As seen in CH2 Celebrate Hilton Head Magazine, August 2025
Amie Baima & Sandy Toomer
Coligny’s Skillets Café & Grill and Mingles HILTON HEAD ISLAND: 1 N Forest Beach Drive, (843) 842-6050, colignyplaza.com
When Darlene Baima opened her store Turnstone in 1979 in Coligny, she probably had no idea the family legacy she was launching. Her boutique shop, specializing in Christmas décor and accessories, gave shoppers a way to celebrate the season all year long. But perhaps most importantly, it gave her two daughters first-hand experience and insight into what makes Coligny different.
“I wouldn’t want to do this anywhere else,” said daughter Sandy Toomer, who has owned Mingles for the past 41 years. In the same place where her mother hung her shingle, Sandy offers a similarly seasonal blend of holiday keepsakes and resort items at Mingles.
Across Coligny, another of Darlene’s daughters is keeping the family tradition alive in one of the plaza’s most well-known restaurants, Skillets. The restaurant, one of three that Amie Baima has launched in Coligny, offers the family a place to truly come together.
“My son is running the kitchen these days, and my dad is still doing the bookkeeping,” Amie said. “He comes down for lunch every day at 91, still cracking the whip.”
Sandy and Amie share a sisterly bond that stretches across the length of Coligny, tying the whole plaza into their family.
“Having both of us here gives us different perspectives. She’s in her store all the time, but I come in with fresh eyes, and I give her merchandising suggestions,” Amie said. “And she’ll come into the restaurant and notice something that needs fixing or cleaning that I’ve been looking at all day but didn’t notice because we’re so busy. Plus, she makes our sweet tea. She’s very particular about her sweet tea.”
Their father, John, does double duty, helping his daughters at both Mingles and Skillets. Beyond that, Sandy has family ties on both sides, with her husband, Bill, owning Billy’s Beach Club in the adjoining space. “We have a sliding glass door that joins the two stores,” Sandy said. “It means everything to have so much family here. There’s always someone to back me up when I need it.”
In fact, it’s not uncommon for Sandy to jump in and help at Skillets during a rush, nor for Amie to come help Sandy when customers come flocking in the door.
“Family always has your back. It’s fabulous from that aspect,” Amie said. “Believe it or not, we still try to get together in the fall and winter on Sunday nights. We see each other every day, but it’s hard to talk about our lives at work. We have to carve out that family time.”
Coligny has always fostered a tight-knit sense of community among its merchants and restaurateurs. In the case of Amie Baima and Sandy Toomer, Coligny has created a tapestry into which they have woven the threads of their family.
