A vintage vending machine dispensing original artwork is turning heads at Sea You Boutique, where shoppers can purchase palm-sized collectible mini prints for $1.
The coastal-inspired gift boutique recently became home to South Florida’s first mini print vending machine, a retro teal outfit from the 1970s that dishes out exclusive artwork created by local artist Sahily Anais Perez McMillan of Pigmented Press. The machine features six collectible designs, including illustrations inspired by landmarks throughout Lake Worth Beach.
“There are five prints you can select from and one mystery print,” says owner Jennifer Sabugo. “It’s just a fun way for people to take a little piece of art home.”
The concept taps into the nostalgia of old-fashioned prize machines while making original art accessible to a wider audience, she says. Customers insert four quarters, pull the handle and discover which design they’ve received.
“Locals will come in and say, ‘I have four quarters. I want to see if I can get one I don’t have yet,’” Sabugo says. “It’s so fun watching people use it.”
Favorite things
The vending machine is just one example of the creativity found throughout Sea You Boutique, which Sabugo opened in August 2025 after retiring from a 25-year career as a technology and graphic design teacher. Sabugo says owning a boutique had been a dream for decades.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been wanting to do this,” she says. “I finally took the leap and followed my dream.”
Sabugo had been casually looking for storefronts to lease, and when a downtown Lake Worth Beach spot became available, a friend urged her to check it out right away. “It’s walking distance from our home,” she says of the serendipitous location.
“We walked there literally in our pajamas and saw the pink awning, which is my signature color, and I couldn’t believe it,” Sabugo relates.
That morning last year, on July 28, Sabugo and her husband signed the lease. “As soon as I got our point-of-sale system, we were in business and our first sale was August 11,” she says of the whirlwind rush to welcome locals and visitors.
Sea You is essentially filled with all of Sabugo’s favorite things.
“Before opening, I had been keeping a running list on my phone of products, artists, anything I could find — almost like a hope chest for the future,” she says.
Inviting the community
Beyond retail, Sea You Boutique has become a gathering place for the community. The store hosts workshops and has partnered with students from Dreyfoos School of the Arts to create seasonal window displays, providing students with hands-on experience while supporting local arts education.
The annual Lake Worth Beach Street Painting Festival — one of the largest in the world — draws visitors from all over who transform the city into a giant outdoor gallery of large-scale chalk murals. “We get about 100,000 people who walk through our town that weekend and, as a retailer, it’s like Christmas on steroids,” she quips.
Sea You Boutique’s second season in business also coincides with a major restoration of the historic Gulfstream Hotel, which has been closed since 2005 and will celebrate a much-anticipated grand re-opening this year.
This landmark is one of the five mini print wins from the vending machine.
Sabugo says the conversations and questions the machine inspires are her favorite part. And it lures in curious pedestrians, returning locals and tourists.
“It’s a way to bring people into the store,” she says. “Sometimes they buy other things and sometimes they stop in to see if they can collect a different mini print.”
