Top Headlines: Alpaca Store, New Firehouse Subs, Citrus Market and a Fatal Accident

Busy week? Allow us to catch you up on some of the highlights.

1. For more than 50 years, John Buck, 78, of Largo, has sold fresh Florida citrus from his Yellow Banks Groves on Walsingham Road. Meet the man behind this local landmark and the delicious treats he sells. 2. A new Largo store offers alpaca apparel, yarn, home decor and more. Have you checked out the new Criativity store and studio yet? 3. Speaking of new businesses, a new Firehouse Subs opened recently at the Bardmoor Promenade Shopping Center. There's also news that Whole Foods Market could be coming to nearby Westfield Countryside Mall. Check out our New Businesses on the Block story and map to see what else is now open in Largo. 4. A week after allegedly getting into a fight that left two people injured, police arrested a man who they …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

New Business on the Block

Largo Alpaca Ranch Inspires New Store

A new Largo store offers alpaca apparel, yarn, home decor and more.

In 2008, Alicia Chivers wanted to get back to the basics, so she started her own 3-acre alpaca ranch in Largo. As the herd of alpacas — which resemble small llamas — grew, Chivers, a former telecommunications chief financial officer, realized the need for a store to market alpaca products and a weaving studio to explore the fiber arts. The Criativity store and studio opened in September. The name is not a typo of the English word creativity. "Cria" is a baby alpaca, and "tivity" is a play on nativity, which has to do with birthing, Chivers said. The front of the red building facing Clearwater-Largo Road features alpaca merchandise from Largo and around the world. Largo alpaca fleece is dyed and sent to Texas, where a mill weaves and …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (9)