About

Lemon Cabana is a women’s clothing and lifestyle boutique located just one block from the oceanfront in sunny Virginia Beach. The store is a vibrant mix of women’s fashion, gifts, and accessories for the home. We describe our aesthetic as a little bit coastal and a little bit sophisticated, with an added twist of fun to create our signature “relaxed Virginia Beach” style.

After a lifetime of dreaming it up, we opened the Lemon Cabana in the summer of 2007. The name is an ode to my brother, Scott Fancher, who passed from complications of Type 1 Diabetes in December of 2006. His sudden passing illuminated just how finite time truly is and electrified my purpose - for the first time I was more afraid of not trying to open my dream store than actually attempting to open it. From there, the Lemon Cabana was born. As the store started to take shape, we referred to it as our lemonade stand since it felt like we were making lemonade from lemons after Scott’s death. This gave us a positive place to focus our attention, and gave us inspiration for the perfect name. Thank you, Scott.

Since the moment we opened, we’ve carefully hand-picked and curated a colorful collection of products for women who are looking for a shopping experience that is unique and has a personal touch. Every item in our store makes the Lemon Cabana team happy, and we hope you feel some of that happiness the moment you walk through our doors.

Cheers!

Julie

Interested in learning about Type 1 Diabetes or donating? Please click here to support the Juvenile Diabetes Society.

Meet the team

Julie Fancher Deese

On June 22, 2007, I opened the Lemon Cabana. That summer, my jaw would hurt at night from smiling so hard. I worked all day, 7 days-a-week and absolutely loved it. I met my neighbors in the store and new friends from all over Virginia and more. It opened up a whole new world to me and Lemon Cabana truly was my happy place. 16 years later, I am so thrilled that it has become a “Happy Place” to our Lemon Cabana customers.

Brenda

Brenda & Julie were co-workers at Williams-Sonoma. Julie knew she needed Brenda on the Lemon team and was so happy when Brenda finally jumped on board. Brenda is part of the management and buying team, as well as the stock and receiving team. She keeps us going in an organized manner. And even though we had to push her into it, she has become everyone’s favorite model.

Grace F.

We are lucky to have a mother-daughter duo at Lemon Cabana! Grace is Brenda’s daughter. Grace is our manager and an invaluable part of our buying team. She keeps us on our toes with her amazing memory, organization skills, and big smile. We hope Grace will continue the Lemon Cabana tradition when the rest of us finally skip off into retirement!

Dee

Dee is a fashion icon at the Cabana. She was a guidance counselor for 30 years with Chesapeake Schools, and joined our team for Saturdays, summers, and holidays. When she retired, we were thrilled to have her join us year-round. Dee loves fashion and she sells what she loves! Alongside Chic, she also dreams up and creates our fabulous displays and holiday wonderlands.

Chic

Chic is one of a kind! From 1982 to 1999, Chic had a much-beloved store called The Three Gulls. We were lucky enough to pull her back into the world of retail, and we are so glad! Chic is our wrapper extraordinaire and display fluffer. She also partners with Dee to create our legendary holiday wonderland every year.

Grace L.

A big smile is the first thing you notice about Grace! She has been with us the longest collective amount of time, and we’ve loved every bit of it. Grace brought with her a strong knowledge of retail from her years as manager at Talbots. She is going into well-deserved semi-retirement, but she will still be with us for summers and holidays.

Laura

Many people don’t realize Laura was one of Lemon Cabana’s first employees, dating all the way back to 2007. She has seen it all! She left for a couple years to raise her twin daughters and work at a non-profit, but we are so glad to have her back! Laura was our very first model and heads up our charity initiatives for the store.

Anne Darby

Anne Darby recently returned to Virginia Beach after raising her family in Northern Virginia. She had a retail store for many years in Alexandria called Kisskadee. Darby joined us in 2019 and was quick to fall into the Lemon rhythm - she’s been a beloved team member ever since.

Mark - Our Cabana Man!

Mark is Julie’s husband and has been part of our team since 2011. He recently retired from a management position at the Newport News shipyard and is now working in our shipping & receiving. He has gained 7 new sisters that he never knew he wanted!

Cora

Cora is only here for the summer, but we are thrilled to have her. Cora is interning to learn the retail business, but will be returning to Auburn University in the fall! She has jumped in with both feet and we have so enjoyed having her with us!