By Leah Burdick 

Oh Yeah Creamery is known for its unique opportunity for customers to create their own soft serve flavor. They opened in May 2021, right near the University of Tampa but have recently closed their shop and relocated. 

This creamery joint was a popular location for UT students because of its location and they offered a student discount. The only ice cream shop that is a close distance for students besides Diary Queen on campus is the Ravin Cravin Ice Cream Shop.. 

Now that Oh Yeah Creamery has moved, there is an empty building that will be filled by a new company. I used to go to this creamery once a month when I lived on campus because of how easy it is to walk to. I am sad to see it go, but there is an opportunity for something different to open in the area. 

The building itself is not that big. It is a tiny parlor, which makes it a perfect size for ice cream. I think that it would be neat to see something that is not common in our area. There is already a ton of restaurant and coffee shops nearby, but what about a soda parlor that shows the sports game?

I think it would be interesting to see a company bring in a more ‘60s-‘80s-inspired soda shop that resembles some aspects of a sports bar for underage students to go to. Most restaurants show sports games, but the bars in the area require ages 21 and over to enter even for sports events. 

This can allow those who are not 21 yet to still go out and feel included with the fan nation in Tampa. A soda shop/bar can attract UT students to hang out and watch the games while enjoying refreshing “drinks” like anyone else in the area. 

Kaitlyn Flannery, Senior, would like to see Ready Coffee move into the building. Ready Coffee is a small company that only has three stores in New York. Flannery is from NY but misses the taste of their expresso and coffee. 

Flannery describes Ready Coffe as an affordable coffee shop with unique flavors. They have a reward system of buying 10 get one free any size coffee. They have their own energy drinks, milkshakes and pup cups with dog treats. It has a more local appeal than a fast coffee shop. This is what makes it different than the other coffee locations in the area. 

Emily Bobowski, Junior, wants a pottery place or an Indian restaurant to move in.

 “Having pottery in the area could be a fun activity for UT students to do on weeknights to get away from the stress of homework,” said Bobowski. 

There are a lot of restaurants in the area, but there are no Indian restaurants within walking distance from campus. 

At the end of the day, students will have to wait and see what company plans to move into the building and hope that it’s something they will enjoy going to.