I remember sitting across the desk from my boss in my early 20s as he was giving me my annual review, “You sure spread sunshine around the newsroom,” he told me.
If anyone has ever spent any time in a newsroom, you know that it can be intense. You’re trying to meet unforgiving deadlines, trying to get scripts printed out, videos edited, anchors and reporters and videographers in place, and all the while keeping one ear on the police scanners for any kind of emergency that could change the course of the newscast at any moment.
I sure like the pace of magazines a whole lot better, and looking back at my days in television news, I’m glad that amid that environment, I could be that ray of sunshine for my colleagues.
But lately, I have to admit, it has been harder and harder to maintain that sunny disposition. Maybe you can relate. All the recent policy changes and concerns about pending new tariffs have likely have caused a few sleepless nights as you wonder what this all will mean for your businesses.
On top of that, seaside retailers are still working on reopening their businesses after last fall’s hurricane season. And retailers on the West Coast are still facing many harsh realities after a series of destructive wildfires this past winter.
But even with everything going on, it is not all doom and gloom. There are actually glimmers of hope all around us thanks to the great people who make up our industry. You can read about some these exceptional retailers in the following pages.
Julia Duytschaver’s Original Sand Dollar store in Holmes Beach, Florida, which is featured on the cover of this issue, is one of those stores. Another great comeback story featured on page 48 is that of Anita Cereceda and her store The Islander in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, which was destroyed during Hurricane Ian.
Famous mindfulness teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn once said, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
That mindset sure seems to have paid off for Duytschaver and Cereceda. Perhaps we can all stand to brush up on those surfing skills.
