Old Naples Marina building to be demolished, businesses looking for new homes

Revamping a Southwest Florida staple, a project at the Old Naples Marina would replace some longtime businesses with new sights and new sounds.

Hurricane Irma took down the marina. Hurricane Ian will take down the building. The businesses paying the price are an art gallery and its neighbor, a popular pizzeria.

Two beloved businesses survived two hurricanes, but not the plans for a new marina. That’s the plan near the Naples City Dock in Crayton Cove.

“We just love all the little spots that we can stop at whether we’re walking or going on our bikes,” said Andrea Trick, who loves Napoli on the Bay.

Trick and her husband Craig say they’re going miss the charm of the little slice of Naples.

“We brought our kids here when they were probably two, three, four, five years old, and now they’re grown, married, and they’re bringing their kids now. So, it’s a family tradition,” said Craig Trick.

Napoli on the Bay is going away at the end of April when its lease ends. Phil Fisher Art Gallery will suffer the same fate.

The owner of the building has decided not the make necessary repairs after Ian. Instead, he’s going to demolish the place.

“We’ve been at it for over 50 years. And we’ll be keeping at it,” said Natalie Guess, owner of Phil Fisher’s Gallery.

Guess and her husband, Phil Fisher, have run their gallery for nearly 15 years. They said this place holds many memories.

“This is a very special place. I mean, we got married beyond the Cove Inn. Phil asked me to marry him in the dock restaurant. So, we feel of all the things we’ve done in Naples, we kind of came full circle, and this was our ending spot,” Guess said.

Natalie and Phil hope to find someplace new to show off their creations, but it’s going to be hard to say goodbye.

As for the marina, there is no set timetable for when construction will begin.