BUSINESS OBSERVER

+ Lakewood Ranch Ace Store earns ‘cool’ award
Crowder Brothers Ace Hardware earned a “Coolest Hardware Store” award.

According to a Nov. 13 press release, the store learned of its honor at Ace’s annual Platinum Conference, which brings together the company’s top-performing retailers from around the country.

This is the second year Ace Hardware has singled out individual retailers for their “cool” factor from among the 4,600 locally owned Ace Hardware stores worldwide. Just five other stores nationwide have earned the award.

The Lakewood Ranch store includes a 6,000-square-foot gifts-and-gadgets store and a 24,000-square-foot hardware store that offers home maintenance products alongside Grandma Crowder’s homemade fudge.

+ Twelve Oaks opens local assessment center
Twelve Oaks Recovery Center, a provider of addiction treatment services located in Navarre, opened a free assessment and resource center in Bradenton Nov. 9.

The Twelve Oaks Assessment and Resource Center acts as a link between health-care service providers and local citizens.

The center provides free assessments by a licensed clinician and referral services.

The Bradenton location, called Envision Counseling Services, is located at 9030 58th Drive E. The addiction-treatment service has opened two other assessment centers in the last two months.

+ Taylor Morrison lists six new floor plans
Taylor Morrison has made six additional floor plans available at the Haddington in Country Club East.

Announced in a Nov. 8 press release, all of the plans include granite countertops, maple or cherry cabinets in the kitchen and master bath, General Electric stainless-steel kitchen appliances and more.

“There has been so much interest in this particular community that we wanted to showcase all of our available floor plans to give buyers a feel for the wide range of options and square footages that exist here, not only in Haddington but also in other Country Club East neighborhoods,” said Cammie Longenécker, vice president of sales and marketing for Taylor Morrison West Florida. “With seven plans to choose from, we are confident that we are offering something to suit nearly any buyer’s needs and preferences.”

Floor plan names in the upscale Lakewood Ranch community include Francesco, Bella, Luca, Vinci, Mercede, Isabella and Umbria.

+ Coin dealer to open in shopping center
A new coin and jewelry gallery will open in University Park shopping center next month.

In a press release, Eastern Numismatics Inc. announced a Dec. 18 grand opening near Kohl’s and The Fresh Market. The store provides coin-collecting enthusiasts, investors and dealers an environment to buy, sell and trade currency and valuables.

The company is a family-owned, second-generation full-service dealer in rare coins and precious metals with more than 50 years of experience.

Eastern Numismatics Inc. formerly had a buying and inside-sales office at the Chase Bank building in downtown Sarasota, which opened more than five years ago.
Its flagship store is in Long Island, N.Y.