- December 3, 2024
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Sara Meinking (third from left) cuts the ribbon for her new store on Thursday, Aug. 22. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Sara Meinking opened Sea Dreams by Sara in May. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Sara Meinking smiles alongside Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington during the ribbon-cutting for her new store on Thursday, Aug. 22. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Sara Meinking (third from left) cuts the ribbon for her new store on Thursday, Aug. 22. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
For as long as Flagler Beach resident Sara Meinking remembers, the summer season meant a trip down to the beach.
Growing up in Kansas City, Missouri, she and her family would vacation in the Daytona Beach and Daytona Beach Shores area. They had several souvenir and gift shops they loved to frequent, always bringing back reminders of their vacation back home — items, Meinking said, she still owns to this day.
That was the inspiration behind her new store, Sea Dreams by Sara, which opened in late May at 398 S. Atlantic Ave. in Ormond Beach.
"My overall desire was to provide a place that people could come and purchase a little piece of Florida, whether that was for their home locally, or while they were traveling and visiting," Meinking said.
This is the first retail store that's she's ever opened. Meinking, who moved to the area in 2019, has a background in health care administration, having specialized in Alzheimer's and dementia and worked as a memory care director in Palm Coast. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Meinking said she felt she needed a career change.
She helped to open a local coffee shop in Flagler Beach for a bit, and then helped a friend who owned her own store in Flagler Beach, as well. After that is when she started looking into opening her own store.
On Thursday, Aug. 22, she celebrated the opening of Sea Dreams by Sara with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce. The ceremony was attended by chamber members, local artists and Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington, who welcomed her to the community.
"This business looks beautiful," he said. "It's impressive and I think people are going to love coming in here and just decompressing, looking at the beautiful creations that you and your artists have put together."
Art has always been an important part of Meinking's life. Having attended the Conservatory at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, she has a degree in music therapy.
When she opened Sea Dreams by Sara, her goal was to feature the works and wares of 12 artists. When she opened in May, she had 27 artists onboard.
To date, her store features pieces by 38 artists, and she has a waiting list.
"What I have found in Ormond Beach is that there's a true sense of art and I think that's really exciting for the whole area," Meinking said.
She joined the chamber because she wanted to be a part of the community and help support other local businesses – that's part of giving back, she said, which she is passionate about.
Sea Dreams by Sara will be hosting several fundraisers in the near future. On Sept. 18, the store is hosting a Sip and Shop, benefitting Community Cats of Palm Coast. A $15 entry fee will include a glass of wine, hors d'oeuvres, and there will be raffle baskets. A percentage of all sales will go toward the nonprofit.
Next year, Meinking is partnering with Halifax Urban Ministries for its Empty Bowls event, and she hopes to support other initiatives and nonprofits.
The store can also provide a space for organizations seeking an event location for fundraising, she added.
Meinking said she and her assistant want to make sure everybody feels welcome in the store.
"I think it's going to be a fun, new experience for locals and for tourists that are going to come in and see the shop and be pretty amazed at what they can afford to buy here, and be able to take home a little bit of memory of Florida with them," Meinking said.
