Top Recommends Anna Maria Island: Alanna Kelly of Cove

Meet Alanna Kelly

Alanna Kelly spent years working inside other people's crystal shops, island galleries, and studios before she opened one of her own. That patience shows in Cove, the gallery and boutique she built on Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach, where more than 25 local artists share the same room as her own work. A handwritten line above her photo on the site sums up the approach: "do what makes your soul shine."

Born and raised in Sarasota, Kelly describes Cove as a someday dream that came together slowly, piece by piece, out of everywhere she'd already worked. "Cove began as a someday dream, pieced together from years of experience across crystal shops, island galleries, and studios," she says. From crystals and original paintings to one of a kind jewelry and hand picked books and cards, the shop is filled with the things she says mean the most to her, and to the artists she carries.

What is Cove?

Cove is a gallery and boutique on the south end of Anna Maria Island, built around what the site calls "the ocean-minded spirit." It sits between the beach and the bay on Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach, carrying original work from more than 25 local artists alongside gifts, crystals, books, and small coastal treasures. Kelly frames it simply: it's a shop, a gallery, and a place to slow down for a few minutes.

How did Kelly start Cove?

Kelly didn't come to this as a first business. Cove's own site describes years of experience across crystal shops, island galleries, and studios before she opened her own space. That background shaped what Cove carries today, work that spans crystals, original paintings, jewelry, books, and cards, described as the things that mean the most to her personally rather than a general assortment picked to fill shelves.

What can you find inside Cove?

Cove splits its space into two connected ideas. The gallery side carries original paintings, photography, ceramics, glass, and one of a kind jewelry, all made by artists who live and work on or around Anna Maria Island, more than 25 of them under one roof. The boutique side carries gifts with a story behind them: crystals, books, cards, apparel, and small coastal treasures, each one chosen, according to the site, because it sparks curiosity or simply brings joy.

Cove also runs an Artist of the Month feature to give one maker extra visibility. For September 2026, that honor went to Rebecca Goodman, a SCAD-trained printmaker known for copper plate etchings and mono prints out of Bradenton. Online, the shop's boutique arm at shop.ilovecove.com carries hand picked pieces shipped straight from Bradenton Beach, things like an Anna Maria Island map chart cluster, shark tooth earrings from artist Cindy Barbanera, and a rotating set of monthly highlights such as a Sea Turtle Bundle and a sea life print dress.

Why does Kelly call it "a ripple that leaves the building"?

That phrase comes straight from Cove's own description of its community piece. "Every purchase supports a working artist, and every visit helps keep a creative, independent shop alive on Bridge Street," the site reads. It's the same idea Kelly returns to in her closing note to visitors and customers: "Thank you for supporting this community of creatives. Your presence helps us all shine and become part of the ripple that lifts us all."

What else does Cove do beyond the shop?

Cove extends past its own four walls in a few directions. Through a program the site calls Cove in the Wild, Cove artists' work shows up as custom, curated pieces inside real businesses across the island, including Silver Surf Gulf Beach Resort, BridgeWalk Resort, South Bradenton Dental Care, and Midnight Gulf Resort. For anyone who wants something made specifically for their own space, Cove also takes commission requests directly through the site.

Cove runs a free membership program called The Inner Cove, open by invitation to anyone who signs up with an email and phone number. Members get a members-only coupon once a month, along with early access to new arrivals and collaborations, exclusive in-store and online pricing, and invitations to classes, journal prompts, and other projects.

The shop also hosts community events throughout the year. Upcoming dates listed on the site include an Endless Summer Afterglow Party, a new exhibit show at Cove, and a Halloween Spooktacular.

What does Kelly write about?

Cove keeps an ongoing blog the site calls Our Current, described as essays, artist features, and notes from the south end of the island. Kelly writes a recurring section of it herself, called Kelly's Journal, with posts like "More Than a Single Place, Beyond the Gallery Walls" and "The Dream Behind Cove." One recent post, "Living Inside the Yes," traces the idea back more than 20 years to a gallery in Lahaina, writing that a seed planted there is one she says she's now living inside the possibility of. Cove's site also carries a short manifesto in Kelly's voice, ending with a line that sums up the whole project: "where is your Cove?"

How can visitors experience Cove?

Cove is open at 104 Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach, Sunday through Wednesday from 10am to 8pm and Thursday through Saturday from 10am to 8:30pm. For anyone who can't make it to Bridge Street in person, a portion of the gallery's pieces are also available to shop online. Cove's site also keeps a running directory of other local shops, kitchens, and studios on the south end of Anna Maria Island, a nod to the same community Kelly says the shop was built to support.