‘A spot of our own.’ New Anna Maria Island cafe serves up colorful creations
Shaun and Sarah Hunt were taking a drive on Anna Maria Island one night when they saw the for lease sign.
They quickly snagged the former retail space at 9908 Gulf Drive, Suite 600, and began transforming it into a cafe.
The Happy Manatee, a new juice bar and coffee shop, opened on Anna Maria Island in April after four months of renovations, fulfilling a dream for the husband and wife owners.
Inside the cafe is a bright and eclectic atmosphere. Details include a surfboard table, colorful wall art, live plants and a bookshelf lined with classic literature.
“My dad built the bookcases,” Sarah said. “I showed him a Pinterest picture and he built it for me and stained it.”
What’s on the menu?
The Happy Manatee serves juices, acai bowls, coffee, breakfast bowls, toasts, energy bites and more.
The acai bowl comes with granola, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, coconut and peanut butter. A blue bowl has blue spirulina mixed with mango, blueberries, strawberries and granola.
The menu items are customizable, except for the egg bake, which has cheese and bacon, that Hunt prepares daily.
The egg bake is included in the breakfast bowl, which also has breakfast potatoes and is topped with arugula and avocado.
The price range on the menu is between $6 and $14, with a 10% discount for island residents.
“We do three juices made to order,” Sarah said. “There’s a green one, a carrot and a beet (juice). … They’re pretty colors when they come out.”
Finding community
Shaun and Sarah Hunt moved to the area from Minnesota with their five kids about a month before Hurricanes Helene and Milton wreaked havoc in Manatee and Sarasota counties in 2024.
They originally moved to Siesta Key, before finding the community they had been looking for in Holmes Beach.
“I’ve always dreamed of opening something like a spot of our own that we could creatively pour into,” Sarah said, “that would be a community gathering place.”
Hunt’s experience in the restaurant industry began as a server at the age of 14. She worked restaurant jobs through high school and college.
“Then I worked out of it for many years and then was a stay-at-home mom for a couple of years, but I missed it,” Hunt said. “I love cooking. I love the feeling that you can make people feel, the welcome hospitality, the making of somebody’s day.”
Turning a dream into reality
Hunt’s dream came to fruition when the family took a drive one night months ago. She said they hadn’t been looking for a place to lease at that point.
“It just fell into our laps is what it felt like,” Hunt said. “Timing-wise for us, personally, it was one of those things where it was like God opened the door, and we just continued walking through it.”
The Happy Manatee is open 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The shop is closed Sundays.
The inside of the cafe seats about eight people, with additional seating available outside.
For more information, visit The Happy Manatee’s Instagram page.
