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GENERAL STORES ARE A THROWBACK TO DAYS GONE BY. IF YOU SEE ONE, POP IN. THEY ARE ECCLECTIC BY NATURE, OFTEN CARRYING JUST THAT ONE THING YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT! MY VENTURE INTO THIS WORLD OF RETAIL HAS BEEN A THRILL RIDE AND I AM LEARNING, EXPERIMENTING, CREATING, DREAMING AND MAKING THIS STORE, MY "GLITZY'S BY THE SEA" A REALITY...
GLITZY'S STARTED OUT AS A TINY 6 SEAT SORT OF RESTAURANT, SNACK BAR, TAKE OUT COUNTER, CONEY ISLAND JOINT, ICE CREAM PARLOR. SANDWICH SHOPPE AND ALL AROUND ITTY BITTY FOOD EMPORIUM...
AFTER ALMOST 3 MONTHS OF PREPARING GOODIES TO THE TOURISTS AT PALMETTO BAY MARINA AS WELL AS THE WONDERFUL LOCALS WHO WANDER IN AND OUT OF THE STORE, I DECIDED TO BUY THE WHOLE ENCHALIDA KNOWN AS THE GENERAL STORE.
I WENT TO WORK UPGRADING THE MANY AISLES OF ITEMS AND ADDED TONS OF NEW THINGS TO THE VENUE. ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I DID WAS PUT IN A HUMIDOR. MY SON JASON, A SELF PROFESSED CIGAR AFFICIANIDO, PICKED OUT AN ECCLECTIC AND TANTALIZING ASSORTMENT OF FINE CIGARS FOR THE STORE. IT WAS TIME TO FILL THE HUMIDOR.
THE IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION OF CIGARS WAS MET WITH OVRWHELMING APPROVAL BY OUR CUSTOMERS.
NEXT WE TACKLED THE WINE DEPARTMENT, ADDING SOME IMPRESSIVE BOUTIQUE WINES AS WELL AS THE TIME HONORED CLASSICS, LIKE DOM PERIGNON, KRUG AND SILVER OAK. AS OUR WINE LIST GREW SO DID OUR CUSTOMER PRAISE. FINDING INTERESTING AND UNUSUAL WINE RACKS TRANSFORMED THE LOOK OF THE STORE AND MET WITH HIGH PATRON ENDORSEMENT.
THE ADDITION OF A GOURMET DELI MADE THE RESTAURANT PART OF THE STORE "SHAPE UP AND TAKE NOTICE"! I DECIDED TO CARRY BOAR'S HEAD MEATS AND CHEESES, ALONG WITH SOME WONDERFUL KOSHER PICKLES, THREE BEAN SALAD, AND A DELICIOUS SWEET GEORGIA SLAW. MY SON JASON CAME UP WITH THIS INNOVATIVE SLANT ON THE OLD STANDBY, COLESLAW. HE ADDED TINY DICED SWEET PEACHES AND LARGE GEORGIA PECANS TO A UNIQUE SLAW DRESSING AND VOILA! THE BEST COLESLAW ON THE PLANET.
SINCE I LOVE TO COOK I DECIDED TO MAKE SOME HOMEMADE DISHES TO TEMPT OUR CUSTOMERS. HOMEMADE LASAGNA, CREAMY MACARONI AND CHEESE, EGGPLANT PARMIAGAN, SHEPHARD'S PIE, BEEF STEW WITH VEGETABLES, SPINACH PIE, CHICKEN AND BROCOLLI WITH PASTA, GREEK MEATBALLS AND FETA ARE JUST A FEW OF THE DISHES I AM MAKING EACH WEEK. I HAVE PUT IN A FROZEN FOOD "TAKE OUT" DEPARTMENT WHICH IS FILLED WITH INDIVIDUAL PIECES OF PIE, CAKE, AND CHEESECAKE, AS WELL AS SINGLE BAGLES AND A LITTLE TUB OF CREAM CHEESE FOR THOSE WHO LIVE ALONE OR DON'T WANT TO BUY IN QUANTITY. IT ALSO HAS ALL OF THE DISHES I MAKE SO PEOPLE CAN JUST TAKE THEM HOME AND HAVE A HOT MEAL IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. HOMEMADE SOUPS ARE ON THE MENU FOR THE WNTER MONTHS AND WILL BE SOLD BOTH TO EAT NOW, AND TO TAKE OUT.
THE ICE CREAM PART OF THE STORE IS FANTASY ISLAND FOR ME. I LOVE MAKING OLD FASHIONED MILKSHAKES, SODAS, ICE CREAM SUNDAES, HOT FUDGE CREATIONS, AND OF COURSE, MY PRIDE AND JOY, MY FROZEN BANANAS AND FROZEN CHEESECAKE-ON-A-STICK. I HAVE OBTAINED A TRADEMARK FOR MY BANANAS AND CHEESECAKES AND WILL HOPEFULLY HAVE THEM IN STORES SOON. I AM MAILING THEM, PACKED IN DRY ICE, ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY ALREADY AND FIND THE PEOPLE ORDERING THEM LONG DISTANCE FIRST TRIED THEM ON A VISIT TO THE ISLAND AND MY STORE THIS PAST SUMMER...
IN TRYING TO BE A WELL ROUNDED, AND YET AN INCREDIBLY FUN FUN LITTLE STORE, I HAVE TRIED TO INCORPORATE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS TO FILL ANY VOIDS. PUTTING IN A GLITZY MIRRORED JEWELRY PEDESTAL FILLED WITH SPARKLY, GLITTERY AND UNIIQUE JEWLERY HAS BEEN A CENTRAL PART OF THE "GLITZY" THEME. WATCHES, EARRINGS, RINGS THAT TWINKLE AND SHINE, BANGLE BRACELETS THAT JANGLE, RHINESTONE NECKLACES AND JEWELED COMPACTS GLISTEN AND SHIMMER IN THE LIGHT.
SO, GENERAL STORES AREN'T ALWAYS SO GENERAL AFTER ALL. GLITZY'S BY THE SEA IS A NOVEL RIDE THRU NOSTALGIA, POP AND FUNK, FROM THE MIRRORED TORSO OF A MALE SITTING IN THE WINDOW, TO THE HOT PINK AND BLACK WARHOL 5 FOOT "MARILYN" GRACING THE FRONT OF THE STORE. WHITE TWINKLING LIGHTS EMBELLISH PLANTS AND FLOWERS AND THE EFFECT IS, HOPEFULLY, AN INVITATION TO ENTER.
SO, COME ON IN, Y'ALL.
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