A taste of Key West is headed to St. Augustine this fall as Kermit’s Key Lime Shop prepares to open in the heart of the Nation’s Oldest City at the intersection of St. George and Treasury streets.
Kermit’s was founded about 30 years ago on the sunny shores of Key West by Kermit Carpenter, a small shop on the corner of Elizabeth and Greene that specialized in key-lime-flavored items, everything from fresh pies to fudge to juices.
The business became a legendary local success story, eventually expanding to a second store in Key West in the heart of Duval Street and a 12,000-square-foot manufacturing facility/production kitchen in Deland.
About two years ago, after three decades at the helm, Carpenter (then 80) decided it was time to pass the reins to someone new, someone who knew the heart of Kermit’s Key Lime Shop just as well as he did. That’s where Stephanie Lindley, the owner of Byrd Cookie Company, stepped in to take over the business.
With more than 25 years of baking key lime cookies for Kermit’s, Byrd’s and the company shared a well-established relationship. Lindley bought the business from Carpenter, bought the properties where the stores were located, and became the new CEO.
“We polished up the brand a little bit, but nothing major,” Lindley said. “[Carpenter] had such a solid 30-year lead in the pie industry, key lime pies specifically, so all we needed to do was come in with a little bit of fresh energy and capital to let it grow from there.”
And grow it has.
In the two years since Lindley stepped in, Kermit’s Key Lime Shop has opened new locations in Charleston, South Carolina; Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Savannah, Georgia; and another in Key West. St. Augustine is the next to open, but the brand has further expansion plans in the works for Orlando, Nashville, Tennessee and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
The new store in St. Augustine is well underway, with applications submitted to the St. Augustine City Council and an incoming verdict from local architects and review boards. Given the number of stores in similarly historic cities, Lindley said the brand is well experienced with the waiting game.
Though the exact opening date isn’t pinned down quite yet, Kermit’s Key Lime Shop is aiming to open before St. Augustine’s annual Nights of Lights tradition begins, which typically takes place in mid-November.
Guests can expect the full Kermit experience at the St. Augustine store, with a bit of the tropics cultivated in this North Florida location. There will be a full selection of Kermit’s products, including key lime pie, key lime jelly beans, key lime taffy, key lime fudge, key lime cookies, key lime dole whip, and of course, the chocolate-covered key lime pie on a stick.
Feedback so far about the future store has been overwhelmingly positive from the St. Augustine community, with several hopeful employees already sending in applications.
“We hope to fold into the community as best as appropriate,” said Lindley. “It’s going to be such a cute store. We’re very excited about it.”
