Part pizzeria, part frozen yogurt shop and part high-end boutique, Captiva Pizza is truly a one-of-a kind establishment. And while some might think it crazy to open up a brand new business just as season was coming to a close (Captiva Pizza opened in April), Manager Desiree Jarlowe says everything is going just fine.
“We’re doing pretty well considering it’s off-season, and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback about the pizza. The people love it — and they love the fact that we deliver,” she said.
But in addition to pizza, specialty salads, frozen yogurt, candy and beverages, Captiva Pizza is also a gift emporium, featuring everything from tropical-themed trinkets to stylish, hand-painted leather sandals.
“Right now we’re working towards getting the gift shop to where we want it to be. Not only do we want to have a very successful pizza parlor, but we also want to have a unique gift emporium that’s full of all kinds of things — things they people can’t find anywhere else. That’s what we’re trying to do,” Jarlowe said.
New items are arriving in the gift shop all the time.
“We have a perfume called Captiva Sea Jewels that’s made exclusively for this store and I’ve started buying a lot fused glass jewelry, which is very popular now, and each piece is different and custom made to my order. We’re trying to get things that nobody else has on either island,” Jarlowe said.
But when it comes to Captiva Pizza’s continued success, Jarlowe said she’s not going to worry about the lagging economy or the media-induced mass hysteria over the oil spill in the gulf.
“I think this upcoming season will be fine. Some people don’t want to look beyond the headlines. Once people get word of what’s actually happening on the islands — that there isn’t oil on the here — they’ll realize what’s really happening and they’ll be sorry they cancelled their vacations,” Jarlowe said. “We’ve survived, despite the economy and what the media has been doing, and I think we’ll come back even bigger and better.”
Captiva Pizza is located on the second floor of the Celebration Center, 11513 Andy Rosse Lane, and is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
For more information or to place an order, call 395-0823 or go to www.CaptivaPizza.com (and yes, you can order online!). By JANE BRICKLEY
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