All in the family: Longboat Key family businesses share their stories

There was a slight misunderstanding about how many salons Jim and Sandy LaRose owned in St. Louis.

Jim said eight. Sandy assured him it was six.

Their daughter-in-law, Irina LaRose, joked that this happens all the time.

The lighthearted banter, the slight miscommunication between spouses, it’s normal for families.

And, it’s normal for family businesses.

Longboat Key isn’t a stranger to this concept. The Observer spoke with three generational families about how they got into a family business, how they ended up on Longboat and why they keep doing it.

Design 2000

Design 2000’s name has nothing to do with the arrival of the 21st century.

It opened in 1977 in St. Louis, where the LaRoses operated six salons.

“We didn’t know if we’d be in business this long, but we were all thinking futuristic,” Sandy LaRose said. “At that time, it seemed futuristic.”

The salon, located in Whitney Beach Plaza, specializes in hair and nails and is often responsible for doing the hair at many island fashion shows.

Twenty four years ago, they moved to Florida, and in 2000, Irina LaRose, who is married to Jim and Sandy’s son, Rick, joined the team. Irina LaRose serves as the business manager, while Jim and Sandy manage and do hair.

“I think that I am probably one of the most privileged people in the world,” Sandy LaRose said. “I have been able to spend my time with the people I love.”

While none of the LaRoses live on Longboat Key, they can’t imagine working anywhere else. Jim and Sandy LaRose briefly considered working on Anna Maria Island, but after crossing the bridge, they knew Longboat was the place for them.

“It’s such a beautiful environment,’’ Irina LaRose said. “How many people are fortunate to sit in traffic and look at palm trees and blue water? It’s not like coming to work. It’s like being on vacation all the time.”

And while the views are spectacular, so are Design 2000’s customers, they say.

“You have a common sort of people that love being outside and love the island and the water and the sunshine and the arts, so you find lots of commonalities with all the people that live here,” Sandy LaRose said.

Jim LaRose said it’s common for the salon to get customers from the same communities. He said if one group comes from a certain condominium, chances are another group will come from the same condominium via word of mouth.

“When people come in here, they can feel it,” he said. “It’s family-oriented and people migrate to that. They like some place they can walk in and [the people] know your name, and they feel good about it.”

Harry’s Continental Kitchens

Harry and Lynn Christensen remember their son, Hal, as a toddler eating onion skins off the floor of  their deli, Harry’s Continental Kitchens.

Forty years later, Hal Christensen is the general manager working alongside his parents.

In the beginning, Harry’s was just run by Lynn and Harry Christensen. It worked for them because they could make their own schedule. Harry could coach his sons’ baseball teams while Lynn worked at the restaurant, and Harry could work nights so Lynn could be home.

The idea for his own place came when Harry Christensen worked at Cafe L’Europe on St. Armands Circle. Harry came up with the idea for home-replacement meals. He thought that if he pre-packaged gourmet meals, his customers could enjoy the same taste in their homes.

In February 1979, Harry and Lynn Christensen leased a building at 4450 Gulf of Mexico Drive for their take-out dinners and sandwiches. In 1982, the company expanded to catering, and in 1985, the restaurant opened.

“Trying to make a living on a seasonal island, you had to work very hard four months out of the year, and then you had to struggle for eight months out of the year, and you hope you have enough money to stay open until next November,” Harry Christensen said.

The Christensens opened their business on Longboat Key because that’s where they lived. 

Forty years later, their idea is still successful.

At this point, Harry’s has served multiple generations. Harry’s catered one girl’s christening, high school and college graduations, wedding and then her children’s christenings.

“You become a part of their lives,” Harry Christensen said.

Hal Christensen started out as a busboy, but he’s worked up the ranks after getting a hospitality management degree from Florida State. He said the family has a good relationship.

He knows that his parents, and now he, too, work to keep things fresh and delicious while not straying from their roots.

“I’m glad we’re still here, still running, and people like us,” Lynn Christensen said.

Longboat Limousine

There’s a common misconception about Longboat Limousine.

Most people assume Jim Seaton started it and passed it on to his son.

Really, though, Jimmy Seaton started it 24 years ago and asked his dad for help as the business began to grow.

“Jimmy said, ‘You probably think I’m crazy,” Jim Seaton said. “I said ,‘There’s no better time than now.’”

Jimmy Seaton told his younger self that when he graduated college, he would go to Longboat Key. He didn’t know what he would do, but he knew he wanted to be there.

He got his business idea after driving his grandparents around Longboat Key. Whether it was taking them to run errands or pick up mail, or even taking his grandmother to art shows and parties, he realized there was a need for his service.

After his grandparents died, he used their white Cadillac and started Longboat Limousine. Today, they have 15 cars, 10 of which they acquired in the past year and a half, and work every day except Christmas.

Most of their cars are Cadillac and Mercedes sedans and SUVs. They used to have four stretch limos, but now they have one. Mostly because clients didn’t use it as much, so Jimmy Seaton thought like a restaurateur.

“If people don’t want this sandwich, we quit making that sandwich,” Jimmy Seaton said. “If people don’t want to ride in that car, we don’t buy another one.”

Along with the rest of the staff, the Seatons drive clients all over the state, and sometimes even out of state. They’ve driven a couple to New Jersey before who just wanted to see the leaves one more time.

Whether it’s taking clients to airports or grocery stores, Longboat Limousine will provide its services.

“It’s amazing,” Jimmy Seaton said. “We do a lot of the same stuff that I did for my grandparents.”

And as for working with each other, it’s not a problem. Jim Seaton said he thinks he’s only made a few mistakes that his son had to correct him on. The entire staffs gets along.

“We like each other, so I think that’s important,” Jimmy Seaton said.