Diana Shops opened in the late 1930s at 907 Franklin St, next to the Grants Department Store. In 1947, they opened a second shop at 509 Franklin St, seen here. When they lost their lease next to Grants in 1954 and were forced to close, they consolidated their downtown operations and added the name Super Outlet. Selling women’s and children’s clothing, it was a prominent retailer in the middle of the 500 block of Franklin Street, joining Hanover Shoes, Schwobilt Clothing, Farner Shoes, and Jack Pendola’s Men’s Shop. In 1962, Diana’s had a grand re-opening, with a new men’s shop on the first floor and an enlarged infant’s and children’s department on the second floor. As retail business began to dwindle downtown in the mid-1960s, they expanded, opening a store at 1712 N. Dale Mabry, across the street from Montgomery Ward's, where the Wal-Mart is now. That warehouse store lasted until liquidation in 1970. Records indicate the downtown store lasted until the early 1970s.

The downtown store took two storefronts in the 500 block of Franklin. In 1971, Steins Men’s Fashions moved into 511 Franklin St, and in 1974, Colony Shops moved in next door at 509 Franklin St. Richman Brothers took the Stein’s spot in 1975 after the street had been converted into a pedestrian mall. The retail scramble continued in 1978 with the opening of Stay Healthy Restaurant in the spot. In an attempt to improve the aesthetics and increase foot traffic in 1979, the Tampa Community Design Center painted a mural of a 1925 Burgert Brothers photo of Franklin Street above both stores. It was fruitless. Both Colony and Stay Healthy closed in the mid-1980s.

Since then, a wide array of stores has attempted to succeed on the block. Fine Print Bookstore made a run at it for a couple of years, followed by Old World Coffee Shop in the 1990s. A deli, a record store, and several other restaurant and retail concepts have tried their hand on the block but struggled to gain the traction to stay open.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved