Siesta Center houses two new businesses

One offers a Wonka-esque world of sweets to choose from, the other fashion reminiscent of Europe. Both businesses are welcome new faces at the Siesta Center office complex.

Siesta Key Sweet Shop and World of Women Boutique are the first new businesses to open in the Siesta Center complex in more than a year.

Rosalind Hyman has managed the office building on Ocean Boulevard since 1975. She has seen myriad businesses come and go from the two-story building, from dry cleaning to real estate offices.

Hyman attributes the incoming businesses to the general upswing of the economy since the recession.

“The real estate market has definitely picked up on the Key, hence, the business market follows,” she said.

Siesta Key Sweet Shop opened in September. The owners, Liza and Bill Deaett, have lived in Sarasota for two years. After they first moved here from New Jersey, they wanted to do something together as a family business, Liza Deaett said. They have two children, Liam, 3, and Patti, 10 months.

“I’ve always been nuts about candy,” Liza Deaett said.

There are six ice cream or frozen-yogurt places on the Key, Liza Deaett said, but no store dedicated just to candy.

Bill Deaett said customers are drawn to childhood favorites such as Zeno’s Worlds Most Famous Taffy, their signature item, and Gobstoppers, as well as some oddities such as chocolate-covered gummy worms and “Gator Poop” chocolate balls.

Bill Deaett said they wanted to get the, “Oh, I remember these when I was a kid,” reaction from visitors.
Along with some tourist-attractive options, such as chocolate and peanut butter seashells, the store also offers fine chocolates made from local chocolatiers and 60 bins of different bulk candies. The owners try to buy 85% of their products from local and state producers. They also provide vegan, gluten-free, peanut-free, no-sugar added and sugar-free options.

In the future, the store hopes to offer a special section for the more health-minded visitor of dried fruits, organic and natural chocolate and candied popcorns.

Next door, a women’s clothing boutique with an emphasis on European fashion opened Oct. 8. Owners Galina Koshkareva and her partner, Inna Bazilevych, were homesick for the fashions from their home country of Ukraine.

Koshkareva moved to the U.S. 19 years ago, and Bazilevych joined her five years ago. The two women decided to open a boutique that would bring new fashion ideas to Sarasota.

The couple first opened in a space on Fruitville Road, but they originally wanted to open the shop on St. Armands Circle. But, after waiting more than a year for a space to open up, they decided to try out Siesta Key.

They only stock four or five of each item so that their customers will be able to dress uniquely, Koshkareva said.

“Clothes make you beautiful and different,” she said.

Michael Regulbuto, the owner of Salon Capelli, is excited to have new businesses as his neighbors.
“It feels wonderful,” he said.

A mortgage business left last year and a shipping business left about six years ago, leaving the first floor with vacancies, Regulbuto said. All the businesses in the center now have the same service and retail orientation, which will bring foot traffic, he said. He sends his customers over to the other shops and vice-versa.

Regulbuto’s salon has been in the center since 1980. His advice to new business owners is to make sure to save back some of the money they make during season, when they get high volumes of customers, for the summer when business will be slower.

“During season you make a lot of money and you need to save some … so you can enjoy the slow season in the summer,” Regulbuto said.