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Dave n buster charlotte nc7/24/2023 Most of the shop owners are now looking at the Bell Tower as a serious second location, Binkowski said. But as for Bubbly Latitude? “When will we go back? I honestly don’t know,” Jacobsen said. “When your home is ready for us, we are ready for you,” Jacobsen said.īoth she and Zembrodt live on Sanibel and each has been able to return to their respective homes. Zembrodt insists they carry items you can’t find anywhere else in Southwest Florida. The shop sells unique gifts and home décor. “It’s been unbelievable, the support from other communities,” Jacobsen said. “We wanted to be with other Sanibelians,” Jacobsen said.īut their community has since grown outside the bounds of Sanibel. So they opened in Bell Tower in December. They wanted a place where you were able to actually touch the merchandise. They didn’t want to open online, she said. But “we felt fortunate we didn’t have a store full of stuff. They were set to open the first week of October 2022, said Sarah Jacobsen, co-owner with Kate Zembrodt. “We all have a sad story, but we have a lot to be grateful for.”Īround the corner and a few stores down, Bubbly Latitude is a Sanibel store that has never actually been open on Sanibel. “They were so happy to see their neighbors,” she said. “You saw people running and hugging each other,” Binkowski said, some of whom had not connected since the hurricane. Last year, in the wake of Ian, the event was moved to Bell Tower. This is the first Friday in December when the Sanibel community comes together to celebrate the season and Sanibel streets and pathways are lined with luminary candles. The shops all came on board just in time for the Luminary celebration, Binkowski said. “They work collaboratively as much as they can and look out for each other,” Binkowski said. The Sanibel merchants support each other and carry some of each other’s goods in their shops. In the aftermath, the center was fortunate to have the space available to support the merchants and “give a sense of normalcy,” she said. Bell Tower only had minimal damage from the hurricane, she said. It was a great opportunity for the shop owners and Bell Tower, said Shannon Palzer, marketing manager. She hears shoppers say, ‘Wow, I haven’t been to Bell Tower in ages,’” she said. In turn, the retail center opened the shops up to a new and expanding clientele.īinkowski feels there’s a kind of buzz. The shops bring an influx of new energy and diversity to the Bell Tower mix. Rebecca Binkowski, owner of MacIntosh Books + Paper, said the businesses that moved to Bell Tower are “lifting each other up, supporting each other.” MARY WOZNIAK / FLORIDA WEEKLY ![]() Another store, Butterfly Beach, is a recent addition, so it looks like the name will have to change to “Sanibel Seven. ![]() She publishes a small newsletter highlighting the six, called “Stayin Afloat.” The other shops are Congress Jewelers, Adventures in Paradise Outfitters, Bubbly Latitude, Sanibel Candle Company and Synergy Sportswear. “I think it’s been a win-win,” said Rebecca Binkowski, owner of MacIntosh Books + Paper, one of the first to set up shop at the Bell Tower after three feet of water surged into the iconic store, open since 1960, and destroyed all the contents. The merchants are giving a boost to a retail center in search of more tenants. The Bell Tower is giving a boost to merchants who have lost everything or nearly everything by providing a venue to recover and sell their wares. It’s a silver lining in a sea of sad stories spawned by the massive storm. ![]() One by one, six shops on Sanibel Island that were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ian have found new homes at the Bell Tower shops in Fort Myers.
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