Chamber celebrates island pop-up openings at Bell Tower

Two Sanibel-based retailers celebrated their temporary relocation and openings at the Bell Tower in Fort Myers with a Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting on Jan 20

Adventures in Paradise (AIP) Outfitters and Bubbly Latitude jointly cheered the Sanibel presence that has sustained several island businesses unable to open at their original locations

“Before we moved into the Bell Tower Shops, we began speaking with many of Sanibel's small business owners about the shopping center,” AIP Outfitters coowner Josh Stewart said “When we talked to our neighbor, Synergy, and he was thinking of going there, it began to become a lot more exciting, because there was this beautiful plaza that had space, and various Sanibel businesses could have the opportunity to open up there ”

“As we were trying to figure out where to go, we were happy to find a space with fellow Sanibel stores,” Sarah Jacobson, who originally had planned to open Bubbly Latitude with Kate Zembrodt at The Village Shops, said “It feels like a mini-Sanibel It is always nice to see familiar faces as well as meeting new friends The com- munity has been very welcoming, and we are so pleased to be where we landed ”

“Naturally, we all wish we could be on the islands, and that all of our favorite shops could also be there, but the reality is retail needs to maintain momentum, and Bell Tower has presented the perfect setting for islanders to connect off-island,” chamber President and Chief Executive Officer John Lai said “We congratulate Adventures in Paradise and Bubbly Latitude and the other merchants who have managed to successfully pivot their brand during this uncertain time ”

A spin-off of a boat excursion operation at the Port Sanibel Marina in Fort Myers, AIP Outfitters has operated its retail shop at the Tahitian Gardens since 2009, later opening Little Adventures for children in April. The new store combines both shops, specializing in sports apparel with top-of-the-line brands such as Patagonia, Tommy Bahama, Faherty, OluKai, Peter Millar and now Vineyard Vines

J a c o b s o n , f o r m e r o p e r a t i o n s m a n a g e r a t T h e Community House, and Zembrodt, who previously worked at Why Not, joined forces to create Bubbly

Latitude, a one-of-a-kind home decor boutique featuring exclusive lines like Mario Lopez Torres, Baobab, Circa Who, Sabre and Addison Ross.

“The concept behind the store were all the items we wanted on Sanibel and were unable to find,” Jacobson said “As people are putting their homes back together, we offer everything from furniture, special one-of-a-kind items, cool rugs, dishes perfect for a rental, to the unique hostess gift ”

Other businesses that have relocated to the Bell Tower include MacIntosh Books and Paper and Congress Jewelers The solidification of the new Sanibel contingency at the shopping plaza came in December, when the chamber coordinated its annual Holiday Luminary with the Bell Tower's traditional Tree Lighting Extravaganza. Both stores look forward to a day they might be able to move their retail operations back to the island, but as Stewart put it: “Like most things on the island, it is all up in the air As the year progresses, we will have a better idea ”

The Bell Tower is at 13499 S Cleveland Ave , Fort Myers