Cita Coastal Resort Wear & Home Goods

Next up in our Island Spotlight series is Cita Port Aransas. Cita Coastal Resort Wear & Home Goods features women’s and men’s clothing, home goods, jewelry, art, small furniture pieces, and candles.

If you’re looking for the perfect spot to get unique and affordable Christmas gifts this year, Cita has you covered!

Located in the heart of Port Aransas, Cita is a local and tourist favorite. Customers visiting Cita will find unique treasures from all over the world as well as local products. In true island hospitality, Cita is known for a friendly vibe and exceptional customer service.

Cita’s Story

Cita is owned by Shana Heard, and the store is affectionately named after her children’s name for their grandmother (Shana’s mom), “Cita.” Shana’s mom, “Cita,” was also the person who originally ran the shop.

Shana is a 3rd generation Port Aransas native. She left Port A when she went to Southwest Texas for college, and upon graduating moved to Austin, TX. Shana worked for a furniture company in Austin, where she gained experience and love for the furniture and retail world. After she had her first baby, Shana decided to open Cita. The store was originally located in a small a-frame next to Iries restaurant, but Shana soon purchased the old Island grocery store, Yankee and Betty’s, and opened a larger shop.

Shana hired Miraya Alexander to help run the shop and Miraya has been with Cita for the past 25 years! Shana and Miraya run the entire Cita operation, from product sourcing to running the store to social media to accounting to inventory. Pretty impressive, ladies!

In 2007, Cita downsized from a full furniture store and began carrying home goods, clothing, and smaller furniture pieces. Shana tore down the old warehouse style building and created an entire retail center, where the Cita store is now located along with two other tenants (Georgia’s Children’s Boutique and Palm Republic. Behind the retail center is a cottage boutique hotel, Old Town Cottages that Shana also owns and operates.

Shana prides herself on sourcing beautiful items for her customers to discover and enjoy. Some standard products featured at Cita include:

• A beautiful Italian clothing line for women
• Beach cover ups from Australia
• A gorgeous women’s Moroccan line
• Many home good imports from Indonesia and India
• Beautiful African hats made by a tribe of women that helps supply their clean water
• Jewelry from Turkey
• Men’s Tommy Bahama products
• Voluspa candles

Cita aims to strike the balance between sophisticated and casual, always keeping an eye on LA and New York fashion trends. According to Shana, sophisticated buyers will find the quality they are looking for, and college girls will be able to find trendy pieces in their price range. As the top Tommy Bahama dealer in Port A for the past 20 years, Cita always has something for the gentlemen as well!

Like almost every other business in Port Aransas, Cita Coastal Resort Wear & Home Goods was affected by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Cita was flooded with over 12 inches of water and everything had to be torn down and rebuilt. It took 9 months to recover from the storm, but with the help of the community and insurance, Cita re-opened in May of 2018.

Cita currently operates during the following business hours:

Spring & Summer: 10-5pm, closed on Sundays

Fall & Winter: 10-5pm, closed on Sundays and Mondays

Be sure to stop by Cita the next time you’re in Port Aransas. You might just be able to get all your Christmas shopping done in one stop! Follow Cita on instagram and check out Shana’s impeccable taste. Happy shopping!