Historic Bailey’s Store in Sanibel plans comeback after storms

Bailey’s General Store, a beloved Sanibel institution since the 1800s, is making a comeback after suffering significant damage from recent hurricanes.

The family-owned business is preparing to serve the community once again.

Calli Johnson, a fourth-generation owner, emphasized the store’s deep roots in the community.

“Our history is woven into the history of the community,” she said.

The store’s mission, established by Johnson’s great-grandfather in 1899, has been to support the community by providing essential products.

Despite challenges from Mother Nature, including the destruction of their first store and damage to their second, the Bailey family has persevered.

The current store location at Periwinkle and Tarpon Bay was also impacted by Hurricane Ian.

Johnson noted, “Most of those happened within 30-year increments. So if you think about it, we’re about overdue for 30 years anyway.”

The hurricane destroyed the general store and shopping center, but the Baileys are determined to rebuild.

In the meantime, they plan to open a smaller store called “A Bit of Bailey’s” off Rabbit Road.

Johnson explained, “We won’t have a full-scale commercial kitchen here, so there will be a few things that people will have to wait for at the full-scale Bailey’s, but we’ll be able to offer a coffee bar like people used to enjoy at the store.”

Another owner, Meade Johnson, added, “Our signature, meats, cheeses, gourmet seafood, wine, probably not liquor, sandwiches, all the excellent salads that we made in-house.”

The family hopes to open “A Bit of Bailey’s” before Easter.

As for the original location, they have submitted a development permit to the city for a multi-million dollar project, though no completion date has been set.