Commercial business booming at Cape Harbour
BY _BARBARA _BOXLEITNER Florida Weekly Correspondent

COURTESY PHOTO Cape Harbour developer Will Stout intended to create a lively waterfront destination for residents and visitors in the heart of Cape Coral.

Jeff Gately's enthusiasm in Cape Harbour hasn't waned in the nearly four years since his Rumrunners restaurant opened at the waterfront community.

Evidently, public interest continues to buoy commercial growth in the Cape Coral project of Realmark Development founder and president Will Stout.

Gately said he has four retail spaces on site, including his first interest, as Rumrunners managing partner with Todd Johnson. The upscale waterfront restaurant opened in November 2003. "I'm absolutely delighted with my experience," he said. "We're still very, very pleased with the whole project."

"We felt that seeing what Will Stout was doing was taking the Cape in a whole new direction in terms of service and product," he said.

Gately likened the busy community at the south end of Chiquita Boulevard to a more inclusive version of Fifth Avenue in Naples, where he said he lived years ago. "Arms are wide open to the public," he said. "Everyone feels very welcome. It doesn't have that pretentiousness."

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Indeed, Realmark representatives intended to create a lively waterfront destination for Cape Harbour residents and visitors. "We see our commercial development as an amenity to the homeowners," said Laura Straus, vice president of sales and marketing for Realmark. "We wanted all these things open before we closed our condos."

Closings on condos in the first marina tower took place in 2006, for the second tower in May of this year.

Dining and shopping venues, by design, are quite unlike others in the area. Marina boutiques feature jewelry, clothing, footwear, household decoratives and more. "We wanted to have what you couldn't have anywhere else," Straus said. "We wanted nothing at all that you got somewhere else."

For example, she cited Pignoli: An Epicurean Marketplace, whose services include offering gourmet food and catering to land and water patrons and cooking classes. Among the dining options is Run Agrounds, home to treats such as specialty coffees, espresso, pastries and premium ice cream.

Among the dining options is Run Agrounds, right and below left, home to treats such as specialty coffees, espresso, pastries and premium ice cream.

Straus said The Joint restaurant, which opened in December, boasts the outdoor Longboards Cabana Bar. The eatery is an energetic atmosphere with live music every Tuesday and regular special events, including wine tastings. "It's really sort of a cutting edge restaurant in Southwest Florida," she said. "It's really dynamic."

But affordability was vital to Realmark as well, Straus said, because officials wanted everyday people to be able to dine and/or shop, then relax or socialize on site.

As partner of The Joint, Gately said he wanted it to be fine dining for everyone. So he researched similar types of establishments, such as Carrabba's Italian Grill, in order to keep prices comparable. The notable difference is atmosphere. "We offer a greater experience on the water than any of those," he said.

Dining and shopping venues at Cape Harbour, by design, are quite unlike others in the area. Marina boutiques feature jewelry, clothing, footwear, household decoratives and more.

Outdoor seating by shops allows people to enjoy their surroundings. "We believe the public should be able to congregate on the water," Straus said. "There are events going all the time."

In addition to gatherings at particular dining and shopping outlets, the waterfront is host to fundraisers for area organizations. A fishing tournament the past three years benefited Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Florida.

Straus said a special events center with an attached air-conditioned tent will open in December. The facility will plan celebrations for special occasions such as weddings, bar mitzvahs and sweet 16 birthdays. An onsite vacation rental program also will debut in December to offer stays from a week to months at select units.

And Straus is optimistic about more commercial activity because of the positive reception thus far. "We believe the public tells you what you need," she said.

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