Remote Control: Turning dumb houses into smart homes
The right remote is your key to a smart home People have been dreaming about home automation since before George Jetson moved in with Jane. Though we haven’t yet achieved robot maids and flying cars, the Jetsons’ vision of a push-button future is now a reality. If the sky’s your limit, a premium installation will put climate control, lighting, home entertainment, surround sound, security and more at the tip of your finger. “Most of our customers are just looking to simplify their lives,” says Rick Shook, president of Rick’s Electronics Boutique in St. Petersburg, a full-service shop that handles everything from tricking out state-of-the-art home theaters to repairing grandma’s VCR. Fixing a VCR in 2018 may seem counterintuitive, given that Rick’s Central Avenue storefront is stocked full of drool-worthy gear — Sony TVs, Sonos speakers, high-end Parasound receivers and amps — but the market still caters to luddites. Even though the first remote control was developed by the Zenith Radio Corporation in 1950, people are still fumbling to find it, to program it, to switch between HDMI channels. According to Shook, simplicity starts with the remote control, a traditionally inscrutable device that’s been cluttering American living rooms for decades. Three routes to the right remote Home automation is typically controlled in one of three ways: by universal remote control (URC), or by the lesser-known, more sophisticated systems Crestron and Control4. The universal remote, which looks like a standard remote bulked up with a screen and Wifi connectivity, can be programmed to control a wide range of equipment beyond your basic television. It is the simplest and most affordable way to operate a smart home. Crestron and Control4, both sold by licensed dealers around Tampa Bay, come with a more elaborate set-up and user interface. “The Pentagon and Google are controlled by Crestron,” says Joey Carder, sales manager and designer at Sound Integrity, a custom video and audio installation company in East Manatee County. “We use Crestron in high-end jobs for customers. You can expand to the whole house with multiple rooms of audio and video controlling multiple systems. Control4 has that capability, but Crestron does more.” That doesn’t mean that Crestron is the right solution for every home. “Crestron is not for everybody, because everybody doesn’t have the budget to do a Crestron system,” Carder says. “Control4 and URC are still great and can do your everyday home automation. And certain products work better with one or the other, but it’s about what fits best in each home.” What do you want your remote to do? How you choose to operate your gadgets ultimately comes down to personal preference. Shook offers plenty of systems controlled by tablets and programmable universal remotes, but his best seller is still Old Faithful. “Most people want a [basic] remote,” Shook says. “They want to be able to just flip through the channels.” Simplicity, remember? But that’s simplicity in operation, not features, and the list of household items ready to be integrated into your smart home is extensive. “Lighting is very big,” Carder says. “Shade control is becoming very big in Florida because of high-end condos. Pool control is another one we’re running into.” Take for example Shook’s personal Nest set-up. Best known for selling a thermostat you can control from your phone, Nest has expanded its product line to include operating smart door locks, smoke detectors, security cameras and household appliances. Shook’s system includes adjustable temperatures for his home and business, current smoke detector readings, a full log of every time his front door opens and a live video feed of his store showroom and offices. So how much will remote control cost ya? According to Carder, a one-room system with a URC can run anywhere from $500 to $700, while a basic Control4 operation starts at just under $1,000. For clients looking to install a top-of-the-line Crestron system, the price can run to tens of thousands of dollars. Says Shook, “Home automation isn’t a low-end thing.” Bargain hunters can achieve some of the same result without all the fit and polish by using off-the-shelf equipment sold by major technology companies. Apple, Google and Amazon all offer smart speakers and TV-connected boxes capable of controlling an assortment of appliances, from your smartphone to your tablet. Companion products made by Nest, Phillips, Sonos and others allow homeowners to add whatever amount of automation they’re comfortable with. “Home automation is based on what fits best in each home,” Carder says. “We have a lot of people up in age who have a hard time grasping automation, but then they learn it’s easier [to automate] than to use 20 remotes.”
Evolution of the EDGE: A look at St. Pete’s growing EDGE District
Change is afoot in the EDGE District Long before Downtown St. Pete’s EDGE District got its moniker, it was actually kind of edgy, and not in a good way. “Five years ago, you would not have gotten out of your car,” says Patty Miles, a clerk at the Plain Jane boutique. Commerce wasn’t exactly booming, either. “You could roll a bowling ball down Central Avenue and not hit anything after 7 o’clock,” says Mark “Ferg” Ferguson, owner of Ferg’s Sports Bar, a staple of the neighborhood for going on 26 years. “Now,” he says, “you have to look both ways.” There’s a lot to see. Restaurants, shops and apartment complexes have been popping up all around the district, which comprises Central Avenue between 9th and 16th streets bordered by 1st Avenues north and south. A busy block on the EDGE For example, consider the block between 11thand 13th streets (12thdoes not cross through the district). On the same side of Central as Plain Jane are the busy LGBTQ+ club Enigma; the shiny, revamped Central Arcade; the mega-popular Bodega on Central, with its award-winning Cubans; Rick’s Electronics Boutique, a trove of home entertainment knowhow; and the stylish home furnishings oasis Mis en Chic. Just across the street is Intermezzo, home to sophisticated cocktails and five-star oysters. A few steps away on Baum Avenue is the pioneering Green Bench Brewing Co., which arguably jump-started the popularity of the EDGE when the brewery opened in 2013, and Red Mesa’s easy, breezy burritos-and-more emporium, Red Mesa Mercado. Farther up Central is the Mid-Century Modern mecca Furnish Me Vintage across from Hawkers Asian Street Fare. (Be sure to get the roti canai.) And that’s only one block! EDGE: Going to the dogs The business consortium had once been hopefully deemed the Dome District Business Association in anticipation of a Trop-driven boom that never happened. It took on its new identity in 2011 — the EDGE acronym standing, aptly enough, for Entertainment/Dining/Galleries & Shops/Etcetera. Barbara Voglewede came on board as executive director in 2014. A former law professor and corporate litigator with a quietly determined get-’er-done attitude, she has worked closely with city and state agencies as well as neighborhood businesses to create a unified vision for the area. She’s also encouraged awareness of its history; check out edgedistrict.org for some illuminating factoids (like, for instance, the fact that scruffy little Baum was once St. Pete’s main drag). The biggest change yet to come is the completion of the Bainbridge Companies’ six-floor, 218-unit 930 Central Flats. (October? December? We’ve heard both.) With another apartment complex getting underway at 16thand Central, loft apartments in the works a block over on 1stAve. N., and the 15-story Icon Central apartments going up just east of the district, “Ferg” realized it was high time for him to build… a dog park. Seventy-five percent of these future apartment dwellers will have “at least one or two dogs,” he predicts. “So I thought it was time to take the step.” It used to be the EDGE of oblivion Leslie Curran, the owner of ARTicles Art Gallery, recalls how dead this stretch of Central was in 2004 when she first opened her business (then called Interior Motives) in the space where Enigma is now. “There was nothing.” She moved about six years ago to her present location at 1445 Central, and says a major turning point for the neighborhood was the opening of Fusion 1560, the district’s second big apartment complex after 1010 Central. “I remember the day we saw a couple with a baby stroller with a baby in it — not groceries,” she says. “We went out and asked if they were looking for something.” “No,” they answered, “we just moved into the neighborhood.” Man on the EDGE The ubiquitous developer Jonathan Daou of Eastman Equity owns a swath of properties in the district — including much of the busy 11th-13th stretch described above — and deserves credit for rehabbing historic structures and powering the EDGE resurgence. “By having a controlling interest in the neighborhood,” says Daou, “we managed to curate it and accelerate faster than what organic growth would have been.” With change come complications, of course — and rent hikes. Daou purchased the Central Arcade when the building was home to Creative Clay, an arts organization providing opportunities to people with disabilities and an anchor in the neighborhood since 2004, responsible for such cool-making events as Folkfest St. Pete. But in June 2017, the nonprofit moved out of the ’hood to the Grand Central District after Daou doubled the rent to $8,800 a month. Creative Clay Executive Director Kim Dohrman misses the foot traffic in the EDGE location, but she’s not bitter. “I really do understand,” she says, and acknowledges the appeal of what Daou has done with the Arcade, turning Creative Clay’s former office spaces into pocket shops for EDGE veterans like Milagros (a purveyor of handmade soaps) and newer arrivals like Adorn & Co (a high-end jeweler happy to have moved from its former location at the Flamingo Resort in the Skyway Marina District). And you can’t argue with the math: Daou now has 11 tenants in the building, bringing in $12,000 in total rent. City Hall on the EDGE (for a while, at least) Another big change in the works: Because of long-needed renovations in St. Pete’s City Hall, Mayor Rick Kriseman is shifting most of its operations into the old police station across from Ferg’s for approximately six months starting in early 2019. City Council will meet at the Sunshine Center during that time. Once the upgrades are done in City Hall, the police station will be demolished and the city will send out an RFP. According to Barbara Voglewede, the district has been assured that anything built in that space will include 200 public parking spaces. A walk along the EDGE Whatever happens in the future, a stroll up Central these days is an immersion in New Urbanism: small independent businesses, attractive streetscape, easy walkability (though
Screen dreams: H is for Home Entertainment
A to Z: duPont Registry Tampa Bay’s encyclopedia of luxury “A to Z: The Ultimate Luxury Lifestyles List” is duPont Registry Tampa Bay‘s first-ever compendium of the best our region has to offer for fans of luxury living. The list is organized by category: D is for Dining, R is for Resorts, etc., and under each letter we single out top-of-the-line examples in the category. Return to dupontregistrytampabay.com every day this summer to see the next letter on The List, or read the entire list (and the entire July/August issue) in its digital version or in a bookstore or mailbox near you. A to Z: H is for…. Home Entertainment Dreaming about gigundo HDTVs — or maybe even a home where your music, your Netflix and your live TV can be controlled with one remote (maybe even your cell phone)? These leaders in home entertainment can make those dreams come true, and then some. A to Z: H is for Home Entertainment To turn your home into a state-of-the-art home theater, visit the experts at Rick’s Electronics Boutique. Their 50-plus years in the biz also make them the go-to guys for repairs. A to Z: H is for Home Entertainment Follow the buzz to Hive. Their team cannot only upgrade your audio, they can make your whole home smarter, providing the latest in security and automation. A to Z: H is for Home Entertainment We’d thought this list would include George Liu’s Audio Visions South, a long-time resource for home entertainment equipment and advice. But alas, AVS is closing. Here’s a note from George, and a recommendation: It’s been quite an adventure for me since opening Audio Visions in 1984, but that road has come to an end. As some may be aware, I retired from full-time work a couple of years ago and left the business in the capable hands of key employees at AVS. Alas, they have decided to pursue other avenues, and Susan and I have decided AVS will cease operations in August 2018. Our plans to open in a new, smaller facility will not come to fruition. Please come visit AVS during our final liquidation sale, running through August 3rd! I am happy to recommend Brian at Sweet Home Audio in Clearwater as your ongoing source for trustworthy advice along with the very best stereo equipment available, including Magnepan! They can be reached at 727-466-2505. In addition to this, our long-time service tech, Steve Long, is now a full-time Crestron programmer and is making himself available as a reliable independent contractor for all your programming and service needs! Steve is available via email at slongbmx@gmail.com. I will eternally be grateful to my wife and family, our customers, business partners, and loyal employees for the many wonderful experiences that comprise my career. I wish everyone the best in their future endeavors. And we wish George and his family the best in their future endeavors, too. Want more A to Z? Find the complete “A to Z List” in the July/August issue of duPont Registry Tampa Bay coming soon to a mailbox or a bookstore near you.