Inn to reopen temporary bakery; will relocate to old location 

BY EVAN DUNBAR,
GARLAND POLLARD

The Gasparilla Inn expects to soon reopen their bakery at a temporary location, at the rear of 411 Park Ave.

“That bakery will be very much along the lines of what we served at the Picnic Basket,” said Brent Cross, The Gasparilla Inn president and general manager.

Currently the corner of Park and 4th, across from Fugate’s, houses the hotel’s reservations, catering and human resources departments. It previously included a retail store, and long before that, was the location for the island’s Chevron station. 

“We are hoping to have it ready to go in the coming weeks, so that at that point we can work through the kinks and do our training,” Cross said.

That location will only be temporary; the Inn plans to reopen at its previous location, 384 E. Railroad Ave., as soon as that project is built.

Last Friday, the Inn signed a long-term lease with Sue Sligar, who owns the site of the old bakery. That rebuilding project continues, after the island’s telecom tower crashed into the building during Hurricane Ian. 

“I am thrilled to partner with the bakery and bring the bakery back to the community,” Sligar said. The new bakery building will have three apartments above, and the bakery on the first floor. The overall design was approved by the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board, but the project has yet to go through other county permitting. Cross does not expect issues for either.

“We are putting things back in existing locations,” Cross said. “I think if this was a new build somewhere else that would be a question that would have to be addressed.”

Currently, Sligar is in the working drawings stage, and will be interviewing contractors next week. There is not yet a formal timetable. “We are doing everything we can,” Sligar said. 

In February, the Boca Beacon reported that the Inn was considering new sites for the bakery, including 411 Park. The temporary bakery will have only breakfast and lunch items, as the space is limited. Cross said that they already had staff for the project. The permanent bakery, when it opens, will offer take out dinner, as well. It will be open year ‘round.

“It was important to give the residents and even visitors an option in the evenings for something that might be a little more casual take out and a business was going to cater to that,” Cross said.

Hurricane Ian destroyed the old Inn bakery at 384 E. Railroad Ave. on September 28, 2022. As a temporary solution, the Inn opened the Picnic Basket on an empty lot across Fifth Street from the side entrance to the hotel. It was forced to close that location by the county, when an island resident complained, as it was on “undeveloped land.”

“Obviously that was something we had to pivot off of so at that point we started to make some other adjustments as to what it looks like,” Cross said.

The Inn owns an increasing number of properties downtown, including Fugate’s and Railroad Plaza, the location of Sisters and other retailers. The Inn acquired the property for the temporary bakery in 2022 for $4.5 million. 

“We love being on our own property, but we also like to extend ourselves out into the community and especially into the town,” Cross said. 

Curious about any construction projects in Lee County? You can search at leegov.com/dcd/BldPermitServ