best little shop in your town

goldencurly · 02-17-2013, 06:30 AM

I live in a very rural area and there is a little town about 20 minutes away. There has been a bakery there for years, but it is outrageously expensive and I have only ever eaten a muffin from there.

Yesterday, I was having a girlfriend day and after lunch we went for a walk on Main Street and we found a tiny new bakery. It couldn't have been more than 10 feet wide! But we walked in and it smelled heavenly. The baker gave us samples of chocolate chip cookies that had just come out of the oven. They were soft and scrumptious. I ended up buying a cream filled chocolate cupcake, 6 silver dollar sized linzer tarts, and 6 cranberry walnut rolls. The rolls are my favorite! I am more a savory person than a sweet person. I spent less than $8 on all of it!!! My girlfriend bought a cupcake, peanut butter fudge, and a 5" key lime pie. I have pie envy. Now I wish I'd bought a key lime pie too. They had everything a traditional bakery would have and then some fun little surprises like petit fours with a chocolate dipped strawberry on top, truffles, and candies.

Now that I found them, I have a feeling I will be going there every Saturday

What's your favorite hidden shop?

claudine19 · 02-17-2013, 07:50 AM

My town specializes in high quality maple syrup production, and there's one shop that sells maple products year round. I've tried more than once to purchase gifts for others there, but I wind up eating them myself. Guess I'd better try the gift wrapping service next time.

NetG · 02-17-2013, 07:57 AM

My favorite little place is the Ethiopian restaurant I visit regularly. Every time I find a little place I love it get very popular or goes out of business, and right now I don't have any secret little places I love that no one knows about.

I do go to local places as much as possible, though.

redcelticcurls · 02-17-2013, 08:30 AM

My favorite cupcake place. Not dry. Fun flavors. Pretty occasion cakes. Nice folks.

http://www.vanillapastry.com/

My bacon of the month place. Mmmmmm, charcuterie.

http://www.crestedduck.com/

My farmshare

http://www.onewomanfarm.com/

My comic book store. Great folks, and they are quite supportive of women as customers.

http://www.phantom-attic.com/

Neighborhood sandwich shop. Run by a lady who lives nearby. Tasty and good conversation.

http://www.simplegourmetpa.com/

Pet store. I can't get everything there as their cat section is smallish. But, the stuff they do have is good. They are having a February cat month. Friendly, outgoing owners.

http://petagogypgh.com/

My favorite beer emporium

http://site.sharpedgebeer.com/

Favorite hot dog place, and also where I can buy six packs.

http://www.ds6pax.com/

Bar with a bacon happy hour.

http://harrisgrill.com/

Favorite place to dine just for the view of the city. Lots of windows and patio seating weather permitting.

best little shop in your town-imageuploadedbycurltalk1361114872.248691.jpg

best little shop in your town-imageuploadedbycurltalk1361114886.005280.jpg

http://www.thegrandviewsaloon.com/

Favorite hoagie place.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/...-years-569365/

Greeting cards and funky gifts

http://kardsunlimited.com/

goldy · 02-17-2013, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by claudine19

My town specializes in high quality maple syrup production, and there's one shop that sells maple products year round. I've tried more than once to purchase gifts for others there, but I wind up eating them myself. Guess I'd better try the gift wrapping service next time.

Knowing this is making me want to finally sign up for the curly gift exchange. If I could guarantee you'd have my name

I love maple cream cookie sandwiches & maple cremees (do you have those?) and maple candies and maple....

claudine19 · 02-17-2013, 09:58 AM

Actually, the maple cream cookies that I bought for a beau were the ones I wound up eating.

It's okay: we broke up.

I'm not in the curly gift exchange, so.....here's the name of the place: "Richard's Maple Products." I suspect they're online. Enjoy!

gekko422 · 02-17-2013, 10:38 AM

My favorite restaurant - Flavor on the Coast

Local pet store - Kibbles'n Gifts - Pet Nutrition At Affordable Prices

Local grocery - New Leaf Community Markets

Friday happy hour (outside, ocean view, fire pits) - Miramar Beach Restaurant - Ocean View Dining in Half Moon Bay, California

sinistral55 · 02-17-2013, 11:27 AM

I'm also from a very small rural town, but there's hardly anything left. Walmart drove every and I mean EVERYTHING out. I hardly recognize my hometown anymore.

The only places I can think of are Kings Shoe Shop and The Good Earth Peanut Company. Kings was a fully-functioning shoe repair shop with an ancient cash register, a wood stove, and fascinating machinery and tools.

They've always sold secondhand shoes, I believe. And they have a lady's old buttoned shoe from the 1800s-early 1900s suspended from a string amongst the shelves. It still looks in great shape. It's very strange to see that shop still there, with every single shop around it--the entire street on both sides--boarded up and deserted. I go there just to see SOMEPLACE that still looks exactly as it did when I was little. I still buy shoes from there too; they always have the Duck Boots at better prices.

Sent from my LG-L38C using Tapatalk 2

Lucky Charm · 02-17-2013, 12:17 PM

We have one store in my town, a traditional Village Store. Its nothing special, sells the usual convenience store items (candy, coffee, milk, I think they make sandwiches), but in a building thats been around forever. BUT, the town next door has the most amazing New England seafood I've ever had. You'd never guess this small restaurant in a random strip mall in the middle of nowhere would put out this amazing food. I told my DH that if they ever went out of business I would mourn the loss of the best clam chowder in New England.

Now I want clam chowder. I guess I know what were doing for dinner tonight.

Myradella3 · 02-18-2013, 05:21 AM

I'm from Louisville. Whenever I return home with time to just browse, I love to go to a little store called Sister Dragonfly. It carries unique ladies' clothing and jewelry and this and that. I love it.

Starmie · 02-18-2013, 08:59 AM

I need to explore more, I pretty much mall shop all the time and you're all making me feel like I'm missing out!

gekko422 · 02-18-2013, 09:51 AM

The only time I go to the mall is when I need something specific from Origins.

jeepcurlygurl · 02-18-2013, 11:34 AM

I live in a small town that has been hit hard like other small towns (thanks Walmart) and has lost many of the great stores we used to have. So now we have lots of tattoo parlors, government offices, specialized services, etc.

But luckily I live within a few steps of some of the best things in town - a farmers market with a diner, produce, meat, honey, fair trade products, crafts, etc. My favorites are the 3 bakeries - one specializes in bread and pizza, another specializes in cookies and fantastic soft pretzels, and the other one specializes in cupcakes of all kinds and cheesecake. I rarely partake but if I really must have some sugar or carbs, they are my target shops.

jeepcurlygurl · 02-18-2013, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gekko422

My favorite restaurant - Flavor on the Coast

Local pet store - Kibbles'n Gifts - Pet Nutrition At Affordable Prices

Local grocery - New Leaf Community Markets

Friday happy hour (outside, ocean view, fire pits) - Miramar Beach Restaurant - Ocean View Dining in Half Moon Bay, California

Half Moon Bay - one of my favorite places I've ever been. And I was only there for about an hour. It just called to me tho. Still does. : )

spring1onu · 02-18-2013, 12:02 PM

I want to visit Half Moon Bay just because the name calls to me, I like it. Mr. Spring and I really need to drive down there some time before we move and explore.

Our little town and a small one next to it have some neat shops, a lot of which we haven't even explored yet. My favorite is the cupcake place, of course.

Home - Sift Cupcake & Dessert Bar It's nice to pick up a small treat and not have a whole cake be involved.

Our locally owned grocery store is a lot of fun to shop in. They carry a lot of locally sourced products and overall have a great selection of things. Oliver's Markets