October marked one year since hurricanes Helene and Milton hit, and Sun and Surf Beach Shop spent much of this past year rebuilding and finding ways to grow after the storm. The Anna Maria Island, Florida, beach store has become a go-to destination for beach gear, apparel and souvenirs on the island over the years.
Founder Marty Duytschaver, who has lived on Anna Maria Island his entire life, started the business in 1983 offering screen printed T-shirts and shells off his boat with a goal of someday expanding and opening a store that fully embodied the island life.
Jenn Moore, store buyer and Duytschaver’s stepdaughter, shares that her step-dad did just that and more, with the help of his family.
“He included his family in the business, including his beloved parrot Bullwinkle,” Moore says, adding that Bullwinkle became somewhat of an attraction in the store. In addition to running the store, she notes that her stepdad has often helped to rescue and rehome parrots and has often featured these colorful birds in the store.
“Marty was never afraid to try new things and wanted to have the ultimate shopping experience for locals and tourists,” says Moore. “With having a family business, I started coming into the store at 11, and by age 16, I was the exclusive buyer. For the last 20 years, I’ve been running the store.”
Today, Sun and Surf Beach Shop is known for its top-quality brands, such as Life is Good, Tommy Bahama and Hatley, as well as popular name-drop Anna Maria Island T-shirts. The beautiful parrots are also always a draw.
This past year has proven to be a challenging one for Sun and Surf Beach Shop, though. In October of 2024, both Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck Anna Maria Island, and Sun and Surf Beach Shop flooded as a result. Moore estimates that four feet of water and mud flooded the store and much of the merchandise was destroyed.
As Moore and the team at Sun and Surf Beach Shop went in to assess the damage, they also had to temporarily send the store’s pet parrots to the Birds of Paradise Rescue Center in order to clean and rebuild.
The seaside retailer initially hoped to reopen by Jan. 1, 2025, but Moore says her team quickly realized that it would need to push the timeline back to the springtime. From November to May, Sun and Surf Beach Shop team members worked long hours to bring the island shop back to life.
Moore notes that Sun and Surf Beach Shop did not have flood insurance, adding that, “Flood insurance isn’t very common on the island, ironically.” She says her family paid to rebuild its iconic Anna Maria Island storefront out of pocket.
She adds that she was grateful for all the people who came to help with the rebuild, including current and previous staff members, customers on their vacation and family members. Even her three kids — ages 1, 5 and 8 — pitched in with what they could at that time.
“My kids saw the rawness of the storm as it flooded our home,” Moore relates. “But they also saw how quickly people showed up. One lesson I hope they learned and will keep with them is that showing up matters. Even without invitation or asking, just being there is important. I will always cherish every moment I spent with my kids and community.”
After long hours and hard work, Sun and Surf Beach Shop officially reopened May 1. Moore says the layout and fixtures are entirely changed, but she says the change is for the better.
“The store has a whole new elegant look,” she shares.
While much has changed for Sun and Surf Beach Shop, Moore says the colorful parrots are back home at the store now and continue to draw people in.
“This is more than just a store—it’s a place people come to visit year after year, where customers create relationships with not only us but our birds. It’s a family business that feels like family,” says Moore.
According to Moore, the storm taught everyone on the island many things, including: Take every day as a blessing, be where your feet are, and buy the flood insurance.
“When it felt like we had lost so much, our community on this great island reminded us that all you need is each other,” she says. “We’re forever grateful to the volunteers who spent their days off helping us clean up the store, the customers who celebrated with us, and for lessons learned. There are some things you don’t understand until you walk through it yourself. If I had to do it all again, I wouldn’t change a thing. The trials were worth it, and the future of Sun and Surf has never looked brighter.”
