Depending on where you live, dispensing with that iMac that went obsolete five minutes after you bought it can be easy (St. Pete offers free curbside pickup for computers on request) or a pain in the butt (in Hillsborough your only option is to bring the computer to one of four Community Collection Centers in Lithia, Seffner, Gibsonton or on Linebaugh Ave. in Tampa). If you’re trying to dispense with computers from a business, it’s even more of a bear; expect to pay a fee. But not if you use Urban E Recycling. This Hillsborough-based, area-wide company takes care of removal, pickup, recycling and data destruction of office electronics at no charge, and its crews arrive to take the stuff away with almost astonishing speed. They also offer a reassuring degree of security, with crushers, erasing machines, and something called a deguasser all making sure your info doesn’t escape into the wilds of cyberspace. 813-501-9346, urbanerecycling.com
Goods & Services
Blame it on the amount of work he was getting, or on the arrival of the Warehouse Lofts, but Tampa craftsman Andrew Watson had to move his workshop out of Seminole Heights and into “NoHo.” The relocation effectively closed Chris Kelly’s Workspace art gallery, the trendy BackForty retail space in the back of the building, and moved BUILT to a block that suffered extreme flooding this summer, resulting in serious damage to Watson’s equipment and hand-crafted furniture. We’re all about the positive growth of neighborhoods, but can’t we find a way to keep the artists around, too?
Runners Up: Josh Hansen, Dr. Sandy Carter
It’s 2015 in Tampa, and you don’t have to own a bicycle to see your city at a pace that lets you appreciate all its nuance. Coast Bike Share’s beautiful blue fleet features tires that never go flat and a smartphone-based rental app that is nearly idiot-proof (you’ll still have to walk Uncle Dave through it). With membership rates dropping to $15 for up to 90 minutes of riding a day, you might even consider abandoning your auto commute a few times a week.
Runners up: Antiques and Uniques, Vintage Post Marketplace
Runners Up: Reeves Import Motorcars, Suncoast Jeep & Chrysler
Runners Up: Lim's Autobody and Repair, Bob Lee
