Sanibel shops damaged by Hurricane Ian, open at Bell Tower

Feb. 28 marks five months since Hurricane Ian ripped through Southwest Florida, destroying lives, homes, and businesses.

Many of the businesses have been able to rebuild in the same location, while others have had to find a new spot to set up shop. Several of them now fill the empty spots at the Bell Tower Shops.

Some owners are calling it similar to a mini-Sanibel at the Bell Tower Shops.

Sanibel was where their businesses were made, but Hurricane Ian left them wondering if they would reopen. Despite possibly not being where they expected, many businesses have reopened.

When Ian hit Sanibel, it took peoples’ livelihoods along with their homes and so much more.

“The water just kept coming in, we ended up with about 41 inches inside the store,” owner of Congress Jewelers, Scot Congress, said.

As does Rebecca Binkowski, owner of Macintosh Books and Paper.

“Going out and seeing it you just you get that feeling in your stomach like, wow, this is everything, you know, that we’ve worked so hard for. And now we’re going to throw it all away,” Binkowski said.

But five months after the storm, they’re all finding new life on the mainland at the Bell Tower Shops.

“I do think it is a fresh start for us to be here…to be open here and to make connections and to be able to grow our business,” owner of Bubbly Latitude, Kate Zembrodt said.

While they’re not on the island, they said Sanibel is so much more than a mere geographic location.

“When things like this happen we realize how connected we are and how much of a small town we really are,” Binkowski said.

Many of the businesses WINK News spoke with said they do plan to rebuild their Sanibel locations but they love being at the Bell Tower Shops, and hope to keep those stores too.