Steakburger and custard fans in Bradenton will have a new place to dig in as soon as three weeks from now. Wichita, Kansas-based Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers announced that it will open its first Florida store in Bradenton at the former Arby's, 7376 52nd Place East, in the Creekwood Crossing shopping center, west of Interstate 75. The restaurant is aiming for an opening the week of April 22, said franchise owner Cash Shelton, but no official date has been set.  “We are extremely excited to bring Freddy’s great tastes and quality food to Bradenton”, Shelton said. Shelton is no …

Lakewood Ranch will soon be home to the first Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Manatee County. Texas Roadhouse is scheduled to open at the River Club Plaza in May, according to the restaurant's website.  The 2.62-acre pad site is in the shopping center with the new Walmart Supercenter at Interstate 75 and State Route 70.  “The development of River Club Plaza is evidence of Manatee County’s growth demands, particularly within the Lakewood Ranch community,” said Garrett Williams, Vice President for SRS Real Estate Partners, which handled the deal for the restaurant chain. “This expanding submarket…

Stepping off the street of downtown Bradenton and into Braden River Antiques is like stepping into a secret cache of forgotten treasures and gadgets. Antique trinkets fill the shop and line the walls from floor to ceiling, showcasing a dizzying array of furniture, art, hardware, decorative items, toys, books and more. “There’s definitely an obsessive compulsive hoarding aspect to the business of collecting antiques,” the store’s good humored owner, Jess Sturtevant, confessed. Sturtevant, a Bradenton native, said that he grew up in the antiques business, often spending time in an antique shop …

Donna Whitacre, lifelong seamstress and owner of Bradenton-based sewing school, The Sewing Room, believes that sewing is not only a lost art, but a practical craft that began to fall by the wayside in recent generations. Over the past few years, however, the struggling economy, the popularity of fashion-based television shows like Project Runway and shifting societal views toward domestic arts like cooking and the textile arts, have prompted a resurgence in the craft. “People are going back to doing things the way they remember their mothers and grandmothers doing them," Whitacre said. "There…

Several of Bradenton’s resident holiday-shopping pros were up long before the crack of dawn last Friday to battle the chaotic hordes that characterize Black Friday in the United States, while others hunkered down at their computers and scoped the deals online Monday. For their efforts, many earned the reward of breathing that sigh of relief that accompanies the completion of gift-buying and heralds a December of worry-free, sugar plum-tinted dreams. For others, however, ‘tis the season of stress and store-to-store scrambling on a frenetic quest for holiday gifts — but with a little planning, …

Bradenton boasts a unique boutique salon that is part hair studio, part nail spa and part beauty product apothecary. Located a few blocks east of the Manatee Memorial Hospital at 506 Manatee Avenue East, Olive Branch Hair Studio is not only a hair and nail care oasis, but also the workshop where Joshua Dunsmore crafts skin products, colognes, perfumes and candles from recognizable, all-natural ingredients such as olive oil, fragrant essential oils and kosher salts. Brother and sister team, Joshua and Sage Dunmore, co-owners of downtown Bradenton’s Olive Branch Hair Studio, believe that beauty…

It may be one of the newer restaurants to hit the downtown Bradenton scene, but Retro City is all about nostalgia. The 1950’s-themed diner and deli is precisely the kind of place where, in a bygone era, one might expect to run into leather jacket-clad greasers and girls in poodle skirts splitting two-straw milkshakes on their way to the sock hop or a drive-in movie. The restaurant décor includes old motorcycles and guitars, mounted antique car parts and photographs and images of retro celebrities and cultural icons such as James Dean, Elvis and Betty Boop. The menu features a wide array of …

Combining only the freshest ingredients with classic southern Italian recipes that have been perfected over several generations results in quality dishes that thrill the taste buds with every bite — which is precisely what makes Ferraro’s Pizza one of Bradenton’s most popular Italian eateries. Ferraro’s — the name of which is derived from an antiquated Italian word for iron worker, according to co-owner and executive chef, Sal LoGrande — opened the doors of its first location in New Jersey in 1980, just a few years after LoGrande’s grandparents emigrated to the United States, bringing their …

Bright, tropical colors and balmy beach themes characterize the interior space at the west Bradenton art studio and boutique, A Room With a Hue, where owner and artist, AnnMarie Nicholas, designs and sells hand-painted furniture, art and murals. Located just east of the bridge on Cortez Road, A Room with a Hue specializes in commercial and residential art projects, ranging from large-scale murals to faux finishing on furniture and décor — or, as Nicholas puts it, “anything that involves paint.” Prior to opening A Room With a Hue in 2005, the Staten Island, N.Y. transplant made her living as a…

Rich, vibrant colors and eclectic art ranging from paintings to jewelry and sculpture fill the gallery at the Dancing Crane Gallery, a top destination for art lovers in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts. Like many of the unique galleries and studios in Bradenton’s bustling artist community it is somewhat off the beaten path. Still Dancing Crane is recognized as one of the area's premiere galleries given its carefully curated selection of work by local and out-of-state artists. “I’m always looking for new, innovative, creative people in every medium from sculpture to jewelry and two-dimensional …

For more than two decades, the Chameleon Boutique has been one of Bradenton’s best-kept secrets — and amazingly, it’s hidden right in plain view. The boutique is remarkable for its eclectic style and commitment to quality. Artsy, chic and all natural items from jewelry and beads to home décor, clothing and body care products, fill the homey bungalow-style cottage in which the business resides. The Chameleon’s humble beginnings date back to 1990 when store owner, Elizabeth Western, moved from her home in Michigan to Anna Maria Island and opened a jewelry booth at the Red Barn Flea Market. “I …

It may be difficult to tell with the 90 degree weather, but according to the calendar, autumn has arrived — which means that heavy ales, Halloween candy, pumpkin spice lattes and pies and hearty Thanksgiving meals are right around the corner. All temptation aside, staying fit and hanging onto those beach bodies during the upcoming holidays just got a little easier in Bradenton. CrossFit, the fitness sensation that has been sweeping the nation over the last several years, arrived in west Bradenton with the Sept. 1 opening of the city’s first independently owned and operated affiliate gym, …

For pet owners who don’t mind getting a little sudsy from time to time but can’t stand the hassle of bathing their pets at home, Sandy Paws Self Service Dog Wash in downtown Bradenton is just the place to go. Bradenton’s only self-service dog wash features raised tubs with stairs and ramps and provides all natural shampoos and conditioners, professional hair dryers and grooming supplies so that dog owners can bathe their pups without having to worry about dealing with the post-bath cleanup at home. In addition to grooming services, Sandy Paws retails all-natural pet care products, such as …

Tradition is the key ingredient in the homemade sauces, breads and pastas that have made Fav’s Italian Cucina a dining staple in downtown Bradenton since the restaurant opened more than a decade ago. Armed with a collection of Italian recipes passed down through generations of their family, Maria and Michael Favasuli a sister and brother team from Pennsylvania, opened the restaurant in 2000. They have been serving up some of the most popular strombolis, pasta and pizza in town ever since. “For as long as I can remember, we always wanted to be in the kitchen with our mom and our grandma,” …

From the aspiring Michelangelo to the amateur arts and crafts dabbler, Arts A Blaze Studio in downtown Lakewood Ranch is a haven for anyone with even an ounce of artistic flair. Arts A Blaze offers a wide range of artistic outlets, including pottery painting, clay building, mosaic tiling and glass fusing in a family-friendly environment where artists of all ages and skill levels have an opportunity to let their creative side flourish. “This is a place for everyone,” said Theresa Barion, who co-owns the studio with her husband, Dan. “From kids as young as two years old to teenagers, parents …

Brandon Sommers believes that art and community go hand in hand — which is why he chose downtown Bradenton as the home for his tattoo studio, Classic Ink. It was the eclectic mixture of diverse clientele that drew the former resident of Manhattan’s “Hell’s Kitchen” to the downtown area after he moved to Bradenton in 2008 to be with his wife. Sommers immediately noted the restaurants and bars, burgeoning nightlife and the camaraderie between local artists and the business community in downtown Bradenton and in 2009, opened the area’s first and only tattoo parlor on Old Main Street. “I knew …

August has arrived and brought with it the suffocating heat that makes Florida residents long for relief from the sun and there's a shark out there that wants to bring that relief Bradenton’s Tint Shark will apply window tints for your vehicle, home or office. Tint Shark owner, Paul Mello, operated a business called GTS Tint Pro in Fairhaven, Mass. for 20 years before relocating to Bradenton to escape the bitter cold of northeast winters. He opened Tint Shark in 2010 and saw the difference in his clientele immediately. “Most customers in Florida are just trying to reduce the heat,” said Mello…

Uniquely You Boutique, co-owned by sisters-in-law and Lakewood Ranch High School alumna Whitney Kitchens and Samantha Medred, was born out of a desire to help women. “We both wanted to have a job helping people,” said Kitchens, who told Patch the boutique was inspired by her aunt’s mastectomy boutique in Pittsburgh. “When we came back from Pittsburgh and realized there was nothing like this around here, we thought ‘This is it.’” Uniquely You, 707 60th Ct St E., specializes in providing full breast forms, mastectomy bras and swimsuits for women who have undergone mastectomies and lumpectomies…

With all the hype surrounding the completion of the long-awaited Riverwalk, establishing the first restaurant and kick starting the immediate area’s nightlife scene may seem like a daunting task, but the YachtSea Grille sailed smoothly through its first month in business. “You’re on vacation from the moment you step on board,” owner Kurt Petty said of the cruise ship-themed restaurant, which boasts a wide range of cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner, in addition to an ambient setting and an efficient and tightly-run crew of friendly staff. “I’ve been opening restaurants for other people …

David Durrance knows nets: cast nets, that is. The Bradenton native has been fishing the waters of the Manatee River and Terra Ceia Bay for more than half a century with cast nets he made by hand, using time-honored techniques passed down by his grandfather. Today, fishing enthusiasts worldwide rely on Durrance’s expertise for durable, high quality, custom-knotted handmade nets. Durrance established his business, Talon Nets, in 2006 — more than 40 years after he sewed his first net out of nylon twine when he was just 10 years old. As a testament to the quality of his craft, Durrance continues…