CORTEZ – Elizabeth Shore and Jeffery O'Connell weren't exactly sure what they were going to do with the vacant building they leased on Cortez Road West at the gateway to the Cortez Village. They just thought it was a great property at a great location. After several months, the result is a super-cool, beach-casual craft brew and music spot with an eclectically-curated gift shop that gives the historic fishing village yet another must-go destination.

Shore and O'Connell grew up together in West Bradenton and were close friends, but each set out on the world and were living in other states until tragedies brought about their return. O'Connell became a touring musician with the band Jerrods Door and moved out to Los Angeles to live the rock star life in the Laurel Canyon. He returned to help his mom as she battled cancer and was somewhat adrift when she passed in late 2014.

Shore was in the corporate world, living in Raleigh, NC, when her father, longtime Manatee County Clerk of Court Chips Shore, passed just a few months later in July of 2015. She too came home to help her mother, and that's when she and Jeffery reunited, sparking a romantic partnership that eventually saw them open the bar and bazaar that's quickly becoming a favorite of both locals and tourists.

"We started with the gift shop and then thought it would be cool to do craft beer and wine, with a small bar where people could have a drink after fishing or a day at the beach," said O'Connell. "Then we fixed up the back patio and courtyard and thought, this would be a great spot for small acoustic acts. It's almost like the space kept telling us what to do with it."

For Shore, the location holds sentimental value owed to its location in her late father's beloved Cortez. "My dad really loved Cortez," she said. "We came here a lot, and he always seemed happiest when we were out here."

Shore was not only an admirable public servant but a devoted historian whose work through the Manatee County Historical Commission helped to preserve many of the county's historic treasures, including the Carnegie Library, the Manatee Village Historical Park, the historic downtown courthouse and the Florida Maritime Museum–which sits just a stone's throw from his daughter's new concern. One look around the place and you can see that his daughter definitely inherited Shore's Old Florida sense of what makes Manatee County a special place.

The name Bunny & Pirates came from an idea for a children's story that Elizabeth and Jeffrey had one night, inspired by O'Connell telling Shore that she was like a cross between a bunny and a mermaid. O'Connell's been something of a modern-day pirate himself, buying abandoned storage lockers to sell off the bounty.

The vibe of Bunny & Pirates is a little bit California, a little bit mid-Atlantic, and a whole lot Cortez. On any given night you might catch one of the area's best musicians doing a stripped down set, top-shelf artists like Koko Ray Hansen, Steve Paradis, Kyle Shell, Jason Haram or Terry Helm. The craft beer selection is always well-curated, and the couple has plans to add some food and possibly a you hook, we cook option for out-of-towners who score a good catch on their charter adventures.

The place has been such a hit so far that it's easy to imagine Bunny & Pirates Bazaar being around for a long time and becoming an iconic Manatee County landmark in the future. I suspect that would make R.B. "Chips" Shore very happy. In fact, it's just the sort of place one might imagine him bellied up to the bar for a cold one after a long day of fishing on Sarasota Bay.

Shore Set the Standard for Which All Public Officials Should Strive

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