HOLMES BEACH, Fla. — A beloved beach café on Anna Maria Island is poised to continue staying in business after ongoing financial challenges threatened to shut it down for good.
Several members of the community rallied to make sure the doors at Minnie's Beach Café stayed open and the grill stayed burning.
For more than 20 years, the café has been a mainstay in the city of Holmes Beach with plenty of memories created over pancakes, burgers, and french fries.
When the co-owners of Minnie's, Kathy Smart and Mary Doub, found themselves falling on hard times they called out for help. That's when the community sprung into action.
"My husband and I come here all the time and we've been wanting to give her flowers when we heard she was sick and then of course now there's more issues going on so there's something else there too," said Pat Olsen of Holmes Beach.
Olsen came bearing flowers and an envelope with a monetary donation towards an ongoing fundraiser that was kicked off on GoFundMe.
The fundraiser quickly garnered thousands of dollars in less than 48 hours and is far surpassing the goal.
It's not just Minnie's Café visitors from across the nation and locals chipping in to keep it open, it's also other businesses who understand and are navigating ongoing economic challenges.
"I used to go there about four times a week before. Now that we own this place, I'm walking over there all the time," said Chris Mann, owner of Just 4 Fun Bike Rental Shop.
Mann has called Holmes Beach a second home for nearly 30 years, and during that time has been a frequent diner at Minnie's Café.
With his business located next door, he's not only witnessed some of its challenges firsthand but also heard from the cafe's owners.
"As the island becomes more developed, it seems as though the old mom-and-pop places are going away a little bit. The way I donate, I go there every day. We've just cleaned up but we had eggs from there this morning," Mann said.
After several issues, including ongoing health challenges and an unfavorable health department report that threatened to shut down the café, the fundraiser has now given the business a new lifeline.
"It's been Incredible. I couldn't believe all the people. God bless you. I can't appreciate that enough because it's amazing truly," Doub said.
"I think we are going to be able to keep the doors open. We were at a point where we were behind on everything, which we've never been, that's never happened," Smart said.
Smart, 72, and Doub, 61, said the scaffolding surrounding the plaza was just an example of a series of construction projects that contributed to the reasons they considered closing. They say it caused lots of confusion for regular and potential customers.
"It was one thing after another since 2021 and they took our sign down and people were coming in and saying we didn't know you were all open and stuff, but it was just a barrage of things and we had the red tide which was awful," Doub said.
The business owners also had challenges paying down some of the loans they took on during the pandemic to keep the business functioning.
But as the tide has turned, people can continue to come in to see and greet familiar faces including those who serve up their food and get a chance to create new memories.
"I am still waiting on families that I waited on as kids and now they've all had their own kids. We're doing the best we can and I think we will be able to keep the doors open," Smart said.
"We love them. They're very nice, all the workers and employees. It's a great place to come and we're lucky that we have it now and community they're going to stay," Olsen said.
To donate to Minnie's Beach Café, click or tap here.