Olympic Report Islander Reporter Sends Us a Fax from the Games
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BEST REGIONAL ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Page 16A | Sins® %<&&'$ Vol. 35, No. 30 Friday, August 2, 1996 Two Sections, 36 Pages 50 Cents Special Report*. New survey tells of bysiness trends Week Dolphin Update Sanibel's stranded dolphin is still alive, in Clearwater. .3B I Tax Increase Sanibel residents may see mmm a city tax increase. 8A I Hot Shows - •• • - § !. Two new community plays I start this week on Sanibel. '„ 15A j Tasty stuff Frank Wagner begins to J eat his way through a new | series on local desserts. * : 19A Olympic Report Islander reporter sends us a fax from the Games. ...2A -« *\/yeather, Lotto LJs •••••• 6A ^^> Tide chart 2B Index ,, Arts-Leisure 13A , | Business 20A J | Service Directory 23A i | High Tide cartoon 1IA I I Cityside 7A 3 j ClassiReds 6 B | | Commentary 10A j I Dining Out 9k I Dining In ISA J "Front Page" 3A I Island Eye 6A 1 Lotto 6A j PoliceBeat 9A 1 Permits/Deeds 2IA I Real Estate 9B f Fishing/Shelling 5B Show Biz 15A Street Interviews 5A - | 2B Have A Great Sanibel has 169 rentable retail units, with about 13 percent currently vacant Photo/Cariene Hrennen. ISLANDER - Friday, August 2, i 996 - 3A 2A - Friday, August 2, 1996 - ISLANDER barely necessary, though. We could see dise, while my every little misstep and, when Domin- sister-in-law Olympic Special ique Moceanu flipped and landed on her Carol and I sat head on the balance beam, a gasp went on the floor and The Front Page 2 }ill TYRER up from the horrified crowd. chatted, absently When Shannon Miller finished the watching a dog balance beam routine that earned her a being led in past Islander staff writer gold, Jair Lynch performed for a silver us. A strange Special Report: Sanibel commerce—businesses in transition on the parallel bars and Dominque Dawes noise like a danced her way to a bronze on the floor child's slide By JILL TYRER sees the season shortening, and not just because Eas- exercise, the crowd was with them—for whistle went off Islander staff ter fell early this year. "Five years ago it was busier," every up, every down, for the outrage in and the lights Sanibel Island: Warm sun, beautiful beaches, an he said. "Not only busier in the store, but busier in the men's horizontal bar, when a roar of started flashing. array of accommodations and fine eating establish- traffic." Report from the Olympics boos greeted the judges' scores on the Police moved forward and immediately ments and an assortment of shops to browse when "Season is short out here," Salo said. "Realisti- We were a little late by the time we Even seats that high up were pretty fine performances by the three who ushered people—unpaid merchandise in you're tired of sunning. cally speaking, January is true season and by Easter, climbed to our seats. My sister, Lisa, had darned expensive, so I was pleased to shared the bronze. hand—out the door. The four of us stalled Of course, that assortment of shops is dwindling. everybody's gone. You have to be real smart in the to stop back at the office to check a few discover that we could see just about ev- Hearing about "the Olympic spirit" outside watching for Lisa but, when she Driving down Periwinkle Way, it's hard to miss the four months you've got." things following the bomb scare at the erything—except John Tesh who, my gets tiresome, but it really is that feeling came out, she headed in the other direc- gaping vacancies dotting the centers along the roads. Atlanta Committee for the Olympic neighbor said, was on the level below us tion. David darted after her—and we Since the boom days of the '80s, many retailers—es- Tourist trends of solidarity, of being a part, that makes Some think the numbers of tourists have de- Games Center where she works. So, by and no great loss. An obvious fan. the games an irreplaceable experience. were hopelessly separated. pecially those who aren't well established—have been struggling to stay alive. clined, but the figures don't show that. The numbers the time we got to the Georgia Dome, Live announcing is nothing like sit- It doesn't end once you walk out the The situation was controlled, but we knew we'd missed the beginning of ting at home and watching the games on "It is true that the retail industry has been suffer- of people through the Southwest Florida International doors. Outside, friendly people chat with the tension was high and, as Troy pointed Airport and the number of people paying tolls are up, the gymnastics finals. TV, where they tell you all about Amy out, "It was scary." ing," said David Besse, Director of the Sanibel-Captiva strangers and take turns shooting pictures Islands Chamber of Commerce. "Retail is off 20 per- as is hotel occupancy on the island. We joined the crowd at the gates, Athlete's home and family and how she of each other in front of spectacular city As he, Carol and I circled, looking But, Adler said, especially from 1991-1994, "The waiting to pass through the security overcame smallpox to compete. In the cent in dollars from two years ago." Not only are buy- lights. for the other two, his eyes started tearing ing trends changing and costs of business continuing Visitor spending cost of accommodations has gone up so dramatically checks, where men with megaphones venues, the announcer says who's up next Surprisingly, they are courteous up, afraid something had happened to his that a lot of people just don't have the dough" to go and, when he or she has finished the rou- to rise, but local retailers are facing more competition A lot of retailers remember the good old days of were alternately directing the masses and and elbows are tucked in with a quick father. Carol picked him up and we ven- on the mainland.including from the Sanibel Factory shopping. entertaining them: "Welcome to tine, we find out how old the competitor the '80s, when people were a lot more free with their "I'm sorry" as people jam sidewalks and tured on 'til we found a fairly safe place Outlet stores he added. cash. "I find overall on Sanibel, they do not reduce McDonald's, may Itake your...I mean, if is, where he's from, what he hopes to do onto the trains. where we might run into them. Granted, Sanibel has a total of 169 rentable retail units, room rates enough to entice people to come here," in the future and what his pastimes are. "It was good in '80s," said Chris Arundel of you'll move to the..." A couple hundred The bomb threats, which are about this was not the time nor place to be according to a recent real estate analysis, with 20 units Arundel's. "In the early '90s, things started to fall off." said Marjorie Galetti, who sells things like juice, jams of us sang Happy Birthday to "Ace", then It wasn't too surprising to hear that many as common in Atlanta recently as Olym- chuckling, but try to understand: at 9, — 13 percent—vacant. John Adler, president of Real and jellies in a territory from Marco Island up to north want to coach and teach gymnastics. As And it's not that people vacationing here have happily opened our bags and cameras for pic pins (that's a whole 'nother story),. Troy is as long, slender and leggy as his Estate Analytical Services Inc., completed the analy- any less money, Besse said. of Tampa. Her strongest sales are around St. him and the other security folks. for the hobbies, one person collects are handled seriously but calmly and with mom, and only slightly shorter. They've sis, which is dated June 4,1996, for the City of Sanibel "I think people are more careful about what they Petersburg's beaches, she said, where rooms rates are Once inside the Dome, Lisa and I stamps, one is fond of stuffed animals— control. been trading shorts and T-shirts for a and the Chamber of Commerce. buy," Salo said. "Back in the '80s, people just spent, reduced off-season and where many of the tourists are hiked to our seats. I made the mistake of and it just astounded me how many of For example, four of us had gone couple of years... The image of those Rene Salo is in a pretty good position with her families. Naples also is a good market for her Stevens looking down and felt a wave of dizzi- these amazing gymnasts like to fish. to the ACOG Center to meet my sister. spindly limbs poking around Carol's flower shop, she said. She just recently took over as Tropical Plantations products, she said, but Sanibel is ness before we found our places and To our right was a huge screen that David, my brother, and his 9-year-old slight body as she staggered along was owner of Periwinkle Florist and Gift Baskets, she said, Not only are buying trends changing and poor. watched others balance along the narrow gave a close-up view of the athlete's face son, Troy, were perusing the rnerchan- almost more than I could take. The two but she's been managing it for three years, so she's costs of business continuing to rise, local Occupancy rates don't necessarily support that, ' though, Besse said.