Meet Greet Eat welcomes new businesses on Longboat Key

Some of Longboat Key's newest additions to the local business community shined at the latest Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce networking events.

The chamber put on its 20th annual free Meet Greet Eat event, where community members socialize with local business owners and hear about their latest offerings on April 14 at The Resort at Longboat Key Club.

New to the showcase this year were Longboat Key Provisions and the shops that opened early this year at Brista Commons, including Couch LBK.

Noel Ladd, who co-founded Couch LBK with Ken Rushing, had a special setup with balloons for his own birthday.

Ladd said the community has been tremendously welcoming since the Jan. 20 opening.

"It's been amazing. The response from the island has been incredible. We couldn't be happier."

Ahead of the opening, they stocked a wide variety of furniture and furnishings, and Ladd said patrons seem to appreciate the range of styles and prices available. Rushing said, fittingly, blues with cream and beige accents have been the popular trends.

Longboat Key Provisions opened Dec. 19, and owner Jason Bond said the shop featuring charcuterie, snacks and more has enjoyed an equally warm reception here.

Bond said customers seem to appreciate having high-quality bites to pack for a beach picnic or other outing. But some of the sleeper hits have been their humorous accompaniments, like joke napkins his mother, Donna DeLuca, was sure would hit Longboaters' funny bone.

The shop owner said he still plans to maintain his regular hours for the summer, giving shoppers somewhere to turn 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for their provisions.

Especially coming as a new shop owner on the Key, Bond said he was glad to contribute to Meet Greet Eat as a booth runner.

"It's great to reach some of the people I haven't quite gotten to yet," he said. 

Community connection

Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce Event Coordinator Ellen Thomas said about 30 organizations joined this year's event, which more than 100 attended over the two hours.

Attendees said they appreciated getting to hear about new services and products, especially as many were deciding what final preparations they needed to make for their homes before leaving for the season.

Servpro's Kellie Spring said if homeowners haven't yet made a disaster preparedness plan, now is the time.

"Do your research on your local restoration companies and make sure you have a connection with them," she said. "Have somebody that you know and trust to call."

Especially in light of the community's hurricane recovery journey, establishing a connection before leaving for the season can give residents some peace of mind, Spring said.

"People were scrambling, and when it comes to being prepared, doing your research really makes a big difference."

She said events like Meet Greet Eat are helpful for making those connections, especially considering Servpro is a franchise with local offices. Residents get the chance to speak directly with the team members providing those restoration services.

The chamber's next networking event is scheduled for 5 p.m. April 29 with the Humane Society of Sarasota County at 2332 15th St. Attendance is $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Visit LongboatKeyChamber.com to register.