Just in time for last-minute shoppers, We Are Downtown Sarasota has launched an interactive online guide to dining and retail establishments in the Sarasota city core. Norm Gollub, downtown economic development coordinator, says the hope is to create an exhaustive guide to every storefront and eatery in the shopping district. “As more merchants sign on, it will be a more comprehensive directory,” he says.

But already, the site boasts some 350 businesses. That includes 73 restaurants, 57 beauty- and health-related businesses, 49 clothing and apparel stores, 31 home furnishing and gift shops, 20 art galleries and many more establishments. Any restaurant or retail company located in downtown has a free listing, Gollub said, and with that listing will get a spot on the interactive map designed by Sarasota-based Footguides. The entire guide can be found at WeAreDowntownSarasota.com, a site being publicized through media buys and window decals posted by participating businesses. Visit Sarasota County will also publicize the site through materials distributed through area hotels and resorts.

What is in the listing besides an icon on a map depends on how involved the business owner gets in making an elaborate listing. Louies Modern has a menu available on the guide itself, and State of the Arts Gallery has included a video virtual tour when you click the business on the map. 

The boundaries for downtown for the site are the same as those of the Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency, the source of the $6,000 in startup costs for the directory. The CRA is sunsetting in October, but from here, Gollub will maintain the existing infrastructure as part of his job as downtown economic development coordinator, a position funded jointly by the City of Sarasota, Downtown Improvement District and the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. 

We Are Downtown Sarasota

Net Zero Contruction, a Sarasota company building custom energy-efficient homes, has been opened by John Wolterman, who moved to the area from Ohio to open the company. Wolterman said he was inspired to open the business after seeing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, which made him a proponent of using safer Insulated Concrete Forms. Wolterman grew up in the concrete construction industry working with his father during the summers. After high school graduation, Wolterman and his father started Wolterman Bros. Construction, which are to more than 60 employees and grossed over $20 million in business per year. 

Net Zero Contruction

Dr. George Rozelle, the owner of Sarasota-based MindSpa Integrative Wellness Center, and Dr. George Lindenfeld completed an article recently focused on the use of RESET [Reconsolidation Enhancement by Stimulation of Emotional Triggers] Therapy and Brain Mapping to help a combat veteran living in Sarasota. The article was posted at Academia.edu and us being considered for publication in professional journals. The clinicians collaborated to help Marine Corp veteran Wade Risha. The article is a preliminary report of findings. Rozelle and Lindenfeld plan to do follow up testing and submit a more formal article to a peer-reviewed trauma journal. 

MindSpa Integrative Wellness Center

Last week, SRQ Media hosted one of our most favorite events of the year, our annual client holiday party. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the season, spending a few hours with the clients and partners that have become friends of our staff and our brand is one of the best ways that we know how to live local. Local guitar legend Jami Gee strummed classic holiday tunes while guests enjoyed delicious bites from Michael's on East and sweet treats from Sift Bakehouse, located on McAnsh Square. For a full recap of the night and to view a gallery of photos, visit SRQInsideTheBrand.com.