VIDEO: It takes a village

Nestled near downtown on the north side of Fruitville Road, the Historic Downtown Village often gets overlooked when discussing Sarasota’s growth.

Established less than five years ago, the Downtown Village is a collection of 14 1920s bungalows that house 12 businesses. Signs in front of two of the former homes promise a handmade-jewelry studio and a sushi and bubble tea restaurant are coming soon, a signal of the rapid expansion that’s occurred — something on which area merchants hope to capitalize.

The Breakfast House
The origins of the Downtown Village can be traced back to Wendy Goldberg, owner of The Breakfast House restaurant. Driving down Fruitville, she drew inspiration from the sight of a dilapidated house, part of an enclave of other similar structures — although there were immediately those who doubted her plans.

“I had a vision and said, ‘I wonder if I could make that a little breakfast house,’” Goldberg said. “My daughter — I was driving her to school — was like, ‘Mom, you know nothing about the restaurant business. What are you thinking?’”

Goldberg’s daughter wasn’t the only naysayer. Goldberg remembers people telling her that the economy wasn’t strong enough, that the location wasn’t optimal. The owners of the homes were planning to tear them down, eyeing the possibility of a retail or condominium complex on the downtown-adjacent property.

Goldberg convinced them that, although the struggling economy couldn’t support a large mixed-use project, fixing up the homes and adding retail would be a relatively easy change. Almost instantly, she said, The Breakfast House was a success — and she pushed for the addition of more businesses to surround it.

“Two weeks after I opened, I was very successful,” Goldberg said. “I called the owner (of the houses) up and said, ‘Why don’t you come in and see how cute this place is, and why don’t you make this a village?’”

Her pitch has become reality: Today, the Downtown Village stretches from Gillespie Avenue to Osprey Avenue along Fruitville, extending north to Fourth Street.

On Tuesday morning, Goldberg spoke with customers about the Breakfast House’s upcoming five-year anniversary Dec. 14; a big celebration to mark the occasion is in the works. Already, her risk has paid dividends. It doesn’t come as a shock to Goldberg, who plainly states what she sees as the appeal of the Downtown Village.

“Everybody can go to strip centers and malls and plazas to shop,” Goldberg said. “Why do people go to the Keys? Why do people go to St. Augustine? Why do people go to Village of the Arts? Because of the quaintness of the little homes that are all renovated and fixed up — and they’re local businesses.”

Crystal Cave
Susan Moen moved from Massachusetts to Sarasota for the weather, she says. When she came to Florida, she left behind the crystal stores she had owned for 18 years.

After arriving in Sarasota, she was drawn to the Downtown Village because she liked the character of the cottages and the proximity to the downtown core. She opened Crystal Cave nearly one year ago, and the area has more than met her expectations.

“Business is better than my Massachusetts stores,” Moen said. “I get drive-bys, I get people who bang U-turns when they see our sign. There are strollers in the village and destination shoppers.”

Moen said she hopes to see even more growth in the village going forward — including full occupancy — and expressed a desire for a greater retail focus in the area.

“In the fact that we have a few empties, we need to keep building it and building it and building it,” Moen said, “preferably as a retail destination.”

The Artful Giraffe
Sue Forbes, owner of The Artful Giraffe, discovered the store — and the village — while she was looking for an “encore career.” She was immediately smitten by her surroundings.

“When I came into this village, I saw how different and unique it was,” Forbes said. “And, of course, I fell in love with the shop as soon as I saw it, and I went from there.”

Like Moen, Forbes has been in business for about a year, and echoes the claims of growth. Although it’s often difficult to attract people north of Fruitville, Forbes said people tell her they’re eventually drawn to investigate the Downtown Village.

Forbes is optimistic about the future of the neighborhood and believes people will continue to have an interest in patronizing local specialty stores.

“Locals and tourists alike love the atmosphere,” Forbes said. “Even though we’re downtown, we feel like we’re a little country oasis in the middle of the city.”

That’s not to suggest she doesn’t see room for improvement. Although all of the businesses do their own marketing, Forbes said the area still gets lost in the shadow of downtown. She hopes to see the footprint of the village grow west on Fruitville, expanding past Osprey Avenue.

She encouraged people unfamiliar with the area to give it a chance, convinced that they would be as charmed by the village as she was one year ago.

“This area to me is a unique gem in the city that I think a lot of people overlook,” Forbes said. “Besides the charming Gillespie Park neighborhood with all the historic homes, there’s a lot of beauty in this area. People need to stop in and see what we can offer here.”

Future Vision
Downtown Village businesses have worked to increase the area’s visibility by holding events on the fourth Friday of each month.

Stores stay open late for the Fourth Friday events, which run from 5 to 9 p.m. The attractions include live entertainment in the parking area, samples from the food stores, artwork on display and live demonstrations offered from the arts and craft studios.

“We try to make that as special as we can,” Forbes said. “Attendance has been very good for the Fourth Friday events, and it’s growing.”

As the village grows Goldberg envisions a greater emphasis on outdoor activities. She’d like to see a stage installed in the parking lot to allow for live entertainment in addition to outward growth.

Although the vision for the future may be ambitious, Goldberg said the storeowners’ motives were relatively straightforward.

“People who live in the area like to support local businesses,” Goldberg said. “That’s what we are — we’re all local women trying to make it happen with our little shops and boutiques and restaurants.”

Business Boom
Starting from just one restaurant five years ago, the Historic Downtown Village will soon include the following businesses: