Chan's Hobby Shop Florida Ave
Chan’s Hobby and Toy Store 4107 Henderson Boulevard. [9556 Florida Avenue. ] 1958. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System
Elder Ford service building at 9556 Florida Avenue, Tampa, FL. 2021. © Chip Weiner
Until recently, the collection at the Hillsborough County Library had photographs of both of the Chan’s Hobby and Toy stores in Tampa titled as being on Henderson Boulevard. According to the Burgert Brothers ledger, both shots were taken on October 15, 1958. This photo, featuring what looked like children’s toy blocks with the name CHANS spelled out, has been used historically when discussing the Henderson store, but in reality, was at 9556 Florida Avenue. It was called Chan’s Floriland Toy Center and opened in 1955, four years after the original store on Henderson. The mistake was perpetuated in John V Cinchett’s marvelous book, Vintage Tampa Storefronts and Scenes, published in 2012.
There are few accounts of what happened to the Florida Avenue store. As Tampa grew, the North Florida corridor became home to several car dealerships and continues that trend today. Currently, the former location of Chan’s is home to the service department of Elder Ford.