[ad_1]
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — A St. Pete Beach entrepreneur who lost all of her product to last year’s hurricanes, opened her first brick-and-mortar store on Corey Avenue on Friday.
“We’re back at it and stronger than ever,” owner Cat Lepitit said. “We are not giving up on that dream.”
Lepitit called it a dream reborn. City leaders, the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce, along with friends and family filled the shop for a ribbon cutting.
“When you have new lights on, on Corey Avenue, it’s a sign of hope for Corey Avenue,” said Charlie Justice, Chamber president and chief executive officer. “It’s a sign of hope for St. Pete Beach. It’s really a sign of hope for all our beaches.”
Lepitit said Sun Drunk offers beach lifestyle essentials.
“We have our typical bestsellers — Turkish towels, UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) shirts,” she said. “Then we added more to the store with swimwear and any cover-ups you need for the beach and jewelry. Everything you need to go to the beach in style.”
The entrepreneur built the brand from the ground up in 2023 by selling her products from a booth at the Corey Avenue Sunday Morning Market. Lepitit has tried recruiting her market friends to join her on the block and take a chance.
“I’m trying to grab all my vendor (friends) from the Corey Market, come over, open stores, it’s empty,” she said. “Everybody’s so scared to reopen the store. But it’s like the crash of 2008. If you don’t take a risk now, you will pass opportunity.”
Lepitit said she decided to open the store with money that friends and family had raised for her.
Sun Drunk will have special offers and mocktails on Saturday as part of the grand opening celebration.
[ad_2]
Josh Rojas
Source link