Serving Floridians and visitors since 1953
It begins …
In 1953, tourists found Florida to be an ideal vacation spot, drawing people from throughout the country and particularly from the East Coast. There was very little between Fort Pierce and Stuart in those days, but travelers would be delighted and intrigued when they came upon the few businesses on US1, including the Shell Bazaar (shown here under construction in 1952) , snuggled among the woods.
George and Jean Williams, the couple who started the Shell Bazaar, came from Ormond Beach to what is now Port St. Lucie. They, in partnership with their friends who ran a successful shell store in Vero Beach, built their commercial establishment on US1, which included living quarters above where they raised their two daughters, Bonnie and Christine.
About a year later, the couple became the sole owners of the store, which offered not only "everything" shell, but an enormous replica of a conch shell out front (shown here with Christine, left, and her mother). The shell, made from two-and-a-half tons of concrete and rebar, became a must-see attraction for tourists traveling down the East Coast. (Click to see aerial photo of store as Port St. Lucie was just starting to grow)
With exception of having to close for 18 months for repairs and renovations after Hurricane Wilma in 2005, the shell has provided a great photo opportunity for young and old alike continuously since 1995.
Today, daughter of George and Jean Williams, Christine owns and operates the business, which has the distinction of being the oldest retail, family-owned business in the county still operating out of its original location. Christine is now semi-retired and has turned over store operations to Manager Dylan Kelley, who joined them in 2011.
(Shown young Christine sitting on crate of “killer clams”)
Life in the shadow of the shell(to come)
