Still Taking Care of Business: Destin businesses thrive 25 years later

Changing climates are a hot topic — especially when it comes to the ever-changing business climate in Destin.

While the city of Destin is celebrating its silver anniversary during an economic recession, local business owners who’ve stood the test of time have a unique perspective on how far this fishing village has come.

“It’s a different climate all together, it’s a different town,” said Charles Morgan, owner of the modest dockside eatery the locals love and know as Harbor Docks. “There was only one Realtor in Destin when we opened, if that tells you anything.”

Harbor Docks opened its doors in 1979 to folks looking for a cold beer and oysters on the half shell, and has since evolved into a family restaurant fit for a business lunch. For a restaurant that’s never moved, Morgan said the whole area has changed, not just the harbor.

“Unfortunately, there are so few independent-type businesses left in Destin,” Morgan said.

Dining out on the town is usually one of the first commodities to go when the wallet is not as full anymore. And owning a business that thrives on disposable income can be a gamble when times get tough.

“Flowers are a luxury item. It’s not something you have to have,” said Rebecca Pavlic, owner of Pavlic’s Unique Florist.

In her 37 years of handcrafting floral arrangements in Destin, she has seen the ups and downs of the economy and survived to tell her business’s story.

“We started out in a little 12-by-24-foot trailer across the street from the Destin Post Office on October 25, 1972, before there were street names or street signs in this town,” Pavlic said. “We’ve watched Destin grow.”

Pavlic’s Unique Florist has always been a small family business operated by Pavlic and her parents. Today, the Benning Drive shop near the roundabout that’s been in place for 24 years has three employees. Pavlic said she followed her mother’s 50-year career in floral design, figuring the profession must be in her blood.

“This last recession has been the longest and the toughest, but we’re hanging in there and keeping the good thought that something is going to pick up.”

A love for the Destin area has played a large hand in why people put down professional roots here over 25 years ago.

“I first visited Destin in 1964. I never thought of living here,” said optometrist Dr. Michael Raim. “This place was a little sandy spot in the road.”

Raim fell in love with the coastal region when he was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base’s hospital. He opened his first Destin office in July 1977 and “there were no other physicians in town.”

Raim remembers how tough it was describing to his early patients where he was located in the beginning.

“Professionally you could not put more than four-inch letters on your sign,” the doc said.

He got around the ordinance by putting a four-foot “501” on the roof for the building’s address to help patients locate his office.

No longer an issue, Raim and his wife and office manager, Darlene, have been in their current Harbor Boulevard location since 1983.

The teamwork of a husband and wife is one component that has kept Today’s Collections in the forefront of fashion.

Jim and Kim Dettle braved opening their shop for women’s wear during the country’s last economic slump that made history. The Dettles have had to evolve with the times, raising a few eyebrows along the way since they opened in 1981.

“At that time, I was doing more gifts and jewelry at the resorts and we opened our first shop at the Shore Shopping Center (where Target is now),” he said. “It was like the first real shopping center in town.”

Their retail destiny changed on a trip to San Francisco, when the couple purchased cotton knit wear clothing to put in their boutique.

“People really liked the clothing we brought in, and it did better than the other stuff we had,” Dettle said.

Now high on their fashion horse, Jim said they studied hard to always find out what the next big thing was going to be. They did their homework in the fashion capital of New York City.

“We would bring back this hip New York stuff and people in Destin would look at us like we were crazy,” he laughed.

Fortunately, Dettle said fashion takes a little time to settle between the catwalk and the time it hits the boutiques. He added that fashion does tend to cycle just like they say, and most of the time he is not ready for it. Especially when the trends are like they were when they first opened.

“It was close to around the Madonna time ... those sunglasses, big shirts, leggings and rhinestones,” he said. “Oh, it was painful.”
At this stage in the game, Dettle said, “It’s not about age, it’s about attitude.”

Their clientele is mostly 25- to 60-year-old women seeking “comfortable and figure conscious” clothing. The Dettles have moved a few times and operated up to four locations at once. It wasn’t until last year that they began selling online at www.todaysdestin.com.

“After a lot of work we accomplished it,” Dettle said. “People are more comfortable shopping online.”

At the end of the day, being an original is what business owners in Destin say is the key to survival. Dettle said it’s about being able to provide something people can’t find at home.

Looking back on Harbor Docks’ success, Morgan agrees.

“I think our success is from people who seek out things that are real ... not contrived, not gimmicky, and are looking for real fresh seafood ... where they can recognize the same employees year after year.”

The business climate will continue to change in Destin, but the owners who’ve been around for a quarter of a century say they will weather the storms of a recession and keep going according to the principles they started with.

“There’s still a few places around here that are trying to keep what made Destin special in the first place,” Morgan said.

Here is a partial of list of businesses that have thrived since Destin became a city almost 25 years ago.

Ace Hardware - 1982
AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar - 1984
Cooper Wrecker Service - 1983
Destin Bait & Ice - 1958
Destin Log - 1973
Destin Refrigeration - 1984
Donut Hole - 1978
Dr. Joe Carnley (dentistry) - 1973
Dr. Michael Raim (optometry) - 1977
Edgewater Condominiums - 1982
Fudpucker’s - 1982
Gibson Welding - 1967
Gulf Coast Electric - 1980
Harbor Docks - 1979
Holiday Inn On The Beach - 1971
Holiday Surf & Racquet Club - 1978
Indian Bayou Golf - 1977
Islander - 1982 (left side) 1984 (right side)
Jetty East Condominiums - 1975
La Donna’s Redken Salon - 1965
Nightown - 1979
Pavlic’s Unique Florist - 1972
Rhodes Auto Service - 1973
Sandestin Links - 1972
Sandpiper Cove Condominiums - 1973
Sexton’s Seafood - 1979
Ship’s Chandler - 1980
Shoreline Condominiums - 1974
SOS Printing - 1982
Sporty Lady - 1978
Sun Destin Beach Resort - 1984
Today’s Collections - 1981
Wendy’s - 1984
Zoo Gallery - 1979