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Local Color: Part Antique Store. Part Cafe & Bakery. Discover Ginny & Jane E’s on AMI

Logo for BRADENTON AREA LOCAL COLOR: CELEBRATING OUR PEOPLE, PLACES, AND STORIES

What do you get when two sisters – one an antique lover and the other an avid cook/baker – decide to open a store together? An eclectic cafe, full of treats and treasures, that feels more like a second home. We’re talking about Ginny & Jane E’s, of course, a favorite hangout of residents and visitors alike on the northern end of Anna Maria Island (just a few blocks south of Pine Ave.). If you haven’t checked it out yet – or indulged in one of the cafe’s famous monster cinnamon rolls – now’s the time to change that!


brightly painted exterior of Ginny's and Jane E's

But be careful – you might just fall in love with the place, like Paul and Tammy Foster, owners of the cafe and coastal shop since 2012. Longtime visitors of the island and surrounding area, they discovered Ginny and Jane E’s almost two decades ago and immediately knew they found something special. “We walked in here just like other customers do,” Paul remembers. “And we felt that same energy. … We felt like we belonged here.” When Ginny and Jane E decided to retire, the Fosters happily took over the store – devoting their “second lives” to keeping that energy alive.

Many might say that warm and welcoming energy predates the sisters opening their store in the 1990s and first began with the building’s owners, the Cagnina family. Ernie Cagnina turned the place into everyone’s favorite local corner grocer (maybe you remember the island’s IGA?), and then, later in life, served as mayor of the city of Anna Maria. In many ways, he was instrumental in preventing the overdevelopment of this charming beach community and preserving its natural beauty and small-town feel – a theme that rings true throughout all of the Bradenton Area.

Now that you know some of the history that makes this place so iconic, let’s get back to all those treats and treasures mentioned earlier! You can’t go to Ginny and Jane E’s without ordering a cinnamon roll – and you better believe the Fosters didn’t mess with Jane’s beloved recipe, featuring a decadent crème brûlée icing. (Fun fact: One of Jane’s original bakers still works at the cafe.) Other Jane creations remain on the menu too, as well as house-made sandwiches, quiches, and salads that the Fosters introduced since adding a full kitchen.

Sitting down to enjoy your food, you’ll get a sense of Ginny’s personality and style. The dining area is outfitted with a random yet artsy assortment of tables and chairs. It’s far from fussy or fancy – rather, it’s warm and relaxed, just what you’d want when escaping to the beach. Paul compares the setup to your own family table at home, where “you can talk as loud as you want and have as much fun as you want.”

a hand holding a giant iced cinnamon roll

Paul, the owner of Ginny's and Jane E's, sitting at a table and laughing

The store also encourages exploring as much as you want. Ginny’s passion for antique collecting and treasure hunting is still very much alive. Funky local art and unique coastal gifts line the walls, hang from the ceiling, and add to the carefree, come-as-you-are vibe. There’s everything from handmade jewelry and custom clothing to art pieces made out of refuse cleaned up from the beaches.

So, when should you stop by and experience this iconic spot? Ginny and Jane E’s is open Monday through Sunday. Breakfast goes from 7 a.m. until noon and lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. And if you’re lucky, you just might run into the sisters on one of their return trips to the island.

women sitting in colorful chairs on the beach looking at the water

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