St. Armands Circle is bustling with places to eat, drink and shop—it’s hard to imagine that anything might be missing. But when Taylor and Sydney Nichols began visiting Sarasota in 2020, they realized that the area lacked its own local coffee shop. “St. Armands Circle is such a novel aspect of coming to Sarasota, and something that's been a center point of our relationship is going on coffee dates, and we always talked about how it was so sad that there wasn't an independent coffee shop on St. Armands,” says Sydney. “We always thought it was a miss for a place that has over 130 businesses to not have a boutique coffee shop.”

This is how the idea for Le Shop, the couple’s new coffee shop, wine bar and market on St. Armands, was born. “My aunt was staying on Lido, and she said something like, ‘I can't believe there's not like a little market or somewhere to grab a couple of essentials,’” Sydney says about why she decided to create a market within the store. On how a wine bar was eventually added to the business model, Sydney says, “We love wine. We have spent a lot of time in Europe together and love to travel, and specifically drink a lot of French and Italian wine, and we just decided to weave that into the business.”

Sydney began working on a business plan in July 2023, but it wasn’t until after Hurricanes Helene and Milton that the couple found a store space to lease in late 2024. After nearly a year of renovating and decorating Le Shop, the Nichols’ first small business is officially ready to customers. In addition to the process of preparing the store space, they have carefully handpicked coffee, wine and market items. The store serves coffee roasted from a single origin bean, called La Pastora, from Costa Rica, and nearly 100 different types of wines. “We have all low-intervention wine, which means there's been little to no manipulation in the process of developing the wine, no sugar added, no colors added, and a lot of our wine is considered natural,” says Sydney.

While they’re still in the process of increasing their market item offerings, Le Shop already features a range of items that are hard to find elsewhere in Sarasota, like Masa chips and Swedish candy. “We’re really focusing on things that can fit the need of visitors or residents on Lido who don’t want to go across the bridge to pick up a few things, and we can just be a convenient stop for them,” says Sydney.

“Now that we're open, we just want to let the space that we've created become a really special accessory to the Sarasota community, both people that are visiting or snowbirds or locals,” says Sydney. “We hope to become a place that people can come and gather around great coffee or great wine and just enjoy the beautiful space that we've built out.”

Le Shop, 28 S Boulevard of the Presidents Unit B, Sarasota, 941-500-9219, leshopfl.com 

Pictured: Le Shop serves coffee, wine, pastries and small appetizers throughout the morning and evening. Provided photo.

Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman is proud to announce the promotion of two sheriff’s office members during a ceremony held on Wednesday. Booking Technician II Amanda Garris was promoted to Classification Supervisor assigned to Corrections Services Bureau. Garris joined the agency in 2017 as a Control Room Specialist. Communications Operator II Alexander (Zander) Lowen was promoted to Emergency Operations Supervisor assigned to Emergency Operations Bureau. Lowen joined the agency in 2019 as a Communications Operator III.  

Responding to growing demand from landowners eager to build new homes on their own property, Christopher Alan Homes has relaunched its On Your Lot program, offering an attainable and trusted path to homeownership backed by one of the region’s leading privately-owned homebuilders. Typically available through custom homebuilders at a significantly higher cost, the On Your Lot option allows homeowners to enjoy the quality, design and value of a Christopher Alan home built right on their existing property, without the complexity or premium pricing of a custom build. Ranked as the top privately held single-family homebuilder in Southwest Florida based on single-family permits in 2024, Christopher Alan Homes offers the program in Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, Englewood, LaBelle and Port Charlotte in Southwest Florida, Citrus Springs in West Central Florida, and Palm Bay on Florida’s East Coast. For more information about Christopher Alan Homes, visit christopheralanhomes.com or call 855-44-MYCAH (69224). 

As we observe National Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Manatee Memorial Hospital (MMH) is proud to announce the arrival of the Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy System by Intuitive, a next-generation bronchoscopy platform that transforms how physicians diagnose and manage lung disease. This technology marks a major advancement in the hospital’s Comprehensive Lung Program, offering patients in Manatee County, and beyond, access to precision diagnostics and the latest innovations in healthcare delivery. The Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy System enables physicians to perform minimally invasive, highly accurate navigation and biopsy of lung nodules. Its advanced design provides exceptional reach, stability and control, allowing doctors to access even the smallest, most difficult-to-reach areas of the lung. The system supports earlier detection and diagnosis of lung cancer with reduced discomfort, fewer complications and faster recovery for patients. 

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Be transported to Clara’s enchanted dream world in The Nutcracker by the Sarasota Cuban Ballet on December 5 at 6:00 pm at the Sarasota Opera House. This holiday favorite features the beloved classic choreography and the beauty of Tchaikovsky’s score, with scenery and costumes conceived exclusively for the Sarasota Cuban Ballet by a legendary theater designer. Artistic Director Ariel Serrano says “Every time I rehearse the Sugar Plum Fairy pas de deux with my dancers, I am filled with emotion. This is ballet: the music, the choreography, the magic. It’s Tchaikovsky’s finest moment.” Our audiences agree: “A big part of the start of my holiday season” “Joyous” “Spellbinding” “A most magical experience” “Amazing production” “Absolutely first rate” “By far the most charming of all the Nutcrackers I’ve seen”  

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Mothers Helping Mothers (MHM) Annual Toy Day is December 17th for MHM clients by invitation appointments only. Mothers Helping Mothers pre-selects families via a lottery system to participate in their annual Toy Day.  MHM has provided toys and gifts each year to over 300 families with approximately 1,000 children in Sarasota and Manatee Counties who otherwise would go without. This year, MHM has increased to 350 families participating. For information about MHM, visit https://www.mhmsarasota.org.