Our Founder
Stephen Licata: Founder of Palm Produce Resortwear
Stephen Licata’s story is woven into the color, style, and entrepreneurial spirit of Miami. A Long Island native, Stephen arrived in South Florida in the 1970s to attend the University of Miami as a pre-med student, drawn by the promise of warmer weather, a new education, and the unmistakable allure of Coconut Grove. Riding his bike from campus to the Grove, he quickly felt a connection to the village’s waterfront charm, lush banyans, Mediterranean sensibility, and cosmopolitan energy. What began as a move for school would become the foundation for a lifelong career in fashion, retail, and community building.
Discovering a Passion for Fashion
While studying at the University of Miami, Stephen took a part-time job at Pilgrims, a clothing store in Dadeland Mall. Although it was not his first experience working in retail clothing, it was the place where he began to recognize a deeper calling. He had an instinctive understanding of style, a natural eye for emerging trends, and an ability to read what customers wanted before they knew it themselves.
As the store’s owner noticed Stephen’s talent, his responsibilities expanded, particularly in merchandising and buying. Inspired by Miami’s growing fashion culture, the energy of the Studio 54 era, and the creativity of prêt-à-porter fashion, Stephen changed his studies from medicine to business administration and marketing.
From Student to Store Owner
By the age of 23, Stephen had taken on much of the buying for Pilgrims and was already emerging as a young retail leader. When the owner decided to retire, Stephen purchased the store and transformed it into a high-end European clothing destination for Miami’s movers and shakers during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
His timing and taste aligned with a city reinventing itself through fashion, nightlife, art, architecture, and color. Stephen’s ability to anticipate what was next made him not only a retailer, but a curator of Miami’s evolving style identity.
Building Palm Produce Resortwear
As Miami entered its now-iconic pink era — shaped by Art Deco revival, Christo’s Biscayne Bay installation, and the cultural phenomenon of Miami Vice — Stephen continued to evolve. He eventually sold his earlier stores and launched two concepts that reflected his own vision of South Florida style: Palm Produce Resortwear and Pink Palm Gift Company.
Pink Palm captured the playful, giftable side of Miami, while Palm Produce grew into an upscale lifestyle and resortwear brand with a tropical point of view. At its height, the business expanded across Florida and New York, including locations in The Hamptons, following the seasonal rhythm of customers traveling between South Florida and the Northeast.
A Signature South Florida Lifestyle Brand
Over time, Stephen sold Pink Palm Gift Company and focused fully on Palm Produce Resortwear, refining it into a destination for elevated tropical fashion with a loyal following and a small-shop sensibility. Today, Palm Produce continues to reflect Stephen’s signature talent: understanding cultural temperature, local lifestyle, and the needs of customers who want clothing that is stylish, comfortable, and distinctly connected to place.
Community, History, and Legacy
Beyond fashion, Stephen has been a devoted champion of Coconut Grove, supporting community events, serving on marketing committees, and helping preserve local history. His passion for aviation led to Pan Am-inspired merchandise, the First Flight Out concept, and the Air History Project, a nonprofit devoted to celebrating Miami’s aviation legacy.
For Stephen, success has always meant more than business growth. It means connecting people, celebrating community, and giving back to the place that first made him feel at home.