Anita Cereceda, who lost 2 stores in Times Square (The Pier Peddler and Local Color), and The Islander in Santini Plaza, will reopen The Islander at 9AM this Friday. It’s the first business to reopen in Santini Plaza after they were all wiped out by Hurricane Ian 2 years ago.
Luckily Santini Plaza did not take on any water during Hurricane Helene last week. Cereceda was hoping to open on the 2-year anniversary of Ian, September 28th, however, Helene delayed the opening for nearly a week. We asked Cereceda, who was also the first Mayor of Fort Myers Beach, and is now the Chair of the LPA, how she’s feeling about opening back up. “Excited…nervous…anxious…thrilled…most of all, grateful to everyone who helped me get here.”
What does Cereceda want shoppers to know about and expect when they walk through the doors of The Islander starting this Friday. “I hope they feel welcomed, like they’re going back to a place they loved. I want them to remember that the store will be evolving with new merchandise all the time. There’s a little bit of everything… including Christmas. And I want folks to expect glitches. As hard as we’ve tried to get things done…I’m sure we’ve missed a lot.”
Cereceda is also bringing back many employees that worked for her before the storm. She says shoppers will see many familiar faces from all three of her stores.
It’s been slow going at Santini Plaza with all the repairs that needed to be done from Hurricane Ian. Annette Stillson’s Book Nook is also ready to open. The Book Nook is located right across the hall from The Islander.
Other businesses that are expected to open in Santini Plaza at some point over the next year include: South Beach Restaurant, New York Pizza & Pasta, Bad Ass Coffee, Nesbit Realty, Off The Hook (fishing apparel), Leoni’s, Sweet Licks Ice Cream and Surf Style. No opening dates have been announced for any of these businesses as of today. Once we know we will announce them on our Facebook page.
Great news!! Anita, your three stores were my favorites on FMB and when I vacation in December on FMB, I will be heading to The Islander! Congratulations and best wishes on all of your future endeavors!
I am beyond excited for so many reasons.! Revitalizing FMB, me, finally getting into my condo after 2 years, and going back to my FAVORITE store! So many items that I have are from Islander! Gosh! My daughter has artwork from there! I remember not being happy she spent so much, but was so overjoyed with the picture/artwork she chose! It was a photo of TIMES SQUARE with vibrant colors and a 3D look. It hangs on her wall today! Now, I cry. Good job, daughter!
Congratulations, Anita! I will be there! Your store is, absolutely, amazing! I have many of your decor pieces in my Florida condo. Actually, we have “Carl” here. He’s a large metal blue heron that my husband named! Never leave it to a husband for naming rights!!! 🤣
Anita, I hope you run for Town Council in the next election!!!
Amazing store and cannot wait for the reopening! Let’s all show The Islander some love! Some of my most favorite FMB treasures are from The Islander!
It’s great to get business going again and Thank God you were blessed and didn’t have to start all over again . Good Luck with your opening.
Great news! Good luck!
Anita, your love of Ft. Myers beach shines in your resolute efforts to help ALL residents. You are an truly asset to our community. It is fitting your unique shop is one of the first to reopen in Santini plaza.We are looking forward to seeing the new items and your friendly staff. All the best ,Craig and Kathy Luce. Creciente Condo
Wow! So happy for you! Can’t wait to get down there myself and see something open in Santini. We have a condo at the south end and LOVE Santini Plaza. Our place is scheduled to for November. See you soon!
I can’t wait to shop there again!
Thank you for this story as I just put a bunch of pieces together. The stores that Anita had in Times Square were my mom’s and my wife’s favorite stores to shop at while vacationing on FMB. So glad she is opening back up so we can shop with her when we are down in November! Best of luck to continued success and we look forward to seeing you soon!