Villa Rosa Distinctive Linens & LeBlanc Celebrating 40 Years in Business

Made in S. Tampa: Success spans 3 generations, North America & France
 
TAMPA, FL (October 7, 2025)  - The Villa Rosa Distinctive Linens Store and LeBlanc® Inc. are celebrating their 40th anniversary! Both businesses were started by the Blanco family and operations now span three generations. To launch their yearlong celebration, the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Villa Rosa store this afternoon, the ceremony was complete with a champagne toast, Chamber Ambassadors, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, and former mayors Sandy Freedman and Bob Buckhorn.
 
The yellow and pink building on the corner of Mac Dill Avenue and Bay to Bay Boulevard has become a South Tampa landmark and the Blanco’s trademarked invention, Le Blanc Linen Wash®, is used in boutique hotels and sold in specialty shops across North America.  “My heart is bursting with gratitude,” said Maruchi Azorin Blanco, founder of Villa Rosa Distinctive Linens. “The community has been there for us every step of the way. I’d been selling table linens out of the trunk of my car, when my husband and I bought this old gas station and turned it into our store. It’s hard to believe that was 40 years ago!”
 
Thirty-five year old Juan Carlos Blanco grew up surrounded by the fine linens, luxury laces and his grandfather’s innovation, Le Blanc Linen Wash®. A Colombian chemist, Rafael Blanco Sr. created the delicate laundry detergent’s formula in 1984 for customers of Villa Rosa. “And the rest is history,” said his grandson Juan Carlos, Operations Manager of LeBlanc®.  The inherited gene of innovation and entrepreneurship is evident. Under his leadership, LeBlanc® has launched additional products for all textiles - silk, lace, down products and lingerie. Recent innovations include luggage sachets, dryer sachets dramatically reducing wrinkling, and an allergen-free children’s line of Le Blanc Linen Wash®.
 
With Mom at the helm of Villa Rosa, the boutique has become one of the finest linen stores in the county, and a top American retailer of Yves Delorme home linens from France. In preparation for Villa Rosa’s 40th anniversary celebration, Yves Delorme representatives looked back on the store’s orders. The overseas phone call delivering impressive numbers! Villa Rosa has sold more than 42,000 Yves Delorme units - that’s tens of thousands of sheeting, cases, shams, coverlets, down pillows, comforters and towels. In 2005 alone, the South Tampa store sold 24,378 YDL units.
 
Oliver Newman, Executive Vice President of Yves Delorme, Inc., made the trip from Virginia. “I couldn’t miss this moment,” said Newman. “Hand over heart, I can honestly say that Villa Rosa is very special to our company and brand.” The small business is among the top three sellers in the U.S. of Yves Delorme products.
 
“Villa Rosa and LeBlanc are true South Tampa success stories,” said Kelly Flannery, President & CEO of the South Tampa Chamber. “For 40 years, the Blanco family has shown what it means to combine hard work, innovation, and heart. Their story represents the very best of our business community—family-owned, locally rooted, and globally recognized.”
 
This ruby anniversary of Villa Rosa Distinctive Linens and LeBlanc® will be a yearlong celebration with shopping seasons of heirloom gifts, specialty items and discounts. Specialty merchandise will include kitchen towels from Portugal; velvet pumpkins designed in Oregon; Christmas ornaments from Vienna, Austria; Pirate Pins customized by a jeweler in Atlanta, Georgia. The anniversary nightlights introduced earlier this year sold out within weeks.
 
For details, visit the Villa Rosa Distinctive Linens website and Facebook page.
 
Contact:
Maruchi Azorin Blanco, Owner & President, Villa Rosa Distinctive Linens
(813) 831 - 6189 / www.villarosalinens.com