Famous Tate grabs Pinellas

In a bankruptcy sale, a longtime Pinellas County mainstay, Apsco Appliance & TV Centers Inc., sold its assets and property to long-time regional competitor Famous Tate of Florida.

A bankruptcy judge approved the $3 million sale of the company's warehouses and showrooms in Largo and Clearwater.

That should be just enough to at least cover the $2.1 million Apsco says it owed its 20 biggest creditors when it first sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last November. That included more than $700,000 to GE Commercial Distribution Finance Co., as well as more than $100,000 in advertising costs to the Tampa Bay Times.