida as you see in more progressive cities and states.”
Writer:
Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Rani Chahel,
Felcitious Coffee & Tea House
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