Armature Works Shooting Culturally Appropriates Ybor 

Following an incident yesterday afternoon in which three people, or maybe four; we’re not really sure at this point, were shot – and it depends on what you mean by “shot” – at Armature Works, a mixed-use event space offering an upscale food court, bar & lounge, in Tampa Heights, at least one merchant in Ybor City is speaking out.

“Hey, this is is where people minding their own business come to get shot,” said Franklin Acostaguez, owner of that one store on 7th Ave that has a bunch of stuff you wouldn’t expect to find together in one place for any reason, like a hookah, a Super Bowl XXXV fridge magnet and that flavor of Arizona Iced Tea that doesn’t exist anywhere else.

“It’s not the reputation we want, it’s not necessarily the reputation we deserve but it’s the one we got,” he said. “So back off and let us have this!”

He says it mystifies him that people would ever even go to Armature Works, whether they want to get shot or not.

“That whole complex is just a bunch of old, empty, probably haunted buildings that somebody decided to turn into a place to go, not an organic, vibrant community like this,” he said, gesturing to a bunch of old, empty, probably haunted  buildings that somebody decided to turn into a place to go, plus chickens.