A realty office like no other: With Seaside in his blood, Larry Davis set to open house on New Urbanism-inspired office

Larry Davis came to South Walton in early 1987, where his half brother Robert Davis was in the process of building a model town he had named Seaside.

Robert was building the town based on the New Urbanism concept of walkable communities.

During those early years, Larry spent a lot of time watching his brother and Andres Duany, the master architect, turn Seaside into a community unlike any other.

Now 25 years later, Larry has built his own realty office just down the road from his brother's town.

And it all began with a bench.

"I started thinking one day about all the walkers and bikers that use the bike path on 30A, and it occurred to me that there was no place for someone to sit down along the bike path," he said.

Now there is.

The 7- or 8-foot-wide Adirondack-style bench was creatively painted by Davis' artist wife, Melissa, and placed right along the bike path in front of his new office.

"It's my gift to 30A," he said. "It provides seating and is a conversation piece. It's public art."

Davis said his goal is to lead by example and hopes to see other businesses along 30A put up artistic benches for the public.

He didn't stop with the bench, however.

Davis points to another proponent of New Urbanism in the book "City Comforts: How to Build an Urban Village" by David Sucher.

"Sucher said you must give back to the street, build close to the sidewalk, create public seating, engage, and quench the thirst people have for community," said Davis.

And, he did just that.

Embedded in concrete out front is a hopscotch rectangle adorned with brass to engage kids of all ages as they pass by.

Also along the path, Davis planted an herb garden and three citrus trees, along with tomatoes and a blueberry bush. Every morning, passersby can expect to see him out front watering the plants.

"The golden hour in retail is 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. I think it's 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.," he said. "That's when you can engage walkers."

For those who need more than a rest while walking or biking along the path, just follow the yellow stripe to the bright yellow drinking fountain and have a drink. Fido’s invited too.

On the way, park your bike in the bike rack and check out the community bulletin board.

And if your tires need air, air he has.

While getting a drink of water and pumping your tires, the office's receptionist window is right above the two at eye level for an easy meet-and-greet conversation starter.

"It will be an easy way to make contact with the public," Davis admits.

And if that conversation results in the sale of real estate, that will be all the better.

Davis has sold real estate on 30A for 20 years, thanks to his brother's encouragement.

"I was fortunate to be able to watch Seaside grow from the inside," he said.

His Davis Properties operated out of one of the kiosks around the town's circle for 12 years. He was also the broker at Rosemary Beach for many years.

"30A has been good to me for 30 years," he said. "The market is recovering and we are well positioned in the Panhandle. We have had no big winds in a while and everything is in place for recovery. With interest rates low, it's a great time to buy."

The Davis team will host an open house Nov. 25 from 2-6 p.m.

Davis Properties is located across from the Snappy Turtle and Cassine Gardens on 30A.