Business owners, town and chamber discuss 'surviving the summer'

Jason Bond opened Longboat Key Provisions in December, just in time to capitalize on the busy tourist season on the barrier island.

It started well, but ever since seasonal residents have returned to their homes up north, business has slowed for Bond.

“I’m six months in, and I’m already two months away from pulling out,” Bond said. “I cannot sustain this community if this is how it is.”

Working on Anna Maria Island previously, Bond was well aware of the seasonal fluctuations that come with the territory, but the extent of the drop-off has been more pronounced than he thought. Surviving the slow season is part of doing business on Longboat Key, and residents know it as well as business owners.

“I get all the great feedback in the world. Everybody loves my store, says they hope I’m here next year,” Bond said. “That statement alone should tell you something.”

Photo by Dana Kampa

Bond was one of a baker’s dozen of attendees at the inaugural Let’s Talk Business roundtable hosted Wednesday morning by the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce and attended by town and Manatee County staff. Earlier this year, the town of Longboat Key expanded its annual survey to include a separate questionnaire directed to small business owners. With only 16 respondents, the town worked with the chamber to initiate a recurring in-person event to gather feedback.

For Assistant Town Manager Isaac Brownman, a big takeaway was that town leaders need to balance the desire for residents to keep Longboat Key an exclusive community while bringing enough foot traffic into businesses to keep them afloat.

“We want to keep Longboat Longboat, a certain style and character of the island while balancing that with the need for businesses to survive and thrive,” Brownman said. “We had a lot of good feedback.”

The first meeting of its kind, attendees didn’t necessarily leave with immediate solutions to the problems raised, but with issues to think about and questions to ponder.

“How do we help get the message out and promote that the town has businesses here throughout the year, that you don’t have to leave the island? We do have a lot of visitors here even through the summer,” Brownman said. “How do we make sure those visitors are aware of the shops and businesses that are out there now? Where can the town help? Where can the town help to make the connections among the businesses for promotional opportunities?”

A lot to digest ahead of the next roundtable discussion, which is tentatively scheduled for late September as business owners expressed they would like to have a meeting with Town Manager Howard Tipton as well as the incoming town manager, who is expected to begin with a phased in approach in mid-September.

The first roundtable discussion did lead to exchanges of ideas, though. Longboat Key Club Managing Director Rick Konsavage told Bond one way to get the word out about his business could be to approach hotel and resort concierges.

Chamber President Kim Verrault said the island is still in a rebuilding phase after the 2024 hurricanes, not a growth phase, but that there are residents here year-round that can support the small businesses on Longboat Key year-round. The trick is persuading more of the 7,500 full-time residents to leave their houses and spend on the island.

“It’s probably important for us to remind our locals that these businesses are here, and they’re really here for them, and to get out and explore what’s available to them. There are some incredible merchants here, there are some incredible restaurateurs that are here, and there are things at their fingertips right now,” Verrault said. “They need to be supported, and we want to make sure they’re here in the future.”