Anne-Margaret Swary Columns
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Announcements

By Anne-Margaret Swary The Citizen

• Viakeywest.com is a new Web site promoting unique gifts inspired by the art, history, culture and characters of Key West. It's the place to find new and old treasures, from one-of-a-kind jewelry to photography, paintings and handcrafted goods, made from artisans in Key West and around the world, said its founder, Lisa Malcom.

Art, music, books and confections are just some of the items available.

"Some of the other items included are not from artists from Key West, but they are from people who have inspired me in one way or another," Malcom said. "Key West is filled with so many colorful characters, and Viakeywest.com is a new, unique outlet for these creative, talented artisans to promote their work to the world."

• The Six-Toed Cat is now serving breakfast and lunch seven days a week at its Whitehead Street location near the Ernest Hemingway Home Museum.

The eatery, operated by Leah and John Stockton, serves casual fare, including dishes such as French toast, eggs Benedict and omelettes for breakfast and paninis, salads, wraps and sandwiches for lunch.

Six-Toed Cat has indoor and outdoor dining, and hopes to offer the space for private parties in the near future.

Frequent diners can join the restaurant's "Cat Club" and receive 60 percent of their meal on their sixth visit.

Six-Toed Cat is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Call 305-294-3318 or visit http://sixtoedcatkeywest.com for more information.

• The Key West Bar Card, a new discount card that launched this month, offers two-for-one cocktails at 10 bars in Key West.

The card is $10 and can be used once a day at each bar, and it is good throughout 2010.

The Bar Card also donates 10 percent of all sales each month to select local charities. MARC House will receive a portion of January's sales, and Wesley House Family Services will be the beneficiary of February's sales. A complete list is available at http://www.keywestbarcard.com.

The card can be purchased through the site, and also is available at Fast Buck Freddie's, The Restaurant Store, Coffee Plantation, Conch Republic Liquors and aboard the Key West Express.

• Building on the success of its Internet travel television network, ConchTV.com, the Conch Republic Media Group has created ConchRepublicRadio.com.

The site features musicians from Key West and the Florida Keys, along with nationally known artists, and allows the listener to explore their tropical melodies one click at a time.

The media group's founding partners, Craig and Gail Hollenback, describe the site as, "Feel good tropical music that people seem to need right now. It's less talk, more squawk, non-stop Parrothead music."

Artists include Howard Livingston and the Mile Marker 24 Band, Scott Kirby, Paul Cotton and dozens more. One click on any of the CD art produces a random selection of the artist's music. Another click connects to the artist's Web site where CDs can be ordered.

Listeners also can enjoy the automated play list that regenerates fresh material every day. New artists are added on a regular basis to expand the mix, and fans are invited to suggest their favorite "Trop Rock" musicians.

Additional information is available at http://www.ConchRepublicMediaGroup.com.

Anne-Margaret Swary is The Citizen's business editor. Her column runs exclusively every other Sunday. She can be reached at amswary@keysnews.com.