West King Wednesday in St. Augustine - Shop Local Initiative

The first West King Wednesday kicked off with a good turnout, as shoppers shopped and socialized all while getting to know the local shops in the West King Business District.

West King Wednesday at Taco My Blessings St. Augustine, Florida

Safety was at the forefront of the West King Wednesday, a collaboration between the local shop owners, which had already been postponed due to Covid, but the local shop owners were ready to get it back on track, and safety measures such as mask wearing were implemented in many stores.

BOG Brewery St. Augustine, Florida

Kristina Fogle came out to support her friends and local business owners at Sweet City Cupcakes. "Dana at Sweet City Cupcakes is a friend of mine, and I love her cupcakes, and BOG is my favorite brewery. I think BOG is the best brewery in St. Augustine. They're innovative, and they're small, and they make you feel like you're at home."

Dana at Sweet City Cupcakes

At Sweet City Cupcakes, West King Wednesday was sweetened with many flavors of cupcakes and live music from The Flajberries. 

The Flajberries at Sweet City Cupcakes

Mystic Concoctions, a collaboration between locals Ashlee Raven and Chantal Bastian, showcased their products such as natural tinctures and jewelry at their store display inside Sweet City Cupcakes.

At the Local Refillery, live guitar music from Jared - Peace in a Nutshell- filled the store.

Eco-friendly products were the stars of the night including the refill station, where customers could refill their containers instead of buying something in new packaging.

The festive atmosphere at the Local Refillery brought in many curious customers.

Outside of the Local Refillery, the Little Shop of Pourovers had set up a pop-up shop selling plants, and she had lots of customers wanting to green up their homes with her houseplants.

Little Shop of Pourovers has an Instagram shop, where customers can order, and she delivers to anywhere in St. Augustine.

Buena Onda Cafe, 224 West King Street

At the new Buena Onda Cafe, customers enjoyed empanadas and drinks such as the hibiscus cooler.

Rachael, a local West Augustine artist, also known as the Maven Maker, had a pop-up shop inside of Buena Onda Cafe, where she sold her Zero Waste Art.

These baskets made out of plastic bags were hand-crafted by the Maven Maker. You can find the Maven Maker on Instagram, where she sells her art and more.

At Maestro Winery, customers were enjoying wines made from Florida-grown grapes and berries.

Owner of Maestro Winery, Christopher Gugel, explains how the West King Street atmosphere pulled him in. "I happened upon the West King area about a year ago, and I really liked the vibe that this area had. It reminded me of Riverside or Five Points in Jacksonville, and since opening here, I love the sense of community that this area brings with it."

Murf's Homestyle To Go 

Ashlee Raven from Mystic Concoctions is also the owner of Raven Promotions & Social Media, and she is behind the West King Wednesday collaboration between the local shop owners on the West side of U.S. 1 in St

Augustine. "There's a whole new feel to this side of town even across the other side of the tracks. I contacted everyone that I could contact to get the idea started that instead of riding the coattails of downtown, we should just own that we were separate."

Raven explains how she's tried to reach out to every business owner on West King Street. "Next month we'll have even more businesses included, it's already picked up steam."

She goes on to say that she wants to see all the parking lots full and that the dream for West King Wednesdays is to have the sidewalks full of people supporting the people up and down West King Street. "The culture on this side of town is more of a m steam."

She goes on to say that she wants to see all the parking lots full and that the dream for West King Wednesdays is to have the sidewalks full of people supporting the people up and down West King Street. "The culture on this side of town is more of a melting pot than anything ... when it comes to food, when it comes to art and crafts, and when it comes to being open and welcoming to do things  — this is the most open-minded side of town."

West King Wednesdays will be celebrated every 3rd Wednesday of the month, and each business will celebrate in its own way with special promotions including live music, art features, and more.

*This piece was originally posted on the West Augustine News Connection on August 18, 2021.

Follow the Florida Coastal Connection on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to help us spread the word about the work we do so that we can help serve you better.  elting pot than anything ... when it comes to food, when it comes to art and crafts, and when it comes to being open and welcoming to do things  — this is the most open-minded side of town."

West King Wednesdays will be celebrated every 3rd Wednesday of the month, and each business will celebrate in its own way with special promotions including live music, art features, and more.

*This piece was originally posted on the West Augustine News Connection on August 18, 2021.

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