ARCADIA, Fla. — The antique shops are still open. The lifted trucks still roll down Oak Street. But something is missing from downtown.
"It feels very odd not to see her,” said Laura Partridge, who runs an Arcadia non-profit.
WATCH: Family and friends talk about what Toni meant to them:
Partridge is talking about her best friend, Toni Badovinac. Friends and family said she died in a car crash earlier this month. The Florida Highway Patrol said two people died in the head-on collision on State Road 31 in Charlotte County on Nov. 2.
READ: Two people killed in head-on crash on State Road 31 in Charlotte County early Sunday morning
Toni's brother, Nick, said she was on the way to give someone a ride.
“Toni is maybe the kindest person I have ever known," Nick said. "She always went out of her way to help other people. And in fact that’s what happened the night she died.”
Toni helped run the Oak Street antique store, 'Glass Antique or Not,' with her mother. People in the downtown community told FOX 4 that Arcadia won't be the same without her.
It certainly won't be for Partridge. Toni is one of the first people she met after moving downtown three years ago. Partridge runs the non-profit thrift store, 'Good Vibe Tribe.'
“She would do anything for anybody all the time," Partridge said. "And it didn’t matter. She was just a fixture down here."
Carl Tindall runs the Arcadia Seafood and Grill restaurant, just down the street from Toni's shop. Tindall said he knew Toni and her mother - who passed away in August. He said Toni was always there to talk, night or day.
“I mean she was the prime example of what it is to be a good person," Tindall said. "A good neighbor, a good friend.”
A makeshift memorial popped up in front of Toni's antique store. Her portrait hangs in one of the windows. Dozens of flowers adorn the shutters on either side.
"There's not going to be any way to replace her - at all," said Ariel Odell, a manager at the Neon Moon Saloon.
"She was just so generous, and so sweet," said JoDawn Martin, one of the Neon Moon's owners.
Toni called many places home. Maryland. California. Puerto Rico. Her brother, Nick, said they grew up in a military family. But even as an adult, Toni moved around a lot. Arcadia is the first place that felt like home for her, Nick said.
“She had found a place where she was respected in the community and valued in the community," Nick said.
The family is taking inventory of the antique shop's thousands of items. Nick said the store will 'wind down' in the next several months.
The lights in the Oak Street store are still on. But people say something feels missing from downtown.
“Toni was downtown," Tindall said. "She was a ray of sunshine."
There will be a celebration of life at DeSoto Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
