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.
Comments are closed.