My daughter took me to a delightful little place today - the Avenue B Grocery and Market, one of Austin's oldest operating businesses. I love the fact that it's tucked right in the middle of a residential neighborhood, between two houses, and surrounded by big old trees and picnic tables to lunch at.
When I walked through the door today, I was suddenly about five years old, holding my grandmother Mimi's hand as she led me into the little corner grocery about a block down from her house in Dallas, to pick up a few things for dinner, and maybe pull a tiny bottle of pop from the cooler or buy a pack of candy cigarettes.
In case you're thinking you might like to visit this place, here are a few tips that may come in handy:
- First - do not walk through the door and start snappin' pictures.
- Second - do not tell owner Ross Mason that it reminds you of the store you used to go to with your Mimi (Blah, blah, blah, he's heard it all a million times before).
- Third - do not think you're going to just take a look around, and leave without buying anything.
- Fourth - do not expect Ross to answer a whole buch of your silly questions about the history of the place, unless you're willing to forgo this week's trip to HEB and buy all your groceries here instead, plus order up one of his freshly made sandwiches and a bottle of Dublin Dr. Pepper to enjoy out under the shade tree. He's got no time for "tourists"!
- Fifth - do not think you are going to escape without hearing about the sacrifices Ross has made over the last 25 years, to keep this bit of history alive for jerks like you.
- Last but not least, whatever you do, do not tell him that you read about his place on my blog. He prefers to be "the master of his own internet destiny", and I'd just as soon not be tarred and feathered.
P.S. Are you picturing a stoop-shouldered, grizzle-haired guy in his 90's? Boy, are you in for a surprise!
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6 comments:
So very cool!
Our little grocery in town is like this! I can get fresh farm eggs and homemade salsa there! I love going in there... it takes me back in time!
We have a friend, about your age, who grew up in a small town near Fredericksburg. Their main street has a garage, a meat locker, and a little store kinda like this one, all owned by his family. PLUS, the kids there attend 1st through 8th grade in a 2-room school house! Most people raised in cities don't have a clue that people still live like this. What's funny is that, though most couldn't wait to get away when they graduated, they're coming back in droves now!
As always, this post sent me scurrying (finger-wise) to Google the name of the grocery. Various reviews (all lauding the homemade sandwiches) and a few mentions in Austin Chronicle articles/lists of Austin icons/historical landmarks, etc.
No in depth profiles of the owner, its history, its property taxes, its quirks and eccentricities.
Your post had the most 'juice' and human interest flavor. I'd suggest changing the name of your post to land more hits but I'm afraid Ross might close down in a huff! ;0
P.S. Did'ja order a sammich?
I had already eaten lunch, but he scared me into buying some freshly made quinoa salad and a Dublin D.P. I must admit that, though he did his best to seem curmudgeonly, we ended up having a nice conversation about the Bountiful Sprout.
Ha! I was just in there today to get a pimento cheese sandwich. Was little distressed to see how much inventory he was not carrying. It's been a while since I was in there. Hope he isn't going out of biz, he was a little cagey when I asked him. I love that place.
Well, I was wondering about that myself. He kept telling us we needed to buy some groceries, if we wanted him to answer our questions, and I'm like, I hate to tell you but, a peach and a loaf of bread just ain't gonna cut it!
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