Press

21 Oct

Posted at 04:40h in Press

Azaleas on the Corner sells plants, paintings, wine in downtown Fort Myers

BY David Dorsey
October 21, 2024
Photo Credit:Gabby Occhino

The mother-daughter team of Marie Dyer and Corinne Wimberly already had a business plan in place to start their own shop. They just didn’t have a place to put it.

That changed this past summer, when the pair from Punta Gorda discovered The Wine Room in downtown Fort Myers would be vacated. They pounced on the space.

Azaleas on the Corner, 1544 Broadway at the corner with Main Street, opened Sept. 21. It specializes in plants, art and wine.

The corner location with the large windows drew them there.

“It’s on the corner, first of all,” Wimberly said, noting that the name of the store was the only thing they did not have in place until after signing the lease. “It has this beautiful natural light. Which for art and plants, you can’t go wrong with. But also, it’s kind of like an ode to the old corner market and corner stores. We really love that we can bring that old style feel to it.”

Dyer painted about 90% of the paintings, and she will do live paintings during some weekend evenings and events, as well.

“We’re based on arts, plants and wine,” Wimberly said. “But we have space if you want to come in and take a painting class or a floral design class. Or we’re going to have wine tastings also. Or if you just want to come in and roam, we have all sorts of plants and gifts.”

Most gifts can be found in the $10 to $30 range. Glasses of wine are in the $11 to $16 range, with bottles costing $44 to $64. Painting prices depend on the size, and they can be had for less than $100 or up to $4,800.

The assortment of plants, flowers, candles and soaps for sale created a blend of scents that Dyer and Wimberly hope draws more shoppers there.

“I really think it has to do with the amount of natural things that we have brought into this environment,” Wimberly said. “We have a lot of candles, a lot of soaps and stuff like that. While they’re not overly fragrant, they complement each other really, really well. And so, it creates this really nice environment for everybody.”

Wimberly said she was thrilled to finally become a business partner with her mom.

“The last 34 years, I have watched her create beautiful works of art from truly nothing,” Wimberly said. “Her vision and her ability to do so has always captivated my attention and everybody who has watched her.”

Azaleas on the Corner sells plants, paintings, wine in downtown Fort Myers