Calling All Princesses: You're Invited to a Grand Celebration

What do you do when the economy hands you lemons?

You make pink lemonade.

The owners of in Lutz had an empty classroom adjacent to the school, Sam Collura said. The economy had tightened things up, and the classroom was just sitting there.

Collura's wife, Nancy, had always wanted to create a place for dream-come-true events for girls. The couple raised two daughters of their own, so they had plenty of ideas.

And those ideas just grew, Collura said.

The room transformation is complete now—“It’s overdosed in pink”— and a new business is blooming.

, 1910 Livingston Road, recently hosted its first event.

“They had a blast,” Collura said.

Party guests have their hair, nails and makeup done, dress up in costumes, sing, dance and put on a fashion show. One hostess is specifically assigned to cater to every whim of the birthday child, Collura said.

It’s tough to say who had more fun, the girls or their mothers, he said. “I love to watch the moms’ faces, they get so excited."

Pretty in Pink will celebrate its official grand opening Sunday, March 25, with a free event featuring a royal guest list: Cinderella, Princess Tiana and Snow White. The event will include face painting, light food and drinks and a fashion show. Girls ages three to 11 are invited to participate.

“We just want everyone to come out and let the kids have some fun,” Collura said.

There is still time to register as a fashion show model. The girls can come by and pick out their outfit in advance if they’d like, Collura said. There are about 40 girls registered so far, but they have close to 200 costumes to choose from: princesses to divas to rock star ensembles.

Beyond birthday parties, the owners of Pretty in Pink Party Place have lots of ideas in the works, including packages for adult tea parties. The couple plan to start off slow, but the space is so inviting, Collura feels that grownups will want to host events there, too.

“It’s really, really, cool. I’m a guy’s guy, but I like it in there,” Collura said.

“(Nancy) really did it up right.”

To register your daughter as a fashion show participant, send an email to prettyinpinkpartyplace@gmail.com and include your address, phone number and child's name and age.

To book a party, call 813-810-6061 or visit the Pretty in Pink Party Place website. For more information, you also can check out the company's Facebook page.