By Jane Bartnett
Gulf Gate has become Sarasota’s own United Nations. Neighborhood restaurants, such as Kolucan, Divan, Lovely Square, and L’Opera Bakery Bistro, have attracted visitors who are drawn to their international cuisine. The bohemian vibe and mix of cultures have also created a place where specialty boutiques have found their niche.
Two Gulf Gate specialty shops, SAS Sail Away Studio, Coastal Chic Boutique on Gateway Avenue and Clarabell Cookies on Superior Avenue, joined the growing roster of thriving, young businesses that have opened in the past few years. Both are adding new vitality and energy to the neighborhood that continues to entice visitors and locals alike.
Clarabell Cookies
Superior Avenue in Gulf Gate is home to Clarabell Cookies, a fast-rising star in the cookie world. The sweet shop first opened on Mall Drive in 2021. This spring, owners Clare and Gates Jerome, a brother-sister baking duo, made the move to Superior for more space, their own kitchen and greater visibility. Their new location has been good for business. “My brother and I started Clarabell Cookies with zero experience and big dreams. As for the name, my family used to call me Clarabell, and that’s how the name came about,” Clare reported while standing in her new brightly colored shop decorated in a French country style.
The idea for Clarabell Cookies took shape during the COVID outbreak in the darkest days of 2020. While working in finance in New York City and living in Manhattan, Clare began perfecting her chocolate chip cookie recipe. She would bake a batch of cookies in her apartment kitchen and bring them as a gift to the doormen who worked at apartment buildings in her neighborhood. They encouraged her to sell the cookies. When Clare suggested the idea to her brother, he agreed. The pair took a road trip to Siesta Key, left their past lives behind in New York and Boston, and decided to launch their new business in Gulf Gate. “Many thanks to my doormen for helping me perfect that cookie for a year,” Clare wrote on the Clarabell Cookie Facebook page.
On opening day, the duo sold more than 200 cookies. Word of the delicious handmade cookies traveled through the Gulf Gate community and beyond. In addition to planning for their expanded re-location in Gulf Gate, they also began selling online through their website. Clarabell Cookies is now famous around the world. “We’ve sent out thousands of cookies as far as Guam,” said Clare. In June, they shipped more than 5,000 sweet treats to their customers.
Area coffee shops have signed on, and Clare reports that they are also selling wholesale nationally. Using their social media skills to tell their sweet story, Clarabell Cookies has 30,000 Instagram followers.
The delectable treats are offered in 12 flavors, including double dark chocolate, snickerdoodle, cinnamon roll, vanilla sugar, oatmeal raisin, walnut chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip, espresso chocolate chip and peanut butter chip brownie. The walnut chocolate chip cookie remains the classic that launched their brand, but new recipes such as the funfetti gluten free cookies are also popular. Their lemon poppy seed, made with pure Florida citrus, poppy seeds and a homemade lemon glaze was created as a salute to the sunshine state.
The tempting flavors of these large cookies that are big enough to share made headlines. SRQ Magazine called them the “best cookies hands down!” Sarasota Magazine trumpeted their arrival in Gulf Gate soon after they opened and pronounced Clarabell Cookies the “best cookies in town.”
Clarabell Cookies at 6564 Superior Avenue, Gulf Gate is open Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Clarabellcookies.com. Free shipping is available nationally and available through Door Dash and Uber Eats. Phone: 941-923-1742.
SAS Sail Away Studio, Coastal Chic Boutique
On Gateway Avenue, colorful and unique “Euro-chic” women’s wear and accessories imported from Europe fill the welcoming SAS Sail Away Studio, Coastal Chic Boutique. Nestled between the Natural Apothecary Shoppe and The Skinny Dip Frozen Yogurt Bar, this charming port of call is owned by Martha Smith, a well-known Siesta Key artist who made her name as the owner of The Gallery on Siesta Key. Smith has a loyal following of Siesta Key residents and visitors who enjoy visiting her new Gulf Gate venture.
In 2020, as the pandemic began, Smith returned to her New England roots and opened a boutique in Newport, Rhode Island called Sail Away Studio. Longing for her many Siesta Key friends and fellow artists, Smith decided to come back and open a new women’s boutique here. While hunting for a storefront, she became intrigued with the many international restaurants that were opening in Gulf Gate and breathing new life into the neighborhood. “This neighborhood has become a Euro-centric spot ,and we fit into this vibe,” she said. “So many of my Siesta Key friends found me right away.”
Visitors and locals alike from Siesta Key, the Gulf Gate and Sarasota area are drawn to the shop that is filled with imported, colorful coastal cotton and linen designs in dresses, pants and tops as well as women’s bathing suits from France, Italy, Spain and Greece. Italian handbags and leather goods from Florence in rich shades of blue, orange and pink are displayed along with small European gift items. Straw hats and bags are artfully placed throughout the store.
The colors and textures of the clothes and accessories in the cozy shop have a cosmopolitan feel and are reminiscent of European beaches. Any of the designs could easily be worn on the beaches and streets of Capri, Nice, the Costa del Sol, Siesta Key or Sarasota.
During her annual shopping pilgrimage to Europe, Smith shops for her boutique in Paris, Milan, Florence, Sorento and Greece. “I have good relationships with a number of European vendors,” she said. Smith also carries a line of Susan Shaw jewelry. Handmade in Texas, the earrings, necklaces and bracelets have a delicate, distinctly European look. “Shaw has a loyal following,” Smith reported.
For August, SAS Sail Away Studio is featuring “Toasty Tuesdays.” Every Tuesday, Smith is inviting customers to enjoy a glass of champagne as they shop. She will also extend a special offer to customers who agree to visit the shop with 10 or more people on a specific day and time. The group leader will receive a 10% discount off their own purchases during the visit. As they shop, the group will enjoy champagne and Smith’s specially made hors d’ oeuvres.
“People come in and know they’ll find something different here.” Smith believes that women should look fabulous every day. “I’m bringing dressing up back. If you look great, you feel great.”
Follow SAS Sail Away Studio, Coastal Chic Boutique on Instagram @SailawayNewport. Call 508-971-4410 and visit the store at 6612 Gateway Avenue, Gulf Gate. Hours are 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday – Saturday. Closed on Sundays
