Allan Davis Seashells and Souvenirs operated in Gulf Breeze, FL for 65 years.

Mr. Davis' storefront sported a brightly painted yellow sign with 10 foot tall lettering advertising Seashells and Souvenirs for sale. The front yard was home to a 600lb giant clam shell mounted on poles and a whale jaw bone that sat on the front porch.

The Davis family lived and worked in their store creating souvenirs and selling shells. You could pick shells from all over the world out of 100 different bins. The best selling single shell, and the only local shell sold at Allan Davis were sand dollars collected in the gulf.

Not only was Mr. Allan Davis a business man he was also an alligator wrestler and kept some gators on the property as a tourist attraction.

He was also friends with the Seminole Indians in south FL. Cory Osceola and his family set up a Seminole Indian Village next to the Allan Davis store as an attraction between 1957 and 1958.

At the height of its popularity the souvenir shop was a 500k business. Allan Davis passed away in 2000 at the age of 98 and his sons Alan and Robert decided to close the store in January of 2004. The public turned out in great numbers for two weeks to buy up the last of the shells and souvenirs in one final sale.

Researched and written by University of West Florida Public History Student, Blythe Marshall.