More on Cafe Hey

TAMPA HEIGHTS - The north side of downtown seemed lonely and much too quiet to three Plant High School graduates.

So after noticing that a lot of people they grew up with still live in Tampa, many of them working downtown, they decided to open a neighborhood gathering spot.

Their coffee shop, appropriately titled Cafe Hey, is set to open in a week or two in the historic Franklin Printing building at 1540 N Franklin St.

The 500-square-foot space is just a block north of where Franklin meets Interstate 275 and is close to the southern border of the Tampa Heights neighborhood.

"It's on the outskirts of downtown, so it doesn't get as much attention as Ybor City or the center of downtown," said S. Cheong Choi, one of the owners.

"But things are happening here. There's a great amount of potential for this neighborhood. Before people with billions of dollars come in and start airlifting malls here, we should give it a personality."

Cafe Hey plans to distinguish itself with its local and Fair Trade coffees, from Gainesville's Sweetwater Roasters and Tampa's Naviera Coffee Mills. Food will be "classic coffee shop fare" with a Tampa bent, said co-owner Anne Vela. The shop will serve baked goods made on site, along with soups, salads and sandwiches. Offerings will include Cuban sandwiches and cafe con leche.

"The three of us are wanting to do something for the community and bring some youth into this area of downtown," said Vela, who partnered with her husband, Christopher, an architect who designed the interior, and Choi.

The three graduated from Plant between the early and mid 1990s. Hours will be 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The shop will be closed Monday. Vela said the plan is to eventually add more hours and occasional live music to the menu.