I’ve always been something of an entrepreneur, and since moving to the Tampa Bay area in 1977, I worked briefly at Busch Gardens, I then went on to produce and host a local cable TV show called ” Rock After Dark”, where I recorded and interviewed local bands. This led me to become a booking agent and manager for Florida rock bands.
I then went into the video game business, running game rooms in Tampa ( near MacDill) and in Plant City, along with operating video games in convenience stores, bars and Laundromats across Florida. I then began building blackjack tables and placing them in nightclubs ( for amusement only) from New Port Richey to Fort Myers and east to Lakeland, and I also owned and operated the Tampa Bay chapter of the Single Gourmet Club.
I moved into my house near Madeira Beach on January 1, 1996. It has a small, fresh-water lake in the backyard and is a 4 /2 with half the house being a mother-in-law suite. ( Which is now my current studio)
When I first moved in, I was still operating “Play 21” my blackjack business and subsequently bought the Single Gourmet Club. Michelle also briefly moved in with me ( see previous blog) and we built a work table and area for her to work on glass sculptures.. Unfortunately that didn’t last long, so I was left with glass, tools, paint and a work area….but at that time, I was much too busy with my other endeavors to even think about being an artist.
