RED BAY — Along State Road 81 there’s just one little stop within miles of this small town in eastern Walton County. To locals, the shop is a necessity. To travelers, it’s a novelty that draws them in and keeps them coming back.
Red Bay Grocery is easy to pass by. But after one stop it’s difficult to skip again.
“This is a gathering place and a place to eat,” Ouida Rigdon-Miller said Wednesday as she ate a salad in the restaurant. “It’s the only store in the area. You have to drive 25 or 50 miles if you want something to eat.
“This store is everything to our community.”
The original grocery opened sometime around 1936, but fell by the wayside over the years. In 2009, more than 50 of the town’s 100 or so residents chipped in money to renovate the building and reopen the store to feature homemade treats, canned goods and an assortment of essential items.
Red Bay was devastated when a fire took out the grocery in January 2011. But it reopened the following April after the residents rebuilt it.
The door bell store rang continuously Wednesday afternoon as people piled in to pick up a drink, some ice cream or place their order for the blue plate special: roast beef, sides and dessert.
“This is a place for the locals,” said Linda Bradley, who manages the place. “We see the same people almost daily. For example, there’s a group of men who come here every day for their coffee, sitting at the same table. If they don’t come, we get worried and start making calls.”
Ordering is simple: Walk in, grab a drink and place the order at the front of the shop. Then take a seat or stroll around to check out the merchandise.
One of the two or three people working will bring out the food. When finished, a wave of the hand signals them over to take a dessert order.
Folks can come in and request fresh produce, eggs or milk. Those items are in back and typically are used for the restaurant’s food.
“It’s pretty busy around here most of the time,” Bradley said. “We’re the only game in town, so when people need to eat they come here.”
