The Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida began as a modest idea. Businessman Blake Casper and sister Allison Casper Adams wanted to open a well-curated bookstore and work space where locals could gather. But when the two discovered a 24,000-square-foot historic building on Kennedy Avenue—originally built as a stable for the Plant Hotel in 1891—their plan grew to include a coffee bar, teashop, restaurant, boutique, and office space. “The idea was to create a place people felt really comfortable spending time in and exploring—a meeting place that created conversation,” Adams says.

Writing an obituary is a powerful thing. It's an occasion to do right by your loved ones, to tell the world all of the great and respectable things they accomplished in their lifetimes, even when it’s something as small as making a really fantastic bacon and tomato sandwich.