Baileys on Sanibel auctions wine that Hurricane Ian didn't wash away

Amy Bennett Williams, Fort Myers News-Press
·5 min read
Bailey's General Store on Sanibel was destroyed after it was flooded by Hurricane Ian. The plan is to tear down the existing building and re-open in a new building that will be raised.
Bailey's General Store on Sanibel was destroyed after it was flooded by Hurricane Ian. The plan is to tear down the existing building and re-open in a new building that will be raised.

In a twist on making lemonade from life’s lemons, Sanibel’s beloved general store is toasting the future with Hurricane Ian-salvaged wine.

The storm may have wrecked Bailey's building, but not its will to survive – or its sense of humor. Sunday, it's hosting the Waterline Wine Auction, an open-air, parking lot sale of the bottles that didn’t wash away.

“Wear your wellies and bring your bug spray!” organizers advise. Popular real estate pro Eric Pfeifer will emcee and Chef Melissa Donahue of Sweet Melissa’s restaurant is creating hors d’oeuvres. Proceeds will seed Bailey's rebuilding fund and go to area nonprofits.

The multi-generation family business opened as the Sanibel Packing Company in 1899, and has survived countless hurricanes since. Always one of the first to open after storms, its calming presence has offered hope, normalcy and a sense that ‘things are going to be OK,’ “ co-owner and Sanibel Mayor Richard Johnson told The News-Press in December.

Ian was different.

More: Where's the mail? Where's the aid? Sanibel's recovery marathon grinds on

More: Sanibel reality check: Displaced businesses, orphaned trombones and debris fields

The storm’s 155 mph wind-pushed storm surge swamped Bailey’s, sweeping through the store like a drunken whale. After the water came the looters, who grabbed the good stuff: pricey fishing gear, lottery tickets and fine wine, including Bailey’s stock of Dom Perignon.

Instead of reopening, the family now faces rebuilding after the old store is demolished, which is proving to be challenging.

Like so many islanders and businesses, Bailey’s is caught in the teeth of the system, says Mayor Johnson’s daughter, Calli Johnson. “The demo hasn’t happened yet because we’re waiting on insurance evaluators,” she said. Faced with multiple inspections, evaluations and re-evaluations, “We’re not able to get closure for ourselves and the community (but) we’re not able to move forward in the construction process,” Calli said.

Funny thing about disaster aftermaths, though: Sometimes the unexpected hits hardest. For Calli, it was that looted champagne that brought the tears.

Not that she and her family would ever begrudge fellow islanders necessities from their store: “We’re happy for people to get what they needed (if) they didn’t have enough supplies, but to see someone take something like that … That hurt my heart to have someone who's part of the community take that.“

One night over dinner, she shared that hurt with friends Elizabeth Piersol and Annie Campbell. As part of Charitable Foundation of the Island’s first Leadership SanCap group, philanthropy had brought the trio together in the first place, though sharing a sense of humor has helped, Calli said, and they’ve stayed close ever since.

“Talking about it that night was the only time Annie and I have ever seen Calli cry,” Piersol said, and, unlikely as it sounds, an auction was born.

Bailey's bubbly shelf (missing the Dom Perignon that was there before the storm) post-Ian.
Bailey's bubbly shelf (missing the Dom Perignon that was there before the storm) post-Ian.

The motivation is pretty simple, Piersol says: “Bailey’s has been there for our community for over 100 years, and the community wants to help them rebuild for the next 100 … for some of us it wasn’t until the hurricane destroyed the center that we fully understood what an anchor the store, the Johnson family, and the larger Bailey's family was for the islands.”

But the Bailey’s Center rebuild will likely cost some $15 million to $20 million and take more than two years – a tough task for a small family business, Piersol says. The question the friends pondered: “How do we help a family that has given so much to our community and our non-profits?”

The Baileys’ charitable footprint is all over the islands, she points out, from the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum to the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s Bailey’s Homestead, to donated real estate for community housing, food for recovering animals at CROW and to myriad gifts, fundraisers and more. “Some of the generosity of this family is well known, but most of it happens quietly, with no fanfare, simply with the intention to assist the community they love,” Piersol said.

One way to start, the friends figured, would be to sell the wine that survived the storm. Though some was lost, much of the wine stock was salvageable, and that would become the auction’s lots, with corks intact, if slightly worse for wear. On many bottles, the storm's waterline is even still faintly visible, hence the auction's name.

Hurricane Ian's surge shows in the "high water mark on the top shelf displayed by brave bottles of Zinfandel," says Calli Johnson, whose family has owned Bailey's Market for generations.
Hurricane Ian's surge shows in the "high water mark on the top shelf displayed by brave bottles of Zinfandel," says Calli Johnson, whose family has owned Bailey's Market for generations.

“Calli took some convincing,” Piersol said, “and she wasn’t sure it would fly with the rest of her family ‒ they don’t ask for help, they give the assist, the helping hand,” she said, but once Calli was on board, the rest of the family assented too.”

Next came the community. Soon, Piersol says, a much larger group of supporters stepped up, forming the Friends of Bailey’s Committee, which is planning the auction.

After the last six months, Calli says the event "will really be a nice way to gather the community. We’re really grateful for all the people who’ve decided to come out."

If you go

The Waterline Wine Auction is from 4-6 p.m. Sunday April 2 in the Bailey's parking lot, 2477 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. Bidding paddles are $100 and include wine and passed hors d’oeuvres created by Chef Melissa Donahue of Sweet Melissa’s. On the menu:

Pulled pork soft taco with Korean BBQ and SlawMediterranean flatbread with feta tomato basil and balsamic glazeCrawfish beignet with remouladeSmoked Fish spread on toast pointsCurried Chicken salad in lettuce wrapGoat cheese cake squaresKey lime bars

For more information or to buy tickets: https://baileysofsanibel.myshopify.com/

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Sanibel Island store to auction wine spared by Hurricane Ian, looters