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residence only a few months out of the
year. It will be interesting to see what
happens when season comes.
W hat brought you to Sarasota?
Back in 2004, I came to town to look at
an apartment complex a friend of mine
was selling. It was the middle of winter
and miserable weather in Chicago, so
I was happy to get out of town. I came
down, visited my parents who were
spending the winter in St Pete Beach
and drove down to Sarasota. Driving
around the city I thought-- this is a great
lile town. So, I bought the project and
it became the first condo conversion
project we did in Florida.
Coming here was purely by happen-
stance. We weren't looking to do
projects in Florida; it just
fell in my lap. I thought
it would be fun to spend
some time down here
and enjoy the weather.
en, the more time
I spent here, I really
liked the weather, and
Sarasota, in particular, is
a beautiful place.
People still ask me
today, "why don't you leave
Sarasota?" But where am I going
to go? Where am I going to go
that's nicer than Sarasota? So I don't
travel nearly as much as I used to. I still
enjoy geing away, but Sarasota, in my
opinion, is paradise.
You live out on Siesta Key, correct?
Yes, I love it! I live in a great lile Jack
West house, a Sarasota School of
A rchitecture home. It is one of my
favorite homes. It's pre y cool.
Siesta Key reminds me of the town I
grew up in, Grand Haven, Michigan. It
has a ver y similar feel to Sarasota, but
much smaller. It's a beach town set on
Lake Michigan. It has the same small
town, beachy feel. People are laid-back,
similar to here. at's what aracted me
to Sarasota, it felt ver y comfortable, and
I was fortunate to meet a lot of really
great people when I first came down.
Sarasota has all of the components of a
major city wrapped in a small city. It's a
unique place.
LEFT: Rendering of the SANSARA
penthouse Kihnke is building in Burns
Cour t. The 10-story condominium
development possesses a distinctive
ar tistic vibe well suited for its
cultural locale. For information, visit
SansaraCondo.com
ABOVE: Real estate is a family affair for the
Kihnkes. Matt pictured with his parents and his
two brothers on Longboat Key.
