With the rustling palms and soft music that now fills the space, it’s hard to imagine that just a couple years ago, there was an abandoned eyesore of a gas station where Whitney’s now stands proudly welcoming visitors to the north end of Longboat Key.
“(My business partner and I) said we wanted to make it half as good as the original renderings,” owner James Brearley said. “Now we look at the renderings and say, ‘We think it’s better.’”
James Brearley pulled out old renderings of the building.
Residents of the north end, organized in the LBK North group, decided to recognize the beautification with the Good Neighbor Award. Laurel Phillips, one of the leaders of LBK North, presented the award to Brearley on April 22.