PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Many businesses on Treasure Island faced adversity after the hurricanes ripped through the region. Gigi’s Italian Restaurant is one of them.
The restaurant has been serving up authentic Italian to this beach community since 1969. This fall, they nearly closed the doors for good because of the devastation caused by Helene and Milton.
Cyndi Shain and Steve Newberne are co-owners, but they are also siblings. Shain described what Gigi’s looked like after Helene.
“We came in and found tables and booths topsy turvy, kitchen equipment upended, which was very surprising," she said.
A deep shock rooted in the history they shared. Shain and Newberne spent their teenage years working various jobs at Gigi's, helping their parents run the restaurant.
When Helene hit the restaurant, they questioned what would come next. It was emotional for them to think about, but this duo chose to push forward full speed ahead and keep the restaurant open.
“We have not worked that hard in many years, I promise that... to get this back to where it was,” Newberne said.
They were hard at work ripping out the soaked carpet, replacing the booths with tables, buying new kitchen equipment, and installing new panels.
They reopened in 50 days, but the uphill battle did not stop there. They said business was slow because the area was in distress. Beaches were destroyed, so nobody came to visit, and residents were busy shelling out money to rebuild their own homes.
Now, Shain said there is hope on the horizon, and the town of Treasure Island is starting to make its comeback.
“You can even see the mood changing, you know, you feel it. People are like yeah, we are going to make it now we’re over the hump,” Shain said.
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