Chamber celebrates ribbon-cutting at SCIAR, bike shop
It was a big day for the islands as the SanCap Chamber of Commerce gathered on April 25 to celebrate the ribbon-cutting for the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors (SCIAR) and its tenant, Finnimore’s Bike & Beach Rentals, on Sanibel.
“As the business organization for Realtors, including affiliate business partners like insurance companies, title companies, bank and mortgage companies, and various real estate related businesses, the Realtors association represents a huge economic core for Sanibel and Captiva,” chamber President and Chief Executive Officer John Lai said. “To see it restored to better-than-pre-hurricane condition means the world to this community. We thank CEO Bill Robinson for his leadership during this challenging period and congratulate all business members involved, including the Craig family of Finnimore’s.”
“Our building was significantly damaged by the storm and underwent a full remodel to harden it for the future,” Robinson said. “We have been supported by many local businesses since the hurricane, including being given office space by other local businesses while we waited for our office to be finished.”
He also thanked the chamber for helping with its comeback.
Finnimore’s — a full bike shop rental, repair, and sales shop with watersports and beach equipment rentals, on the island since the 1980s — reopened shortly after the storm, co-owner Joe Craig said.
The SCIAR has been at its current location since 2009 and has been a chartered Realtor association since 1985 on the islands. It added a new metal roof, new railings and new exterior design and colors to the remodeled building. All windows and storefronts are impact resistant.
The remodeled office space holds a conference room, fully stocked kitchen with an oven and a microwave, large meeting room that can accommodate up to 100 people with three TVs and a projector screen and a private meeting room, which are all available as rental space.
The ribbon-cutting celebration was followed by a SCIAR membership meeting and caravan tour, which included 10 newly listed properties. The guest speaker for the meeting was Captiva Civic Association Board President and Protect Captiva Steering Committee Member Lisa Riordan.
The SCIAR and Finnimore’s Bike & Beach Rentals are at 2353 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel.