Cape Coral salaries: City manager tops list at 285K, dozens of employees kept secret
IN THE KNOW

In the Know: Wine Room, other downtown Fort Myers options set to open

David Dorsey
Fort Myers News-Press

The northwest corner of Broadway Avenue and Main Street in downtown Fort Myers will be springing back to life as soon as July with a new bar.

The Wine Room, founded by Sarah Newcomb at 1544 Broadway Ave., will offer more than 30 varieties of wines, including five from a California private label that will have unique and locally significant names like Caloosahatchee Chardonnay and Music Walk Merlot.

Sarah Newcomb is the owner of The Wine Room, which will open soon at the corner of Broadway and Main in downtown Fort Myers.

Newcomb has been setting up shop, putting an undisclosed thousands of dollars into seats for up to 38 people and a sleek look for what used to be a watch repair shop, adjacent to Hotel Indigo. She will have room for 800 bottles of wine.

There will be some beer, but the focus clearly will be on the wine. Patrons will be able to order takeout food from the nearby Standard and Seed & Bean Market.

The building that also includes a salon and Le Macaron pastry shop, changed hands last year for $1.1 million. Newcomb is leasing her Wine Room spot from the new owner.

“It’s going to have a winery, laid-back, clean, modern feel,” Newcomb said. “A lot of people are comparing it to a Starbucks with wine. It’s a place where you can come and have a conversation. The music’s not too loud.”

The Wine Room, which will open soon, is at the corner of Broadway and Main in downtown Fort Myers.

Newcomb, a Cape Coral resident who is also president and CEO of the Estero Chamber of Commerce, will be giving back to the community as well.

Three percent of bottle sales will go toward nonprofits. During the first year, customers can choose from among the Cape Coral Animal Shelter, the Junior League of Southwest Florida or the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools.

“I chose downtown Fort Myers because there’s nothing like this downtown,” Newcomb said. “This will be very clean and upscale. You can have a glass for $10, or you can have a glass of wine for $40, because we’re going to have a whole range.

“I’ve always been interested in running my own business. I’ve traveled to Europe. I’ve traveled to California. I love wine. I have a passion for it. And I want to be giving back. It’s a combination of business, the community and wine. It’s everything I love, all combined into wine.”

More In the Know:Scotlynn Group building headquarters off Alico Road, I-75

More:Sunseeker Resorts project stalled for now; historic home in Fort Myers sells

Green Cup changes hands

Robert Padgorski, a former bartender at Millennial Brewing Company, liked riding his bicycle for smoothies downtown at the Green Cup Café.

He and his partner Jennifer Carbajal liked the place so much that they bought it.

Tucked in at 1412 Dean Street, suite 100 between Bay and First streets, the Green Cup offers fresh fruit smoothies, sandwiches, desserts and other menu items unique to downtown.

Jennifer Carbajal and Robert Padgorski are the new of the Green Cup Café in downtown Fort Myers. They hope to be ready to reopen the café in July.

While seeing a sign on the window in mid-March that COVID-19 had closed the café permanently, Padgorski reached out to the owners and bought from them the business name and lease.

They are readying to reopen under the same name and with many of the same menu items in July.

“I didn’t want to see that disappear,” Padgorski said. “I ended up calling the number and meeting with the lady, and here we are.

“We’re keeping most everything. A lot of the favorites will still be on there. You’ll see a few things go, but you’ll see some new items to the menu.

“The patio’s going to have a bit of a reinvigoration to it. We’re planting a bunch of plants out there. It will have a bit of a tropical rain forest vibe.”

Wild About Popcorn in downtown

COVID-19 also created an opening for Wild About Popcorn to take over the lease that had been held by Sidecar Treats.

The new popcorn shop opened June 1 at 1512 Hendry Street between Downtown House of Pizza and the Cigar Bar.

Owner Julie Caracappa founded the original location, still in business at 1311 Del Prado Blvd., in Cape Coral following a 30-year career as a pediatric emergency room nurse. She and her husband moved to Lee County from Austin, Texas.

“It was a timing thing more than anything else,” said Ed Caracappa. “We knew we were going to open a second location. Downtown Fort Myers was always where we wanted to be. When the opportunity came, we jumped on it. It’s a historic building we are in. Patio De Leon is right behind us. All of these other top places are our neighbors. That all helps drive traffic to us.”

Ed Caracappa said he believed Wild About Popcorn could have lasting success that eluded its predecessor.

“One: Sidecar Treats was always an ice cream shop that sold popcorn,” he said. “We’re a popcorn shop that also sells ice cream. Now, we have ourselves aligned with Love Boat, which I believe is the best ice cream in Florida.

“We pop seven days a week in Cape Coral. We make 60-plus different kinds of flavors. The quality, the freshness, the diversity of the recipes we make stands out.”

The Fort Myers shop sells a bag for $3.50 or three bags for $9.

New Cape Coral fire station under way

Fire Station 2 is nearing completion in Cape Coral at 701 Nicholas Parkway at the northeast corner of Cultural Park Boulevard.

In the works for five years, the project will cost about $4.5 million.

Ground broke in February, and it is expected to be finished in November.

Wright Construction Group is managing construction. Sweet Sparkman Architects did the design, which matches that of Fire Station 11.

The new station will be 10,559 square feet on 3.2 acres.

The old Fire Station 2 was built in 1974 and is not up to hurricane codes.

Connect with this reporter: David Dorsey (Facebook), @DavidADorsey (Twitter).

More In the Know:Ross Dress For Less potential tenant for Page Field Commons

And:Buc-ee's mega gas station still in works, delayed for road improvements