Retail Corridor: AZ~SnoAsis will help Gilbert residents chill

AZ~SnoAsis, a store selling gelato, Italian ice, frozen yogurt and other frozen desserts, will begin offering Gilbert residents relief from the Valley's triple-digit temperatures starting July 26.

The store will open next to Fry's at the southwest corner of Baseline and Gilbert roads.

FLORIDINO'S OPENS

Floridino's Pizza & Pasta in Chandler added a banquet hall to their restaurant at the southwest corner of Galveston Street and Alma School Road.

Pizza lovers can reserve the room, which can seat up to 50 people, for business meetings, parties, rehearsal dinners and other events.

Floridino's has been serving diners in Chandler for 12 years.

MORE SPACE

The owners of Creative Hands Pottery Studio - a retail store offering pottery-making instruction - is ditching their cramped digs, but will stay within the Gilbert Town Square shopping mall.

The new store, which opens July 28, will be larger, store employees said. Creative Hands offers 2½ hour classes on pottery making, which cost$30.

iPHONE TIPS

Are you one of the throngs of gadget-philes planning to buy the new iPhone G3 today?

If so, a popular online consumer ratings service suggests that you try wiggling out of any early-termination fees included in your new service contract.

The fees, which are charged to customers who cancel their service before it's supposed to end, can be costly, said Angie Hick's, founder of AngiesList.com, in a news release.

The Federal Communications Commission wants companies to either eliminate or reduce those fees, and that may give wheeling-and-dealing consumers an edge when they step up to the cash register to sign a new contract, she said.

"Sometimes you can't negotiate your way out of early termination fees, but it's definitely worth a shot - especially with these changes underway," Hicks said in the statement.

"The worst thing that can happen is the company won't budge. But if you keep your cool and plead a good case, you could undo the contract you're in and get a freshstart."

RARE BOOKS STORE GETS OWN PLACE

Charles Parkhurst Rare Books, which had been tucked inside another nearby bookstore, Alcuin Books on Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale's downtown retail core, has moved into its own quarters at 7079 E. Fifth Ave.

That's near the corner of Fifth and Marshall Way.

Parkhurst has been selling old books since the 1970s, said store manager Linda Moore, but this is his first stand-alone shop.

He made the giant leap to make more room for his tomes, some dating from the 15th century, she said.

Look for a shop name change in the near future.

Parkhurst also collects and sells autographs and likely will change the name of the store to reflect that as well, she said.

BILTMORE DOINGS

Biltmore Fashion Park, the upscale open-air shopping plaza at 24th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix, has a couple of new places to stop or shop.

Fashion favorite BCBG Max Azria opened just a week ago.

Paradise Bakery debuted its newest Valley store at Biltmore Fashion Park a week earlier.

Watch for another new eatery, Stingray Sushi, to arrive in fall.

MORE BILTMORE NEWS

A couple of health-focused shops are on the way, too.

Teavana is slated to make its Biltmore - and Arizona - debut in October near Macy's.

The 11-year-old tea retailer's motto is "Opening the doors to health, wisdom and happiness."

Teavana shops serve up more than 100 types of high-quality loose teas; the stores also sell a selection of tea accessories, music and books from around the world, in an environment that is part tea bar, part tea emporium.

Also scheduled for an October opening at Biltmore is Scottsdale-based restaurateur Sam Fox's new concept, True Food.

Fox, who created Bloom, Sauce, North, The Greene House and Olive & Ivy, teamed up with famed natural health guru Dr. Andrew Weil to develop the restaurant concept.

True Food plans to serve "global cuisine with dishes heavily influenced by Mediterranean, Asian, American, south of France, Lebanese, Spanish and Thai cuisines."

The 4,000-square-foot restaurant will also feature an information kiosk and educational area where guests can download recipes, obtain information on the nutritional benefits of each menu item, and learn about Weil's wellness programs.