ANNA MARIA – Ginny’s and Jane E’s Café reopened on Dec. 18 at 7 a.m. The café and retail business had been closed since the pre-Hurricane Helene evacuations took place in late September.
Paul and Tammy Foster bought Ginny’s and Jane E’s in 2012 and the café’s indoor and outdoor seating areas are popular gathering places for residents, seasonal visitors and vacationers alike.
“It was great to see people come back and we had a lot of familiar faces,” Paul Foster said late Wednesday morning. “Most of the folks in here today are locals, or regulars that come every year.”
The reopening day clientele also included the Gimlin family, from Missouri, who enjoyed a late breakfast while visiting Ginny’s and Jane E’s for the first time.
Regarding the sense of community that permeates Ginny’s and Jane E’s, Foster said, “Some of these people have been coming to Ginny’s for a long, long time. There’s so many folks that just love to sit in here and see what’s going on and we love that. We have a lot of positive energy here.”
Ginny’s and Jane E’s is located in the old IGA grocery story building owned by the Cagnina family. Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters ruined the old wooden floor that’s now been replaced by a new tile floor. Much of the drywall had to be replaced, as did the kitchen equipment and the coolers.
“We moved the inventory out before the storms came, so we lost no inventory,” Foster noted.
The coffee bar previously located along the north wall is now located along the south end of the inside dining area, near the sunroom entrance that’s currently boarded as that area still awaits repairs.
The sunroom has long served as a regular Tuesday and Thursday morning gathering place for the informal Ginny’s and Jane E’s coffee club members, some of whom returned Thursday morning for their much-missed coffee and conversation.
On Wednesday, the iconic Ginny’s and Jane E’s sign was still stored in the sunroom, but the following night it returned to its familiar perch above the main entrance at the corner of Gulf Drive and Magnolia Avenue.
When discussing the economic impacts of the back-to-back hurricanes, Foster said, “We were a week shy of being closed for three months. There was no revenue for three months, but you still have a lot of the operating costs. I’m just thankful and happy that we’re open. There was a minute or two when I wasn’t sure we were ever going to get here. The place looked like a bomb went off and yesterday we were still putting it back together. But it all came together and we had a lot of our staff helping us.”
Foster said they retained most of their staff but did lose a few employees during the extended closure.
When asked about his expectations for the Christmas holidays and the peak tourist season to soon follow, Foster said, “There’s still a lot of vacation rentals that aren’t open yet, so occupancy’s going to be less. I don’t know what to expect.”
The Fosters live in the Key Royale community in Holmes Beach and like many Anna Maria Island homeowners are temporarily displaced from their home. They are currently living in their fifth-wheel trailer at the Holiday Cove RV resort in Cortez as their home is being repaired.
BUSINESS NEIGHBORS
The two-story Cagnina-owned commercial building is also occupied on the ground level by Snips Hair Design and upstairs by Body & Sol Spa and Wellness, with Island Yoga Space sharing some of the Body & Sol space torn apart by Hurricane Milton.
Body & Sol owner Amanda Escobio said she hopes to reopen in March and her Sea-renity Beach Spa and Bou-Tiki in Bradenton Beach reopened in late November. Island Yoga Space owner Cindy Phillips looks forward to her March or April return to the building she’s occupied for more than 17 years.
“The owners of the building have been incredibly proactive in getting the ball rolling with repairs so we can be in business again by springtime,” Phillips said.
As of last week, Snips Hair Design remained closed, with plywood still covering the ground-level entrance.
Ginny’s and Jane E’s opens daily at 7 a.m. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Ron Vanderman stopped by to say hello to Paul Foster when Ginny’s and Jane E’s reopened. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Longtime Island resident Neville Clarke dropped by to say hi to Paul Foster. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The retail inventory was removed before Hurricane Helene hit. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Emmett Tresaugue and the rest of the staff are glad to be working again. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
