Supporting Sanibel Businesses Through Summer

FOR JOINING US. IT HAS BEEN NEARLY 4 YEARS SINCE HURRICANE IAN DEVASTATED SANIBEL AND CAPTIVA ISLANDS. DESPITE THE CAUSEWAY AND INFRASTRUCTURE BEING REBUILT, MANY BUSINESSES ARE STILL RECOVERING. SANIBEL IS BUILT ON SMALL BUSINESS WITH ALMOST NO CHAIN STORES AND NOTHING OVER 3 STORIES TALL SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS CATER TO TOURISTS AND RESIDENTS ALL LOOKING FOR THOSE ISLAND VIBES. WGCU REPORTER TOM HALL TAKES US OUT TO THE ISLAND TO SEE HOW BUSINESSES ARE REBOUNDING. SEVERAL YEARS POST HURRICANE DESTRUCTION. >> THE DAY BEFORE HURRICANE IAN, THERE ARE WELL OVER 150 BUSINESSES ON SANIBEL, CAPTIVA ISLAND, NOT ONE WAS OPEN THE DAY AFTER THE STORM. INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER AND SANIBEL CITY COUNCIL MEMBER LORD TO BRUCE DESCRIBES THE CALAMITIES AFTERMATH. SOME WERE TOTAL LOSSES. >> AND SADLY, SOME OF THE OLD STALWARTS OF THE COMMUNITY ARE NOT COMING BACK ANYMORE. YOU KNOW, FEEL DAIRY QUEEN TOOK A HARD HIT. THE ANTIQUE STORE THAT HAD BEEN HERE FOREVER. IT SEEMS GEORGIAN WINDIES A VERY BELOVED POPULAR, A LOCAL PLAY. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF PLACES THAT ARE COMING BACK. >> IN 2022 GIFT SHOPS AND CATCHERS DREAM ON ISLAND, CLOTHING STORE. JAY WRITES, SIR, FISSION STYLE AND THE OVER EASY CAFE WERE LOCATED IN A SHOPPING CENTER WHERE PERRY WINKLE WAY EMPTIES INTO TARPON BAY ROAD. THE INFIELD EACH STORE WITH 7 FEET OF SURGE OVER EASY. CO-OWNER TRACI SHARPE DESCRIBES THE SCOPE OF THEIR LOSS. >> I MEAN, WE LOST THE CEILING. WE LOST THE WALLS. WE LOST ALL THE ELECTRICAL, ALL THE PLUMBING, EVERYTHING GAS LIES, THE GAS TANK ONTO THE GROUND HAD TO BE PULLED OUT. EVERYTHING HAD TO BE NEEDED FROM OVENS AND KITCHEN EQUIPMENT TO TABLES AND CHAIRS. >> EVERYTHING HAD TO BE REPLACED. ALL THEY RECEIVE FROM THEIR INSURANCE WAS $8,000 SHARP AND HER PARTNER LISA KLAUS ALSO LOST HER HOUSE CARS AND A SECOND BUSINESS. SO THE DECISION TO REOPEN THE 20 YEAR-OLD BREAKFAST LUNCH MECCA WAS NOT AUTOMATIC. WE TOOK THE LEAD AND DECIDE IT. >> TO REBUILD AND TO STAY OUT HERE BECAUSE WE I THOUGHT ABOUT WHERE ELSE WE GO. AND HONESTLY, THERE'S NOT MANY PLACES LIKE SANIBEL ISLAND AND THE COMMUNITY IS. A PLACE THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. I'D NEVER FELT BEFORE. AND EVERYBODY WAS INCREDIBLY SUPPORTIVE. AND WE JUST DECIDED FOR EVERYBODY HERE. WE NEED TO REBUILD THE RESTAURANT. KATE SERGEANT ENLARGED BRUCE, AN ISLAND, DAN THOMPSON. IT'S AN CATCHERS DREAM. AND JARED AND BRANDY EDGING TENANT. JAY ROSS CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION. >> WITH HELP FROM THEIR LANDLORD BEFORE SOME REBUILT AND REOPENED 18 MONTHS LATER ON SAINT PATRICK'S DAY 2024. >> AT AND WE RECEIVED ABOUT A FOOT OF WATER. WE STILL NEED TO NOT WALLS AND THE LAST MONTH WITH MEN BUT REALLY CLOSE LIKE A WEEK. AND WE GOT BACK OPEN AND THEN 10 DAYS LATER, MILTON HIT. THAT WAS. PROBABLY MENTALLY THE HARDEST ONE FOR US BECAUSE WE WORK SO HARD AND THEN 3 HAVE FEET OF MUD CAME IN WE LOST AGAIN. PRETTY MUCH ALL OUR EQUIPMENT AND THE WALLS AND ALL THAT SHARP IN CLOUDS TOLD THEIR LANDLORD THEY WERE DONE. WE ALL DECIDED BECAUSE THROUGH THIS AGAIN OR WORRY ABOUT IT, IT'S JUST INCREDIBLY STRESSFUL THAT JUST KEEP WAITING FOR YOUR BUSINESS TO BE DESTROYED. >> THE OTHERS WERE IN A SIMILAR DILEMMA. >> TO BRUCE SYMPATHIZED, IT WAS A REALLY DIFFICULT DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO REOPEN BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES IT'S A COMBINATION OF YOU NEED THE ENERGY. YOU NEED THE MORAL SUPPORT. YOU NEED THE MONEY. I THINK FOR ALL THE SMALL BUSINESSES, THOSE ARE KIND OF THE VARIOUS QUESTIONS WE ARE ASKING OURSELVES. >> AFTER A LOT OF TAX TALKS AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, SHARP CLOUDS AND THE OTHERS ACCEPTED THEIR LANDLORDS OFFER TO MOVE TO HIS OTHER PROPERTY. THE VILLAGE SHOPS ON PERRY WINKLE WAY. I DON'T KNOW HOW WE'LL DID IT. EVERYBODY JUST >> PICKED UP THEIR STUFF AND WE LEFT AND WE LIVE DOWN HERE. >> AND THAT'S A CELEBRATION. EVERY TIME AN OLD BUSINESS RECOVERS. OR A NEW ENTERPRISE ARRIVES ON SANIBEL. WE HAVE WITH BETTY. WE HAVE. >> THE NEWS PEOPLE OUT. EVERYBODY JOINS IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. A POLICE DEPARTMENT CAME UP. IT'S PRETTY SPECIAL. SO EVERYBODY'S VERY EXCITED. AND THOSE OF US THAT LIVE OUT HERE, WE'RE THRILLED THAT WE HAVE A BUSINESS IS OUT HERE. LIKE CLEAR STELLA AND CELEBRATE STIVERS A DESIGN STUDIO. >> SO WE DESIGN SPACES AND BRANDS AND NICOLE, THIS PHYSICAL SPACE, A LOVE LETTER BACK TO THE ISLAND BECAUSE FOR ME, IT WAS HARD SEEN THEY CAN. THEY GET SPOTS ON THE ISLAND IN THESE YOU REALLY BELOVED COMMUNITIES. THERE'S TUITION GUARDIANS OR VILLAGE SHOPS AND MY GOAL WAS TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, OPEN A SPACE THAT HONORS THE LEGACY SAID ABOUT. SO SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY ROOTED IN SUSTAINABILITY, ROOTED IN BRINGING IN UNIQUE ARTISTRY, UNIQUE PIECES, THINGS THAT REALLY TELL THE STORY. >> IT'S A COMMON REFRAIN FOR EVERY BUSINESS ON THE BARRIER ISLAND. THE REASON WHY I WANTED TO BE ON SEVERAL FROM A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE IS IT'S SO RUDE AND COMMUNITY BUILDING AND FUN TOPIC, COMMUNITY BUILDING. BUT >> ALSO >> WE COULD TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER. WE HAD SO MANY BUSINESS OWNERS THAT SAID, YES, IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE THAT EXTRA REVENUE. BUT TO HAVE THE RESIDENTS COMING ALL SUMMER LONG AND SAY THANK YOU FOR COMING BACK. YOU'RE WHAT MAKES THE ISLAND SOMEPLACE. WE WANT TO STAY AT SUDAN. HASTA DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS FOR SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS CHURCH AGREES WHOLEHEARTEDLY. IT'S THAT SMALL TOWN VIBE. >> THAT THAT PEOPLE I THINK ARE CRAVING FOR EVEN MORE IN A IN A WORLD WHERE THERE'S SO MUCH DIVISION AND NEGATIVITY. YOU JUST COME ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY AND PEOPLE JUST BREATHE A PHYSICAL. BACK ON SANIBEL. >> WE ARE NOW JOINED BY WGCU REPORTER TOM HALL. TOM, WHAT CAN PEOPLE BOTH ON AND OFF THE ISLAND DUE TO SUPPORT THE RESTAURANTS AND THE SHOPS. >> JENNIFER, GLAD YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION. PUTTING A STORE OR RESTAURANT BACK IN WORKING ORDER FOLLOWING HURRICANES IAN HELENE AND MILTON, HE'S ONLY THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS, HELPING THEM FRIED THROUGH THE SUMMER IS AN ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT MATTER. SO TO ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS AND OFF ISLAND TRAFFIC TO PATRONIZE SANIBEL BUSINESSES, SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS CHURCH AND ITS DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS TO VAN OS ESTABLISHED LOVES ANNABELLE BACK 3 YEARS AGO. THIS YEAR'S PROGRAM RUNS THROUGH AUGUST 9TH AND INVOLVE DISCOUNTS AT LOCAL BUSINESSES ALONG WITH WEEKLY THEMES AND ACTIVITIES. NOW AFTER COMPLETING THE ACTIVITY, THE PARTICIPANTS SHARES A PICTURE ON FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM WITH THE HASHTAG LOVE SAMPLE BACK THE IDEA IS TO FLOOD SOCIAL MEDIA WITH POSITIVE IMAGES OF SANIBEL SAYS VAN OS, WE REALLY WANT PEOPLE THROUGHOUT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA AND BEYOND TO COME AND EXPERIENCE THE TRUE LOVE OF SANIBEL. THAT IS AN AWESOME PROGRAM. >> IT REALLY IS. THANK YOU, TOM. I'M GLAD TO BE HERE.