CORTEZ – After seven years in business as a pub, market and live music venue, Bunny & Pirates Bazaar is closing and will be having a grand finale celebration on Saturday, April 6.
Beginning at 3 p.m., the farewell event will feature live music, food trucks, raffle prizes and a silent auction at 12404 Cortez Road W.
Bunny & Pirates business owners Elizabeth Shore and Jeffrey O’Connell announced the unexpected closing on Facebook on March 16 after lease negotiations stopped with building owner Shawn Kaleta.
The pair opened Bunny & Pirates in 2017 as a coastal store selling new and vintage items, snacks and craft beer. The following year they launched the pub and live music.
In a press release to news outlets, Shore wrote in part: “Announcing that we have been forced to close the venue has been among the most difficult things we have ever endured. We evolved the beer garden over time with the grassroots help of friends and family. Everyone pitched in, and we transformed our outdoor space with many helping hands. There is something special about being part of helping one another. We brought people together around common human needs – a place of belonging and friendship.”
Shore wrote that customers became part of their extended friends and family.
“It’s obvious from the reaction of our community over the last couple of weeks since we announced our sudden closing how much our familiar vibe resonated with so many people,” she wrote. “We became a destination for friends to meet; there is heart and soul in what we created. Our brand developed over time because of the love of our friends and customers.”
Shore characterized Cortez as a sleepy Florida town when Bunny & Pirates first opened.
“Our salty, humble place lets people of all backgrounds let their hair down, grab a music shaker, and enjoy life without pretense. Its absence will be a terrible loss,” Shore wrote. “Yes, change, growth and business are essential, but so are the riches of our history, family values and helping our neighbors.”
Shore wrote that old Florida history is being erased.
“You can’t buy the love and respect that Bunny & Pirates has in our community,” she wrote.
Over the years the pair has managed to overcome numerous business challenges.
“We made it through Hurricane Irma, which delayed our opening, the long red tide in 2018, our first year in business, the 2020 COVID shutdowns during our second anniversary, the resulting 2021 supply chain crisis, the 2022 great resignation, and the 2023 rising inflation prices.”
Bunny & Pirates will close permanently in mid-April, according to Shore.
