Bradley’s home from out of state. Recently, I asked him how long it had been since he’d been to the downtown shopping district in St. Johns. He said, probably a couple of years. Time to be tourists in a city near us!
The weather was mild that day, mid 30’s with no wind. We parked the car near the old railroad tracks and set off on foot. We didn’t have to walk far to get to our first stop, the Waypoint Coffee Company. (Hot coffee while walking outdoors in January, was going to be just what we needed.) I got a Vanilla Bean Latte with almond milk and Bradley, the Cardamom Latte.
We walked along the side streets and found “Cupcakes and Kisses”. Inside, it smelled glorious. We asked the salesperson if they carried any foods specific to our food allergies. (It’s always worth a try, you never know just when someone may surprise you.) While we weren’t able to find anything either of us could eat, the place was definitely full of everything Kevin could. We picked him up a treat and headed on our way.
Along Clinton Avenue we window shopped and browsed in some of the open stores. We ran into a couple of “around the section” neighbors who had also stopped downtown for coffee. (Their coffee shop of choice was the Global Coffee Company, located on Clinton Ave., which apparently carries some awesome lemon poppy seed muffins.) At the Clinton County Arts Council Art Gallery, I found some pretty handmade greeting cards and a perfect stocking stuffer for Kevin.
Finally, we arrived at “Oh Mi Organics”. I’d been talking this place up to Bradley for years and I was glad I could finally get him there. Megen and Brent Hurst, owners of Oh Mi, both greeted us as we came in; letting us know they were available to answer questions or to just talk about their products. Walking around their shop, I let Bradley take it all in. (After years of dealing with and eating for your food allergies, it really is hard to wrap your head around being in a shop, particularly a confectionary shop, where you can eat everything they carry.) More than once, he’d point and ask, “I can eat this too?” It was fun to watch him. We also spent a fair amount of time talking with both Megen and Brent, learning not just more about their products, but about the other small businesses that have started to come to the downtown shopping district, the “Eat Healthy, Eat Local Foundation” (founded in 2018) and the plans they have for the shopping district over the coming years. Our visit was finished off with buying a flavored hummus, 2 No Bake Dream Bars (If you haven’t tried them, you have no idea what you’re missing.) and a 6 pack of gourmet chocolates; Neopolitan (a favorite ice cream flavor for both of us), Samoa Cookie (like the Girl Scout cookie), Mint (Yum!), Rose, Baklava and Bavarian Cream. You really can’t go wrong with any of their gourmet chocolates. Before we left, Brent asked Bradley to try their iced coffee; asking how it compared to some of the iced coffees he’s had living in both Chicago and New York City. Bradley said it definitely rivaled those he’d had in both cities.
We’d now spent several hours on our tour and we were hungry. At the time of our “tour”, dine-in still wasn’t an option; so we had to do take-out. We placed an order with the St. Johns Brewing Company. Our food choices, Prime Rib Burnt Ends and the Classic Burger did not disappoint. In fact, they smelled so good, we didn’t wait to eat until we got home; we ate in the car.
The afternoon was great. Time spent outdoors, visits to local small businesses and good food.
Thanks for stopping!
Brenda
Disclaimer:
These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know?) Just read your labels! Do your research.
https://www.waypointcoffee.com/
