The Singing Faucet was a hit, but the Noodle Nanny didn't make the cut. ...more

November 5, 2009

Shells Seafood Restaurants was losing money for years, but the chain's chief executive sounded upbeat when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early September. ...more

November 30, 2008

Stories like the Shells restaurant bankruptcy are playing out across the Tampa Bay area. Tribune research shows business bankruptcy here is rising much faster than in most regions of the country. All told, 500 businesses filed for bankruptcy in four Bay area counties during the 12 months that ended in June — 97 percent more than the year before. ...more

November 28, 2008

TAMPA Ernie Haire Ford Inc. of Tampa has filed for bankruptcy protection, boosting to at least five the number of local auto dealerships to falter in the troubled economy. On Monday, Ernie Haire filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which will allow it to continue operating and to reorganize its finances while protected from its creditors. ...more

November 25, 2008

AutoWay Dodge of Clearwater closed this week and sold its Dodge franchise to another dealer, becoming at least the fourth local automobile dealership to shut down this year. ...more

November 19, 2008

The economy has sunk another Tampa Bay area auto dealership. This week, AutoNation Inc. of Fort Lauderdale closed its AutoWay Dodge dealership at 19400 U.S. 19 N. in Clearwater. ...more

November 18, 2008

AutoWay Chevrolet of Tampa Bay, a Tampa dealership, closed its sales operation Tuesday as General Motors continues to thin its dealership ranks. ...more

November 12, 2008

In April, Lowell Weaver of Oviedo drove across the state, steered his 2000 Range Rover into the Bob Wilson Dodge dealership in Tampa and traded for a new Dodge Nitro. ...more

October 19, 2008

When a car dealer goes under, it can be a nightmare for customers. Everything from new car titles to car loans can end up scrambled, or worse, frozen, amid a bankruptcy process - turning a major purchase of a car or truck into a major headache. ...more

September 26, 2008

When a car dealer goes under, it can be a nightmare for customers. Everything from new car titles to car loans can end up scrambled, or worse, frozen amid a bankruptcy process — turning a major purchase of a car or truck into a major headache. That's the concern for customers of Bill Heard Chevrolet, the nation's largest Chevrolet dealer, which closed operations in Plant City on Wednesday amid financial problems. ...more

September 25, 2008